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 increase UK fishing quotas after the UK leaves the EU.

The current historic EU quota shares, fixed through the principle of “Relative Stability”, are unfair to the UK fleet for many stocks. EU vessels currently catch around 700,000 tonnes of fish from UK waters each year. The UK fleet only catches about 100,000 tonnes of fish in EU waters each year. After the end of the Implementation Period, the UK will diverge from the existing allocation methodology for Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and seek a more equitable arrangement as a condition of future access to UK waters.

We are currently giving detailed consideration to fairer allocation methodologies for Total Allowable Catches in future international negotiations. After March 2019, the UK will also join Regional Fisheries Management Organisations such as the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission in preparation for the UK regaining its seat in international fisheries negotiations from the autumn of 2020.