Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the allocation of fishing opportunities in UK waters to reflect the ability of boats to meet environmental, social and economic sustainability criteria.

The UK regularly reviews its annual allocation policy to ensure that fishing opportunities are allocated for the benefit of the whole of the UK, taking into account the needs of those within existing Producer Organisations (POs) and the needs of the under 10m fleet. The UK has long championed sustainable fisheries and we continue to place scientific-based management at the heart of policy. The UK’s coastal fishing communities are immensely valuable and supporting them, along with the inshore fleet, is a central tenet of our work.