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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is committed to not setting catch limits for any stocks in excess of scientific advice given by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) in its fishing negotiations with the EU, Norway and the North-East Atlantic coastal states.

The UK advocates an approach towards setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) that is founded on the best available scientific advice including from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on achieving Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This compliments the United Kingdom Marine Strategy, which is the UK equivalent to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, that sets out a commitment to establish commercial stocks at a biomass level that are capable of producing MSY.