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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding he has allocated to supporting the the fisheries sector; and what steps he is taking to support sustainability in that sector.

The Government is committed to supporting the UK fishing sector through our funding schemes. Through the annual investment of £32.7 million across the UK for domestic grants schemes, control and enforcement and data collection activities, in addition to the UK-wide £100 million UK Seafood Fund (UKSF), the Government is investing in projects that will support the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.

The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme funds projects that boost the sale of seafood, increase business resilience and support more environmentally sustainably practices. The UKSF has four pillars providing funding to: improve infrastructure; deliver science and innovation projects; support the current and future skills and training needs of the sector; and boost seafood exports.

The first Fisheries Management Plans published in December 2023 are part of a package of reforms to make our fisheries more sustainable. Other reforms related to the management of discards and introduction of remote electronic monitoring policies were set out on 13 May 2024.