Fisheries: Quotas

(asked on 5th July 2018) - View Source

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 July (HL Deb, col 593), whether they plan to permit fishing vessels under 10 metres to have access to an increased quota of fish other than shellfish prior to 29 March 2019.


This question was answered on 17th July 2018

The Government allocates quota on an annual basis with a principle to ensure that fishing opportunities are allocated for the benefit of all, taking into account the needs of those within existing Producer Organisations (POs) and the needs of the under 10m fleet.

Since 2012, to help support the under 10m fleet, the Government has realigned quota that had neither been fished, leased, gifted nor swapped by POs and was considered unused. This has delivered a 13% increase in quota for the under 10m fleet. In 2016, it generated 677.5 tonnes of additional quota.

In addition, for quota stocks phased in under the landing obligation since 2015, the under 10m fleet has received additional quota. This has provided the non-sector with historic high catch limits which they have been able to take advantage of. To date in 2018, the under 10m fleet has been allocated an additional 1,250 tonnes of quota, equating to an additional £3 million.

It should also be recognised that a significant proportion of catch brought in by the under 10m fleet such as lobster and crabs are not subject to quota controls.

Reticulating Splines