Seafood industry stakeholders comment on the Fisheries Bill

Businesses from the Sustainable Seafood Coalition (SSC) have joined forces, calling on Environment Secretary George Eustice to make vital changes to the Fisheries Bill and seize a pivotal opportunity to develop world-leading sustainable fisheries management.

In a letter to the Environment Secretary, SSC businesses argue that the current ineffective management of fisheries limits the ability of UK fishing communities to sell to responsible UK businesses. It also impacts the availability of sustainably sourced seafood for consumers.

Instead, a more sustainably-minded Fisheries Bill could reduce reliance on imports, strengthen ties between national fisheries and seafood businesses, and improve responsible sourcing across the board, boosting the health of our oceans and their precious resources.

Businesses are calling for:

• Sustainable fishing limits that are legally binding, in order to prevent overfishing;
• Robust monitoring and enforcement to better aid vital data collection and ensure compliance with the rules; and,
• Sustainable management of shared stocks - essential given that the UK shares over 100 stocks with the EU alone.