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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to support fishers to adopt innovative gear with proven selectivity benefits.

As a member of the UK Gear forum, Defra will continue working with the fisheries administrations and industry to promote the commercial uptake of innovative fishing gear. Together, we are exploring opportunities to overcome barriers to the adoption of more selective gear types.

Defra will work with industry to explore how the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund can be used to target investment where it matters most, which could include investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet.