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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to prevent the disappearance of sea bass in the English Channel and North Sea due to overfishing.

Bass are in serious decline due to the combination of five consecutive years of poor reproduction (due to cold winters) and overfishing.

This year the UK Government has negotiated action at EU level to close the pelagic trawl spring fishery on spawning aggregations; introduce a recreational daily 3 fish bag limit; set monthly vessel catch limits across all commercial fishing gear categories; ban commercial fishing by EU vessels in waters around Ireland; and, increase the minimum conservation reference size for bass to 42cm, to come into force from 1 September.

Consideration will now be given to appropriate action for next year, to respond to the latest scientific advice, and to the development of regional multi-annual plans. Aligned with this work at EU and regional level the UK Government has initiated a high-level review of our current domestic management measures, particularly for protection of bass nursery areas.