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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many inspections his Department conducted on (a) British fishing boats and (b) overseas fishing boats in (i) each month in 2020 and (ii) January 2021.

During the period 1 January 2020 to 31 January 2021, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) conducted 122 inspections of non-UK vessels at sea and 176 inspections of UK vessels at sea. The following table provides a breakdown of this total per month:

Covid-19 safety measures introduced in response to high rates of infection impacted the ability to conduct physical at sea inspections during January 2021. The larger proportion of at sea inspections on UK vessels in comparison to non-UK vessels during 2020 is also reflective of a safety first, phased-in approach to safety measures, as boarding English speaking vessels was initially deemed easier for implementing and explaining Covid-19 protocols in response to the first national lockdown. However, an increased at sea enforcement presence remained in place throughout 2020 and in January 2021 to deter illegal activity.