Shellfish: Conservation

(asked on 15th October 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect crustaceans and ensure that their use in seafood is ethical.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 26th October 2021

The Fisheries Act 2020 enshrines in law the Government's commitment to sustainable fishing - through its objectives and fisheries statements, and through the new legal commitment to produce Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) to ensure our stocks are being fished sustainably and the marine environment is protected. Our key commercial crustacean species will be covered by FMPs.

The Government is also committed to further strengthening our world-leading animal welfare standards. Defra has commissioned an independent external review on sentience in decapod crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, as well as sentience in the cephalopod class, which includes octopus, cuttlefish and squid. The review will be published before the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill's Report stage in the House of Lords. Any future actions in this area will be led by evidence and informed by engagement with industry.

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