Cover letter to EU Commissioner and UK Secretary of State regarding the joint NGO recommendations to the EU and the UK on fishing opportunities for 2023

This cover letter was sent to the EU Commissioner and the new UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, accompanying our joint NGO recommendations to the EU and the UK on fishing opportunities for 2023 (and for 2024 for deep-sea stocks). In this letter, we urge both the EU and the UK to end overfishing of shared stocks, emphasising some of the key points discussed in more detail in the joint NGO TAC (Total Allowable Catch) recommendations documents for the EU and the UK, respectively, namely the following:

• Set catch limits not exceeding the best available scientific advice,
• Provide a “climate buffer” and improve population resilience by setting catch limits below this advice,
• Apply an ecosystem-based approach when setting catch limits,
• Eliminate bycatch and discards, increase selectivity and ensure effective control, and
• Increase transparency of decision-making.

Related links:

Read our detailed NGO TAC recommendations for the EU and the UK, and find other files produced or co-signed by ClientEarth related to the annual negotiations on fishing opportunities from 2015 onwards here.