North Sea Herring Fisheries Management Plan

Policy 1: Harvest the NSAS herring stock sustainably, contributing to maintaining or restoring the biomass above the level capable of producing MSY

The primary aim of the NSAS herring FMPs, such as this NSAS herring FMP where there is sufficient available scientific evidence to enable assessment of a stock’s MSY, is to set out policies designed to maintain or restore the stock to a sustainable level. This is in line with section 6(3)(a) of the Fisheries Act 2020, where the role of fisheries managers is to help ensure stocks are harvested sustainably, in order to protect the long-term viability of the stocks and the fisheries that depend upon them.

The use of TACs as a measure to manage fisheries is a key approach adopted by the UK to help ensure that the fishing pressure on NSAS herring is kept within sustainable levels, whilst also taking account of relevant socio-economic factors. This is consistent with the sustainability objective of the Act.

Following the agreed Long Term Management Strategy (LTMS) also supports actions for long-term sustainable management. Following the trilateral agreement on NSAS herring, the parties submitted a special request to ICES to identify the exceptional circumstances under which managers should consider reviewing and/or suspending the LTMS. Once the exceptional circumstances are identified by ICES, the UK expects ICES to consult with managers if such circumstances are triggered, in which case the trilateral parties would agree next steps.

The health of fish stocks can change over time and is also affected by a range of different factors not only fishing activity. Fishing pressure on NSAS herring is currently below Fmsy and SSB is above MSY Btrigger. The UK fisheries policy authorities are broadly confident that the health of the NSAS herring stock can continue to be managed through the use of TACs. Implementation of REM in March 2026 will enhance monitoring of catches, further supporting the use of a TAC management approach. Following the agreed Long Term Management Strategy (LTMS) also supports actions for long-term sustainable management. The actions below are therefore focussed on maintaining and improving the current management approach.

Actions

Ongoing actions

• Continue to take an approach to TAC setting informed by the best available scientific advice, following the LTMS and in line with an MSY approach.
• Continue to work with trilateral partners to support the sustainable harvesting of the stock through international negotiations.
• Continue to support the trilateral request to ICES to identify the exceptional circumstances under which the LTMS should be reviewed and/or suspended, and work with trilateral partners to agree appropriate next steps if defined exceptional circumstances are triggered in the future.

Relevant Fisheries Act objectives

The relevant Fisheries Act objectives are the:

• sustainability objective
• precautionary objective
• scientific evidence objective
• ecosystem objective
• National benefit objective