Northern Shelf Blue Whiting Fisheries Management Plan

Executive Summary

The Northern Shelf Blue Whiting Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) is one of 43 FMPs set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). It has been developed by the Scottish Government, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) with input from industry, scientists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs).

This FMP sets out the policies and actions to manage the Northern Shelf blue whiting stock at sustainable levels, ensuring that it can continue to play a key role in providing positive socio-economic benefits to the UK, whilst also setting out a number of actions to improve management where this is needed.

This FMP relates to Northern Shelf blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) which consists of the Northern Shelf blue whiting fishery in UK waters of ICES divisions 2.a, 4, 5.b, 6, 7.a, 7d-h, 7.j, and 12.b.

Northern Shelf blue whiting is more commonly known as blue whiting, and therefore this term used throughout the FMP. Overall management of this fishery is shared with coastal State partners. This international context is important to understand when considering sustainability and wider management issues. Fishing opportunities for blue whiting are managed by total allowable catches (TACs). The setting of TACs can be an effective way of managing fishing pressure on fish stocks. TACs and other joint management measures are agreed through international negotiations which are guided by the best available scientific advice, whilst also balancing environmental, social, and economic factors.

Blue whiting is a stock caught mainly as part of a directed pelagic fishery within UK waters and also outside of UK waters. It is of key commercial importance within UK waters, with the landed value by the UK fleet reaching £25 million in 2024.

The blue whiting stock is currently assessed as being fished within safe biological limits, although its sustainability depends on continued adherence to agreed management measures across all participating coastal states. As a widely distributed and jointly managed stock, overall outcomes reflect the cumulative effect of fishing activity across multiple parties. The long‑term management strategy agreed between coastal States provides a framework for sustainable management, but its effectiveness depends on consistent implementation.

This FMP focuses on ensuring that UK fisheries operate responsibly within that shared management framework, while supporting continued international cooperation. This FMP therefore describes a vision with policies and actions which set out how management can continue to support an MSY approach for the blue whiting fishery, and highlights areas that could lead to refinements to management approaches in the future. Areas for action include those which support the wider delivery of policies within the JFS and which contribute to the delivery of the objectives contained within the 2020 Act.