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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Bycatch Mitigation Initiative; and whether that policy will (a) include a timeframe to deliver bycatch reductions and (b) aim to eliminate sensitive species bycatch.

We are aiming to publish the UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative later this year. This will describe actions to achieve part of the Fisheries Act’s ecosystem objective to minimise and, where possible, eliminate incidental catch of sensitive marine species. The actions will include improving our understanding of where and how much bycatch occurs and implementing effective mitigation measures to reduce bycatch.

This initiative will set out a joint vision for bycatch across the UK. Each administration will be responsible for developing solutions that are tailored to local needs.