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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether, following the decision to ban electric pulse fishing in UK waters, the Government plans to make further use of its powers under the Fisheries Act 2020 to restrict fishing vessel licenses from the most destructive industrial vessels in offshore Marine Protected Areas.

Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information below relates to England only.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has developed an ambitious three-year programme to manage fishing activity in English offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). We recognise the urgency to establish management measures to protect the marine environment and proposals for the first four MPAs have been published for consultation. The consultation closed on 28 March and the MMO is currently reviewing the responses.

The Government is currently reviewing its policy on large pelagic trawlers. However, these vessels target fish within the water column and are unlikely to damage the seabed habitats, such as reef and sediment habitats, for which most MPAs are designated. The MMO will assess the impact of all fishing types and consider if management measures are required. Not all fishing activities in MPAs will require management, only those likely to damage the designated features, as assessed on a site by site basis.