Sandeels: Conservation

(asked on 28th January 2025) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will maintain its policy of a ban on the industrial fishing of sandeels in negotiations with the European Union on fisheries access post-2026.


Answered by
Daniel Zeichner Portrait
Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 13th February 2025

The UK Government published its assessment of the ecosystem risks and benefits of a full prohibition of industrial sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea in 2023. This report, which is publicly available, includes an assessment of the impacts and benefits accruing to seabirds and other marine life.

In March 2024, and following separate public consultations, the UK and Scottish Governments closed English Waters of the North Sea and all Scottish Waters to sandeel fishing.

The closure shields sandeel as an essential food source for threatened seabird populations (such as kittiwakes and puffins), commercially valuable fish (such as haddock and whiting) and for marine mammals (such as porpoise and minke whales).

The UK will continue to support the ongoing monitoring of sandeel stocks in the North Sea. We will work with ICES to ensure that sufficient data are available to provide stock status information for sandeel stocks and to ensure that multispecies/ecosystem models for the North Sea still have appropriate levels of information.

The EU has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The UK is defending its decision. We anticipate the tribunal will deliver its report by April 2025.

UK officials continue to engage with representatives of all Coastal States, including the EU, on fisheries management measures and policy.

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