Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment on Demersal Fisheries Management Plans

Introduction

The Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), as required by the Fisheries Act 2020 (the 2020 Act), sets out how the UK fisheries authorities (Defra, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland) will prepare and publish 43 Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) by 2026 for the Scottish-led FMPs, with some of the remaining plans led by the other UK fisheries authorities published by 2028^[1].

The plans bring together the evidence on the state of the stocks and identify measures and actions necessary to improve the evidence base and manage our fisheries in a sustainable way. Policies in an FMP set out both the short-term actions and longer-term vision for the management of the fishery.

This assessment is being undertaken alongside a public consultation on 11 proposed Demersal FMPs, and further information is sought there regarding additional economic evidence to update this assessment before the publication of final Demersal FMPs.

This partial BRIA describes the anticipated economic impact of the 11 Demersal FMPs on the fishing sector and associated businesses.

This assessment document covers the following Demersal FMPs:

• North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Haddock FMP hereafter referred to as ‘Northern Shelf’ Haddock FMP
• Atlantic haddock FMP
• Northern Shelf Cod FMP
• Atlantic Cod FMP
• North Sea and Eastern Channel Whiting FMP
• West Coast of Scotland Whiting FMP
• North Sea Whiting FMP
• North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Saithe hereafter referred to as ‘Northern Shelf’ Saithe FMP
• Northern Shelf Hake FMP
• North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Monk/Anglerfish FMP hereafter referred to as ‘Northern Shelf’ Anglerfish FMP
• North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Megrim FMP hereafter referred to as ‘Northern Shelf’ Megrim FMP
• Northern Shelf Ling FMP

Fishing opportunities for these stocks are currently set through international negotiations with other coastal states. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) provides advice under a Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) approach, and then fisheries managers set the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) guided by this advice. While most Demersal FMPs are Category 1 stocks under the ICES assessment framework (stocks with quantitative assessments), some stocks qualify as Category 2 (stocks with analytical assessments and forecasts that are only treated qualitatively, such as Northern Shelf megrim in area 6.b), Category 3 (stocks for which survey-based assessments indicate trends, such as Northern Shelf ling) and Category 6 (negligible landings stocks and stocks caught as minor amounts as bycatch, such as Atlantic cod).This means that the evidence base supporting the management of the relevant fisheries can vary on a stock by stock basis. The relative health of the stocks in question can also vary depending on a range of factors. The FMPs provide substantial detail in relation to this.

Fishing for demersal stocks in UK waters takes place as part of a mixed fishery, meaning that demersal fish stocks are often caught alongside each other. Although these stocks are subject to separate FMPs, there are many shared characteristics between these demersal stocks and similarities in where and how they are fished. When considering management actions as part of these FMPs, and in wider management considerations such as the setting of fishing opportunities, fisheries policy authorities consider the role of demersal species in the wider marine ecosystem. Many of the issues that are considered as part of these FMPs are applicable across demersal fisheries, and therefore the actions required may not be specific to one stock or fishery. They are commercially important species within UK waters, with the total value of the species covered by the FMPs above landed by the UK fleet totalling £182.9 million in 2024. A breakdown by specific FMP is included below in Table 1.

Source: SG internal fisheries management data, August 2025. Figures may differ from the published Provisional Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024.

Foreign vessels also catch these species within UK waters, with the tonnage and value given below in Table 2. In total, foreign vessels landed £10.1 million worth of the covered species into the UK. Note that our management data only shows those catches from UK waters landed into the UK.

Source: SG internal fisheries management data, August 2025. Figures may differ from the published Provisional Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024.

The 11 Scottish-led Demersal FMPs set out policies and actions relating to the stocks which are to be implemented in a way that is consistent with, and supportive of, the wider achievement of the fisheries objectives set out in the 2020 Act, the policies contained within the JFS and other legislative commitments.

These plans also identify evidence gaps and consider research for the species they cover to enhance current management and ensure that sustainability is maintained.

The FMPs describe an overview of the current fisheries for demersal species in UK waters as well as providing information on available stock assessments, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and stock biology.