FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLANS

Background:

Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) were designed to be the main tool for reforming UK fisheries management under the Fisheries Act 2020.

They set out the core objectives for fisheries management in the UK post-Brexit. Earlier this year, the draft Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) was announced, providing a more detailed follow-on document, which set out the specific policies that will be implemented to achieve those objectives. 

One of the key elements of the JFS is further detail on Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). In the draft JFS, 43 FMPs were proposed. When the JFS it is published in November 2022, it will include a final list of FMPs with details of the stocks covered and how the plans will be implemented.

FMPs are evidence-based action plans, developed with input from the fishing industry and other stakeholders. They will provide the framework to build and maintain sustainable fish and shellfish stocks in the UK by setting out a range of policies – based on scientific evidence – that detail how fishing is managed, by stock, fishery, or location.