Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure a sustainable approach to fishing in the Overseas Territories.

Working together with the Overseas Territories , the UK Government is supporting the development of sustainable marine management practices within the OTs through the Blue Belt Programme. Since 2016, this support has included development of appropriate monitoring and enforcement frameworks to manage fishing activities; scientific monitoring and advice to provide precautionary catch limits; development of risk management tools to ensure fisheries are managed sustainably with minimal impact on associated or dependent ecosystems; training and capacity building within OTs to effectively manage fisheries; remote monitoring and surveillance to tackle potential illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities; and ensuring OTs meet requirements of relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. I recently discussed these issues on my visit to OTs in the Caribbean and will discuss them again with Leaders at the upcoming Joint Ministerial Council.