Publication - Consultation paper

Consultation on the 11 Proposed Joint UK Fisheries Management Plans for Demersal Fish Stocks

Published: 20 November 2025
From: Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, +1 more … Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Directorate: Marine Directorate
Topic: Economy, Marine and fisheries, Work and skills
ISBN: 9781806431793

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.

Supporting documents

Policies and actions for the management of UK demersal fisheries

The draft FMPs, including their policies and individual actions are subject to the consideration of this consultation and will be prioritised appropriately, following publication, to ensure realistic and measurable outputs. They were drafted to meet the requirements of section 6(3) of the Act (policies 1 and 2) and in accordance with the policies set out in the JFS (policies 3, 4, 5 and 6).

For each policy, the plans set out:

a rationale
ongoing, short and longer-term actions
how the actions support delivery of the fisheries objectives.

Each policy describes the outcome that is being worked towards, and the actions are intended to support the delivery of those outcomes.

The majority of the demersal FMPs considered in this consultation document contain the same policies due to their connected nature, as species are caught in the same mixed fishery and because the stocks they cover are currently being fished at sustainable levels and there is sufficient available evidence to assess MSY.

For the corresponding actions for the policies listed above, you can access each draft FMP individually by following the links provided in Citizen Space. We would encourage respondents to consider the full FMPs before responding to the consultation questions.

The following eight FMPs contain the same six policies which focus on domestic and international management priorities:

Northern Shelf Haddock FMP
Atlantic haddock FMP
North Sea and Eastern Channel Whiting FMP
West Coast of Scotland Whiting FMP
North Sea and West Coast of Scotland for Monk/Anglerfish FMP
North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Megrim FMP
North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Saithe FMP
Northern Shelf Hake

The six policies are:

1. Harvest the stocks sustainably, with biomass maintained above the level capable of producing MSY

2. Use the best-available scientific evidence to support management decisions relating to the setting of sustainable fishing opportunities

3. Address discarding issues in the respective fishery and ensure that where possible all catches are counted against quotas

4. Deliver wider sustainable management by taking steps to minimise the impact of the demersal fisheries on the marine ecosystem

5. Support fishing businesses to continue to deliver socio-economic and cultural benefits for communities

6. Reduce the impact of fishing on climate change and support the fishing industry to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Northern Shelf Haddock FMP – Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the Northern Shelf haddock fishery in UK waters. Northern Shelf haddock is a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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.

The Northern Shelf haddock stock is currently being fished at sustainable levels and there is sufficient available evidence to assess MSY for this stock.

This FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain the Northern Shelf haddock 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.

Q. 1 For the Northern Shelf Haddock FMP, do you agree that we listed the right policies?

Q. 2: W hat are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Northern Shelf Haddock FMP ?

Atlantic (Rockall) Haddock FMP - Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the Rockall haddock fishery in UK waters. Rockall haddock is a whitefish species caught as part of a targeted haddock fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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.

The Rockall haddock stock relevant to this FMP is currently being fished sustainably within MSY limits.

This FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain the Rockall haddock 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.

Q. 3 For the Atlantic (Rockall) Haddock FMP, do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 4 W hat are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Atlantic (Rockall) Haddock FMP?

North Sea and Eastern Channel Whiting FMP - Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the North Sea and Eastern Channel whiting stock in UK waters. North Sea and Eastern Channel whiting are a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery within and outwith UK waters. Overall management of this fishery is shared with Coastal States partners. This international context is important to understand when considering sustainability and wider management issues.

The North Sea and Eastern Channel whiting stock relevant to this FMP is currently being fished sustainably within MSY limits.

This FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain the North Sea and Eastern Channel 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.

Q. 5 For the North Sea and Eastern Channel Whiting FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 6 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the North Sea and Eastern Channel Whiting FMP?

West Coast of Scotland Whiting FMP - Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the West Coast of Scotland whiting fishery in UK waters. West Coast of Scotland whiting are caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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.

The West Coast of Scotland whiting stock relevant to this FMP is currently being fished sustainably within MSY limits.

The FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain the West Coast of Scotland 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.

Q. 7 For the West Coast of Scotland Whiting FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 8 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the West Coast of Scotland Whiting FMP?

North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Monk/Anglerfish FMP - Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the Northern Shelf anglerfish fishery in UK waters. Northern Shelf anglerfish (monkfish) are a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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.

Northern Shelf Anglerfish stocks relevant to this FMP are currently being fished sustainably within MSY limits. Anglerfish has recently changed from a Category 3 stock under the ICES assessment process (which means that it had data limitations) into a Category 1 stock (which means that we have robust and detailed data available).

The FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain Northern Shelf anglerfish stocks 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.

Q. 9 For the Northern Shelf Anglerfish FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 10 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Northern Shelf Anglerfish FMP ?

North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Megrim FMP - Category 1 and Category 2 (only in area 6.b) stock

This FMP covers the management of the Northern Shelf megrim fishery in UK waters. Northern Shelf megrim are a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish and targeted fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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

Northern Shelf megrim stocks relevant to this FMP are currently being fished sustainably within MSY limits.

The FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to continue to maintain the Northern Shelf megrim 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.

Q. 11 For the Northern Shelf Megrim FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 12 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Northern Shelf Megrim FMP ?

North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Saithe FMP– Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the saithe fishery in UK waters. Saithe are a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish and targeted fishery within and outwith UK waters. 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.

The available evidence demonstrates that the TAC for saithe is being set sustainably within an MSY approach, however, in recent years the spawning-stock biomass SSB has been too low, and the stock needs to be carefully monitored to ensure that the appropriate management measures are in place in the future.

The FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to manage the saithe 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.

Q. 13 For the North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Saithe FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 14 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the West Coast of Scotland Saithe FMP ?

Northern Shelf Hake FMP– Category 1 stock

This FMP covers the management of the hake fishery in UK waters. Hake are a whitefish species of fish caught as part of both mixed whitefish and targeted fisheries within and outwith UK waters. Overall management of this fishery is shared with Coastal States partners. This international context is important to understand when considering sustainability and wider management issues. Hake is a stock which has a high level of data available. On this basis, there is sufficient available scientific evidence for the relevant fisheries policy authorities to make annual maximum sustainable yield (MSY) assessments for the Northern Shelf hake stock. Fishing opportunities for the hake stock relevant to this FMP are currently being set within the ICES MSY approach.

This FMP sets out six policies and actions to continue to maintain the hake 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. One of the areas for action includes improving the overall management approach by moving the stock into trilateral management arrangements with the EU and Norway, and through the establishment of Long Term Management Plans (LTMP) with other Coastal States.

Q. 15 For the Northern Shelf Hake FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 16 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Northern Shelf Hake FMP?

There are three FMPs with different policies and actions, these are Northern Shelf Ling, Atlantic (Rockall) Cod, and Northern Shelf Cod FMP. The policies and actions for these stocks are detailed below.

Northern Shelf Ling FMP – Category 3 stock

The FMP applies to the sustainable management of Northern Shelf ling. Northern Shelf ling is a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish and targeted fishery within and outwith UK waters. Overall management of this fishery is shared with Coastal States partners. This international context is important to understand when considering sustainability and wider management issues.

The data limited nature of the Northern Shelf ling makes fisheries management challenging for this stock. Whilst the relevant fisheries policy authorities do not have sufficient evidence to estimate MSY reference points for the Northern Shelf ling covered by this FMP, advice and management follows the ICES MSY approach under their framework for Category 3 stocks.

Ling forms an important component of the mixed whitefish fishery, and particularly so for the hook and longline portion of the fishing fleet. Given the lack of available evidence, TACs for Northern Shelf ling are set on a precautionary basis as part of the UK/EU bilateral arrangements. There is an added difficulty, in that the stock is shared with Norway but not jointly managed as part of the trilateral arrangements.

As a result, the Northern Shelf Ling FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions which differ slightly from the other demersal FMPs and their sustainable management is dependent on improving the evidence base for ling so that an accurate assessment of stock health can be undertaken, and fishing opportunities set at appropriate levels in the future.

The six policies of the Northern Shelf Ling FMP are to:

Continue to manage the Northern Shelf ling stock using existing tools to maintain stock levels
Improve the evidence base underpinning the stock, in order to support sustainable harvesting of the Northern Shelf ling stock, with biomass maintained above the level capable of producing MSY
Address discarding issues in the Northern Shelf ling fishery and ensure that where possible all catches are counted against quotas
Deliver wider sustainable management by taking steps to minimise the impact of the ling fishery on the marine ecosystem
Support fishing businesses to deliver socio-economic and cultural benefits for communities
Reduce the impact of fishing on climate change and support the fishing industry to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Q. 17 For the Northern Shelf Ling FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 18 What are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Northern Shelf Ling FMP ?

Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP– Category 6 stock

This FMP covers the Rockall cod fishery in UK waters. Rockall cod is a whitefish species that is caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery, both within and outwith UK waters. Overall management of this fishery is shared with the EU. This international context is important to understand, particularly when considering actions relating to improving the evidence base for the stock.

Atlantic (Rockall) cod is classified by ICES as data limited (Category 6). This means that ensuring the right fisheries management measures are in place is difficult, as the overall health of the stock cannot currently be determined. There are significant socio-economic considerations to be taken into account when setting fishing opportunities for Rockall and consequently fishing opportunities for Rockall cod are currently often set above the ICES MSY advice. Whilst this is permitted under fisheries management rules, it is sub-optimal.

As a result, the Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP sets out five policies and a number of corresponding actions which differ slightly from the other demersal FMPs and their sustainable management is dependent on improving the evidence base for Rockall cod, so that an accurate assessment of stock health can be undertaken, and fishing opportunities set at appropriate levels in the future.

The five policies of the Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP are to:

Continue to manage the Rockall cod stock using existing tools to maintain stock levels
Take action in partnership with the EU to improve the evidence base underpinning the stock, in order to support sustainable harvesting, with biomass maintained above the level capable of producing MSY.
Address discarding issues in the Rockall cod fishery and ensure that where possible all catches are counted against quotas
Deliver wider sustainable management by taking steps to minimise the impact of vessels fishing in the Rockall area which take a bycatch of cod on the marine ecosystem
Reduce the impact of fishing on climate change and support the fishing industry to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Q. 19 For the Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP do you agree that we listed all the right policies?

Q. 20 W hat are your views on the actions proposed for each policy in the Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP?

Northern Shelf Cod FMP– Category 1 stock (with complex stock structure)

This FMP covers the Northern Shelf cod fishery in UK waters. Northern Shelf cod is a whitefish species caught as part of a mixed whitefish fishery both within and outwith UK waters. Overall management of this fishery is shared with Coastal State partners. This international context is important to understand in relation to sustainability and wider management issues, particularly when considering the joint measures that have been established to improve the evidence base and the health of the stock over the years.

For many years ICES advice considered the North Sea cod and the West of Scotland cod as two separate stocks, and there were a number of fluctuations in the advice and TAC over the years 2019 to 2024. The TAC advice issued by ICES in September 2023 represented a significant change in the perception of the stock health, and the merging of the advice for North Sea and West of Scotland into one overarching ‘Northern Shelf’ stock advice. Fluctuations in the health of the stock over the years represent the complex structure of the cod stock, its susceptibility to significant changes, and the underlining evidence challenges for the stock. In turn, it makes cod one of most challenging stocks to manage. There are a number of measures in place to manage the Northern Shelf cod stock, including a range of stock specific measures established in 2020 under the National Cod Avoidance Plan (NCAP). These are detailed in Annex A of the Northern Shelf Cod FMP. It should be noted that the TAC advice for 2026 was recently published by ICES (on 23 September 2025) and when reviewing measures, the fisheries authorities will consider the status of the substocks for 2026, and application of ICES guidelines on mixed fisheries.

This FMP sets out six policies and a number of corresponding actions for each policy to manage the Northern Shelf cod stock at sustainable levels, ensuring that it can continue to play a key role in providing positive socio-economic benefits to the UK. Although the six policies are similar to the other demersal FMPs, the individual actions set out the need to improve the scientific evidence base underpinning the stock, along with actions to improve management, in particular actions to be undertaken in collaboration with other Coastal States.

The six policies of this FMP are to:

1. Harvest the Northern Shelf cod stock sustainably, contributing to restoring and maintaining the biomass above the level capable of producing MSY, taking decisions that reflect the status and uncertainty of vulnerable substocks