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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (a) domestically and (b) internationally.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a significant threat to ocean ecosystems, coastal communities and global food supplies which undermines fisheries conservation and management measures. The UK Government holds key responsibilities under domestic and international law to tackle IUU fishing.

Domestically, catch documentation is required when importing seafood into the UK from another country to prevent IUU-derived fish entering UK supply chains. Furthermore, seafood caught by a vessel listed on the UK’s IUU vessel list is banned from entering the UK, and controls are also in place to prevent foreign vessels accessing UK ports if suspected of engaging in IUU fishing.

Internationally, the UK co-founded the IUU Action Alliance in 2022 to help drive international support and cooperation to tackle IUU fishing globally and, in line with this, is funding a project in the Philippines to support implementation of robust controls at their ports. The UK Government is also party to a number of regional fisheries management organisations which focus on ensuring our shared fish stocks in international waters are managed sustainably and illegal fishing is tackled effectively.