Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Distant Fleet Fishing

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Government published fishing opportunities for British boats covering till 31 March 2021
  • Licences issued for 2750 tonnes of cod in Svalbard waters from UK-Norway arrangements
  • Annual fishing negotiations often extend into January, influenced by special circumstances

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Hardy Lab Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Negotiations for distant fleet fishing rights for 2021 have been ongoing, impacting fishing boats in Kingston upon Hull.

Question

What recent progress has been made on negotiations for distant fleet fishing for 2021?

Answer from George Eustice

Last Thursday, the UK Government published the determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats covering the period to 31 March this year. Licences have been issued for 2,750 tonnes of cod in the waters around Svalbard, which result from arrangements between the UK and Norway. The UK's first annual bilateral negotiations with Norway will also be relevant to distant waters fishing, in particular with regard to Arctic cod.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about progress on negotiations was partially answered but did not provide a clear timeline or specifics of current status beyond general statements.

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Q2 Emma Hardy Lab Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Hull trawler Kirkella has been unable to sail since the transition ended three weeks ago due to limited quotas.

Question

Three weeks have passed since the transition ended and still the Hull trawler Kirkella is laid up in its home port unable to sail. The short licence the Secretary of State just mentioned to fish off Svalbard is for a fraction of the previous quota, which means it cannot operate viably, and still fishers' jobs are at risk. We cannot lose Hull's last link with its distant fleet fishing heritage, so I again ask: how much longer will they have to wait for a sensible and viable annual fishing quota for both the Norwegian zone and Svalbard?

Answer from George Eustice

It is not unusual for the annual fishing negotiations to go into January. This year, there has obviously been the very special circumstance that the withdrawal agreement came late, but in 2014 access was suspended while negotiations with Norway continued through January. We would anticipate that these negotiations would conclude within the next couple of weeks, and then access for Arctic cod, should that be agreed, could be resumed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about a viable annual fishing quota was not directly addressed with clear commitments or timelines. Instead, general information on negotiation timing was provided.

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