House of Commons · Westminster Hall
18 January 2023 · 5 other contributors · 4,147 words
Opened by George Eustice Con Camborne and Redruth
Responding minister: Not recorded
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
George Eustice raised concerns about total allowable catches: fisheries negotiations in Westminster Hall. Response awaited from government.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Minister should ensure that the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science's (CEFAS) scientific knowledge influences international negotiations and methodologies used by ICES. The lead MP seeks clarification on whether CEFAS's biomass trend approach is being reinvigorated or updated to assess data-limited stocks.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Fisheries Ministers face the challenge of making policy decisions based on imperfect evidence. Key issues include uncertainties in calculating maximum sustainable yield, difficulties in assessing fish age and species differentiation, lack of accurate data on recreational fishing mortality, and political pressures to reach compromises with other countries. There is also a tendency for fisheries policies to become entrenched over time, hindering necessary changes.
Alistair Carmichael expressed frustration over monkfish being classified as a data-deficient species despite its high value to the Scottish fleet.
Jim Shannon thanked George Eustice for securing the debate and highlighted the importance of data in fisheries management. He cited the example of spurdog, where limited data initially led to a ban on landing the species but now allows for a total allowable catch based on updated scientific advice.
Luke Pollard questioned why EU fishers can catch spurdog while UK fishers cannot, expressing concern that the UK might be lagging behind EU policies regarding fishing rights.
Fisheries Minister should be aware of the challenges in fisheries management and the need for accountability, as evidenced by the process required to introduce regulatory changes post-Brexit.
Peter Aldous suggested that George Eustice consider his approach to Celtic sea pollack and apply it to southern North Sea spurdog. He also noted the valuable work of CEFAS Endeavour in collecting data for fisheries. Peter Aldous acknowledged Luke Pollard's concern about spurdog fishing and highlighted that East Anglian fishermen are unable to catch spurdog despite sustainable practices, while EU trawlers can. He called for a fisheries management plan in line with ICES recommendations.