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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the sustainability objective in section 2(b) of the Fisheries Act 2020, what steps they will take in order to determine whether current fleet capacity matches available fishing opportunities.

The UK produces an annual fleet capacity report which assesses how effectively the fleet is operating.

The Government is committed to engage with stakeholders to address sustainability and fleet management issues through Fisheries Management Plans.

The current management system of licences and quota restrictions ensure that the sustainability objectives in the Fisheries Act are addressed, with licence conditions amended where necessary to match demand against fishing opportunities.