NGO letter to Minister Prentis on TAC-setting in line with scientific advice

A recent report produced by Cefas concludes that only around a third of all assessed Total Allowable Catches (TACs) of UK interest were set in line with scientific advice in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In this joint NGO letter, Blue Marine Foundation, Oceana and ClientEarth call on minister Prentis to take these worrying results seriously and honour the government’s various sustainability commitments by ensuring that future TACs follow scientific advice, and finally ending overfishing. While the NGOs welcome the honest and transparent account of the dire situation presented in this report, the results highlight that the UK still has a lot of work to do if it is to live up to its ambition of being a world leader in sustainable fisheries management.