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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the sustainability of the marine environment following any increase in fishing in UK waters after Brexit.

The UK has long championed sustainable fishing and is committed to such cooperation in line with our obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA). In addition, the UK remains committed to bringing all commercially exploited stocks to their maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and ensuring that they are exploited at or below that level. As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan, we will pursue an ecosystem approach to fisheries management that will minimise the negative impact of fishing on the marine environment.

The UK government does not support increased fishing pressure in UK waters but we will seek a fairer share of the total allowable catch and will depart from the outdated “relative stability” methodology.