Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential impact to non-quota stocks of fly-seine fishing vessel operations in the English Channel.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The number of fly-seine vessels operating in English waters including the Channel increased from 29 to 54 vessels between 2019 and 2024, while landings of non-quota stocks increased by some 50% between 2018 and 2023.
Many non-quota stocks are data limited and have little management. It is for this reason Defra prioritised the development of Fisheries Management Plans for Non Quota stocks.
In 2023 Defra published the Channel Demersal Non-Quota Stock Fisheries Management Plan to protect 19 vulnerable species and improve data collection. We also introduced precautionary measures including a minimum 100mm mesh size restriction for fly-seine vessels.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fishing licenses has the Government issued to fly-seine fishing vessels registered in i) the EU and ii) England.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation does not issue specific licences for fly-seining. The MMO issues a domestic fishing vessel licence which allows English registered vessels to fishing using various stipulated gear types. A list of registered and licensed vessels can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-vessel-lists.
EU vessels are eligible to fish in UK waters under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement if they hold a UK Foreign Vessel licence. The EU notify the vessel details and proposed gear type. Currently, there are 56 EU vessels licensed to use fly-seines in UK waters. A list of EU vessels approved to fish in UK waters can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/united-kingdom-single-issuing-authority-uksia#approved-eu-vessels.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much fishing effort, calculated in kilowatt days, has been conducted by fly-seine fishing vessels in the English Channel in each year 2015-2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although UK and non-UK commercial fishing vessels are required to report catches in UK waters, they are not required to report whether those catches occurred in English waters or waters between six and twelve nautical miles. As such, this data is not collected. Catch statistics are regularly published by the MMO on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quota-use-statistics
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much fishing effort calculated in kilowatt days has taken place in English waters between six and twelve nautical miles in each year 2015-2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although UK and non-UK commercial fishing vessels are required to report catches in UK waters, they are not required to report whether those catches occurred in English waters or waters between six and twelve nautical miles. As such, this data is not collected. Catch statistics are regularly published by the MMO on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quota-use-statistics
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of fish have been caught in English waters between six and twelve nautical miles in each year 2015-2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although UK and non-UK commercial fishing vessels are required to report catches in UK waters, they are not required to report whether those catches occurred in English waters or waters between six and twelve nautical miles. As such, this data is not collected. Catch statistics are regularly published by the MMO on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quota-use-statistics
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many at-landing inspections took place in English ports for (a) EU registered fishing vessels, (b) English registered fishing vessels over ten meters in length and (c) English registered fishing vessels under ten meters in length in each year between 2020 and 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation does not publish a breakdown of inspections, including in-port inspections of English and EU-registered fishing vessels and at-sea inspections outside of six nautical miles. The MMO annual report, published on gov.uk, does provide an overview of inspections carried out: Marine Management Organisation Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many at-sea boarding inspections of (a) EU registered fishing vessels and (b) English registered fishing vessels took place in English waters outside of six nautical miles in each year between 2020 and 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation does not publish a breakdown of inspections, including in-port inspections of English and EU-registered fishing vessels and at-sea inspections outside of six nautical miles. The MMO annual report, published on gov.uk, does provide an overview of inspections carried out: Marine Management Organisation Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what were the top ten by gross tonnage non-quota species caught by EU registered fishing vessels in each year 2020-2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although a breakdown of non-quota catches by species caught by EU vessels in UK waters is not published, cumulative catches are published as per Article 507 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These are published on gov.uk as part of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/specialised-committee-on-fisheriesData. Data on the firsthand sale value of fish caught in English waters by EU-registered vessels is not published.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was the first hand sale value of fish caught in English waters by EU registered fishing vessels in each year 2015-2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Although a breakdown of non-quota catches by species caught by EU vessels in UK waters is not published, cumulative catches are published as per Article 507 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These are published on gov.uk as part of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/specialised-committee-on-fisheriesData. Data on the firsthand sale value of fish caught in English waters by EU-registered vessels is not published.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many non-compliance warning letters were issued in each year 2020-2025 to i) EU registered fishing vessels, ii) English registered fishing vessels over ten meters in length, and iii) English registered fishing vessels under ten meters in length.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation’s approach to control and enforcement is risk-based and intelligence-led and are enforced in accordance with their published Compliance and Enforcement Strategy: Compliance and Enforcement Strategy - GOV.UK.
The MMO does not publish a breakdown of non-compliance warning letters issued to English or EU-registered vessels. The MMO annual report, published on gov.uk, provides an overview of the number of regulatory enforcement actions that have been taken: Marine Management Organisation Annual Report and Account