Conservation: Fish stocks
Recreational Sea Angling
Consultation on a draft Recreational Sea Angling Strategy for England was published in December 2007 with a deadline for responses of 31 March 2008. 
The document aims to guide the future development of fisheries policies in relation to sea angling.
The next steps on sea angling policy development will be published once responses to the consultation have been considered.
Conservation of fish stocks
Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas
Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are a key element of the conservation of fish stocks. The TACs are currently agreed by Member States each December in the Fisheries Counciland are an overall limit on the weight of fish which fishermen may land. They are based on advice by fisheries scientists in the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on appropriate levels of catches if stocks are to be sustained. Once the TACs are agreed they are divided between Member States according to the system of 'relative stability' under which each receives a quota for individual stocks reflecting their levels of fishing.
Technical conservation
Technical conservation measures provide a second key element. These rules aim to make fishing nets more selective when fishing and so reduce discard of young fish. The measures include:
- setting minimum landing sizes for different species
- requiring the use of specific mesh sizes; in some circumstances
- obliging the use of separator/selective devices
- putting restrictions on what fishing gear can be used;
- closing some areas to certain types of fishing, permanently or some times of year, to protect stocks.
These European Community measures are supplemented by UK legislation where appropriate.
Brown Crabs
Defra would like to hear your views on the discussion document below which contains ideas for limiting fishing for brown crabs in order to maintain a profitable, sustainable crab fishery around our coasts. The consultation is in response to thoughts that we should consider conservation measures before the stock actually comes under pressure.
We would be grateful for your observations on the ideas contained in the paper and the attached Scientific Annex by the end of the year. We do not have a preferred suite of possible actions. We want to consider all of your views and use them to develop a package we can put to the Minister for a possible formal consultation early next year, so it is important that, wherever you can, you tell us how any or all of the ideas would impact on you and your business. Details of how to respond are contained in the consultation letter 
(34 KB).
- Discussion paper (43 KB)
- Scientific annex (59 KB)
Managing the exploitation of tope
Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs & Minister for the South East, has taken steps to protect tope, a vulnerable European continental-shelf and coastal shark species. The Minister has prohibited fishing for tope other than by rod and line and has set a 45kg per day tope by-catch limit in commercial fisheries targeting other species.
Tope do not mature until they are around 12 years old and then produce a relatively low number of pups compared with other marine species (20 every 2-3 years), making them very vulnerable to fishing pressure. Following reports of plans for a commercial tope fishing operation, Defra consulted on precautionary conservation measures. The majority of responses supported the prevention of directed fisheries or pointed out that tope were a low value but inevitable by-catch in commercial fisheries for other species.
Even though a targeted commercial fishery has not emerged, we believe there is a risk that a targeted fishery for tope could be set up quickly and could have a rapid adverse impact on populations both locally and throughout the North East Atlantic. The Minister has decided that to ensure the sustainable use of tope, fishing for tope by methods other than rod and line will be prohibited and where tope is a by-catch in commercial fisheries targeting other species a 45kg per day tope by-catch limit will apply. Rod and line anglers fishing from boats will not be allowed to land their catches (dead or alive) ashore, however, they will be allowed to continue to practice ‘catch and release’. Both commercial and recreational fishermen will share the responsibility for the conservation of tope.
The Statutory Instrument which implements these measures has been published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/whatsnew.htm
Shark Finning: Council Regulation (EC) 1185/2003
The UK was pivotal in the development of Council Regulation 1185/2003 which bans the finning of sharks at sea except by special permit. Permits to remove fins are only issued where a capacity to use the bodies of the captured sharks has been demonstrated and the need for separate processing justified. Vessels without permits may only retain and land sharks with their fins attached. Under the regulation, EU Member States are obliged to submit a comprehensive annual report to the European Commission. The required format for the report was revised by the EC for the 2006 reporting round.
- 2006 UK report to the EC on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) 1185/2003 (37 KB)
- 2005 UK report to the EC on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) 1185/2003 (36 KB)
Consultation on lobster minimum landing size increase
In 2005 Defra consulted on whether the landing of berried lobsters should be prohibited. The responses indicated that there would be significant difficulties with compliance and enforcement of a ban and scientific advice indicated that an increase in the minimum landing size would achieve similar outcomes in terms of conservation benefits.
- CEFAS note (32 KB) on stock conservation benefits of lobster management measures
Mr Bradshaw concluded that an increase in the minimum landing size may be a more effective conservation measure for lobsters and announced his decision in May to consult on an increase in the minimum landing size from 87mm to 90mm.
This consultation proposed to increase the minimum landing size of lobsters from 87mm to 90mm carapace length (CL) and asked for views as to whether this should be in one stage or incremental steps. It also asked for views on additional measures such as setting a maximum landing size.
Possible new management measures for skates and rays and spurdog
Defra would like your views on ideas for conserving skates, rays and spurdog. The Cefas report below summarises the conservation case for action to protect the larger skates and spurdog.
The Defra paper below suggests some management measures that might be taken to improve the data on skates and rays and to protect the larger females of skate and ray species and of spurdog.
General fisheries technical conservation rules
Defra has published guidance with the above title on the main EC and UK technical conservation measures. The guidance below has been split into separate pdf files for easier download. Further information is available on our Help page about downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat documents.
English version
- Part 1 - Cover, contents, introduction, UK devolution arrangements, towed gear - mesh sizes (618 KB)
- Part 2 - Towed gear - mesh size ranges and requirements (64 KB)
- Part 3 - Towed gear - catch compositions: flexibility during voyage; net geometry and construction; fixed gear; minimum fish landing sizes (general and shellfish) (552 KB)
- Part 4 - Closed areas, hake recovery plan, annexes (854 KB)
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Minimum fish landing sizes (136 KB)
Welsh version
- Part 1 - Cyflwyniad (653 KB)
- Part 2 - Gêr a dynnir, Geometreg a gwneuthuriad rhwydau (508 KB)
- Part 3 - Ardaloedd caeëdig, Cynllun adfer cegddu (369 KB)
- Part 4 - Atodiad B - E (859 KB)
Stock recovery plans
Some fish stocks are in a poor state and this is due to a complex mix of overfishing, low numbers of fish surviving to a size where they are taken commercially and, possibly environmental factors. There are serious problems with EU cod stocks and measures have been put in place to halt and ultimately reverse this decline. These measures have included restrictions on cod fishing in the Irish Sea, North Sea and the West of Scotland during the key spring spawning periods alongside cuts in the amount of cod that could be caught in these areas. A recovery plan for Northern Hake stocks has also been introduced.
Stocks recovery plans inevitably contain a range of measures and, to be effective, need to be in place for several years. The packages of measures that have been put in place to date for rebuilding cod stocks are designed to make a contribution to bringing stocks back to within safe biological limits. It will be some time before fisheries scientists will be able to assess the results and the extent of any improvement in stocks.
Details of the European Commission's informal proposal for the cod recovery plan [412 KB] and the UK Government's response [47 KB].
- More information on Management of UK fishing quotas.
Page last modified: 13 March 2008
Page published: 14 December 2007