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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure a better (1) geographic, and (2) seasonal, distribution of fishing effort.

The UK views information on the geographic distribution of fish stocks as fundamental to establishing both the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and a coastal state’s share of a given stock in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral negotiations. This information should form the basis for how catch advice for each biological stock is apportioned across TAC management areas.

UK quotas are apportioned between Fisheries Administrations for allocation to their respective fishing industries. The sector, which is made up of Producer Organisations, manage their allocation of quota on behalf of their members in a range of UK and distant water fisheries. The non-sector allocation of quota is managed by the Marine Management Organisation and Marine Scotland, who work closely with industry to balance the need for quota in seasonal and local fisheries.