Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 8 of 11: Landing obligation challenges

This Briefing is part of a joint Briefing Series, co-signed by 29 organisations (including environmental NGOs and recreational representatives), which presents our key recommendations to EU and UK decision-makers regarding the setting of recovery-focused, precautionary and ecosystem-based fishing opportunities. 

The continued poor implementation of the landing obligation, including a lack of compliance, control and enforcement, is widely recognized and fundamentally undermines sustainable fisheries. The UK’s departure from the EU represents both opportunities and risks. Any future catching policy, whether in the UK or in the EU, should ensure that the full ethos of the current landing obligation – minimizing and avoiding unwanted catches and waste – is maintained and should outline how its success is going to be quantified. This Briefing explains the danger posed by a continued failure to properly implement the LO and to account for illegal and/or unreported discarding, and recommends key steps to be taken in the context of the setting of fishing opportunities, including the following: 

Related links: 

Find all Briefings as part of the Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” here. 

Find other files produced or co-signed by ClientEarth related to the annual negotiations on fishing opportunities from 2015 onwards here.