Consultation on the 11 Proposed Joint UK Fisheries Management Plans for Demersal Fish Stocks
The consultation on 11 joint UK Fisheries Management Plans is an opportunity for you to help shape and influence the future of demersal fisheries management policy in UK and builds upon previous engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK.
Closed
This consultation closed 11 March 2026.
View this consultation on consult.gov.scot, including responses once published.
Introduction
The United Kingdom has some of the best wild seafood resources in the world. Our fish stocks are a public asset which generate food and create jobs, as well as providing recreational opportunities in a sector with a strong sense of identity and pride for their communities. These fish stocks also form a vital part of our marine ecosystems.
Many of our fish stocks are under a range of pressures such as fishing and climate change. Whilst fishing can bring many socio-economic benefits, it also creates an impact on our marine environment, for example through accidental bycatch or the effect of fishing gears on the seabed. It is therefore important to consider both the positive and negative effects of fishing as part of overall management of our fisheries and the marine environment.
The Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) as amended, as required by the UK Fisheries Act 2020 (the 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 2028.
The plans bring together evidence on the state of the relevant fish stocks and identify policies and actions necessary to manage our fisheries in an effective and sustainable way. FMPs set out both the vision for the management of the demersal fisheries as well as relevant policies and actions intended to help realise that vision. The plans must also consider relevant wider legal obligations.
There are opportunities for growth if our fishing and seafood industries are managed sustainably, to ensure fishing opportunities are safeguarded for future generations. We are keen to continue to work closely with our stakeholders as we develop and deliver our plans for managing fisheries in the UK.
The complete list of FMPs that are being prepared by each of the fisheries authorities is set out in Annex A of the JFS (amended December 2024).
Contact
Email: FMPs@gov.scot