Proposed North Sea and West of Scotland Megrim Fisheries Management Plan

Scope

This FMP relates to North Sea and West Coast of Scotland megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis and Lepidorhombus boscii) which consists of the Northern Shelf megrim fishery in UK waters of the ICES areas 4.a (North Sea), 6.a (West of Scotland) and 6.b (Rockall). Both L. whiffiagonis and L. boscii are included, although the latter constitute a negligible proportion of the stock complex in UK waters. ICES provide advice for Rockall separately from the advice for the North Sea and West of Scotland, but both are covered in this FMP. The TAC management area from the North Sea includes Area 4.b and 4.c which are not covered by the advice but landings from these areas are low.

The 2020 Act requires the relevant authority or authorities to prepare and publish FMPs in accordance with the list and timetable included in the JFS.^[2] The relevant authorities for this FMP are the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Scottish Government.^[3] The plan has been prepared and published jointly by the relevant authorities for the purposes of the 2020 Act. As the coordinating authority, the Scottish Government has coordinated the preparation and management of this plan on behalf of the other relevant authorities.^[4]