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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency in the allocation of licences for commercial bluefin tuna fishery; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing alternative management models to enable wider participation by inshore fishermen.

In 2025, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) published comprehensive online guidance outlining the process for fishers, including those from the inshore fleet, to apply for access to the bluefin tuna commercial fishery. This guidance included detailed information on how applications would be assessed along with a timeline for the process.

Following assessment, the MMO contacted all applicants directly to inform them of the outcome of their applications.

To support the development of the fishery Defra commissioned external evaluations of the commercial bluefin fishery in 2023 and 2024 and continue to engage with fishers and other stakeholders on the ongoing management.

We must act within international rules set by The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and will continue to evaluate the best way to provide social and economic benefits for UK fishers in a sustainably managed commercial bluefin tuna fishery.