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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43782 on Fisheries: South Atlantic Ocean, what steps his Department has taken with relevant parties to (a) assess and (b) improve the sustainability of relevant fish stocks since 5 July 2024.

Relevant fisheries data are essential to inform assessment of stock health and sustainable management for fish stocks in the South West Atlantic. As set out in my response to previous PQs 43782, 43781, and 46104, Defra officials continue to raise the issue of data and management gaps in relevant international multi-lateral fisheries fora. Defra officials also work closely with the Falkland Islands Government to address these challenges.

At the FAO Subcommittee on Fisheries Management, new text was secured highlighting data and information gaps in high seas fisheries outside the competence of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, and encouraging FAO members to collaborate to develop appropriate arrangements and management for these areas- see paragraphs 19 and 20 of the published report.

These issues were also raised during the UNGA Sustainable Fisheries Resolution negotiations, where additional text was secured relating to the importance of filling these “relevant data gaps”- see paragraph 32 of the published report.

Defra officials attending the Informal Consultations of the State Parties to the UN Fish Stocks Agreement at United Nations on the 14th May also raised the issue of gaps in RFMO coverage. The UK’s written contribution to this meeting is available here.