Demersal Fisheries Management Plans proposals: strategic environmental assessment - environmental report

8. Monitoring and Review

Monitoring

Regulation 17 of the SEA Regulations 2004 requires the responsible authorities to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of Whitefish/Demersal FMPs’ policies and actions to identify unforeseen adverse effects at an early stage, ensuring appropriate remedial action can be undertaken. Paragraph 9 of Schedule 2 to the 2004 SEA Regulations requires the Environmental Report to include a description of the measures envisaged concerning monitoring in accordance with Regulation 17.

The types of relevant monitoring already undertaken or proposed by the FMPs fall into two types:

• Monitoring the effectiveness of FMPs’ policies and measures
• Environmental impacts monitoring
• Monitoring changes in fishing activity

Monitoring effectiveness of the FMPs

Section 6 of the Fisheries Act 2020 requires the FMPs to specify indicators to be used for monitoring the effectiveness of the plans.

The Whitefish/Demersal FMPs’ policies and actions are intended to ensure that the fisheries covered by these FMPs are fished sustainably with respect to an MSY approach and also to support improvements in the overall management approach.

The impact of the draft Whitefish/Demersal FMPs’ outputs will be monitored to assess the effectiveness of their policies and actions towards the Fisheries Act Objectives. Full details can be found in the Implementation and Monitoring section of the FMPs. Delivery of the policies and actions for the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs will be monitored.

ICES stock assessments assess how fish populations have changed over time and the effect that fishing pressure is having on stocks. Key biological indicators are provided as reference points, which give indication towards their MSY, fishing pressure and spawning stock biomass. Fisheries policy authorities undertake a review of ICES stock assessments on an annual basis, to determine how stocks are performing against these reference points, and any other reference points provided within the advice^[25].

The health of the stock will continue to be reviewed in this way as part of the ongoing negotiations cycle, utilising the ICES stock assessment process, and will also be reviewed on a more in-depth basis as part of the ICES benchmark process (which varies from stock to stock).

There is insufficient evidence to determine MSY or a proxy for MSY for the Northern Shelf Ling FMP and Atlantic (Rockall) Cod FMP. These FMPs set out the proposed steps to build the evidence base for this data limited stock to support progress towards defining and measuring stock status and reporting on stock sustainability. An increase in the available evidence to define and measure stock status will be an indicator of the effectiveness of this plan for this stock.

In reporting on the effectiveness of the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs, the fisheries policy authorities will follow the following approach:

The responsible authorities undertake a review of ICES stock assessments on an annual basis, to determine how stocks are performing against these reference points, and any other reference points provided within the advice. The health of the stock will continue to be reviewed in this way as part of the ongoing negotiations cycle, utilising the ICES stock assessment process, and will also be reviewed on a more in-depth basis as part of the ICES benchmark process (which varies from stock to stock). The health of the stock will be the indicator used to monitor the effectiveness of the demersal FMPs in managing the demersal stocks sustainably. Individual policies and actions will be reviewed as part of the three-year review cycle for the JFS, as set out under section 11 of the Fisheries Act (2020). been a

Environmental Impacts

MPAs

The conservation status of protected sites, including SACs, SPAs, and MCZs is monitored by the SNCBs, and is reported under the Habitats Regulations, Marine and Coastal Access Act and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Findings from these monitoring activities could be used to help indicate where potential risks or impacts associated with fishing activity being managed through the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs are occurring. FMPs could act on this evidence to amend their policies and actions to reduce or avoid these risks or impacts. Findings from these monitoring activities could also be used to indicate where FMP policies and actions are having a positive effect. The Whitefish/Demersal FMPs include an action on supporting fisheries management measures being introduced to existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where these are not already in place.

UK Marine Strategy

The UK MS monitors and assesses the state of the marine environment against 11 descriptors. See section above for details on how monitoring the FMPs will link into future assessments under the UK MS.

PMFs (Scottish waters)

In July 2014, Scottish Ministers adopted a list of 81 Priority Marine Features (PMFs), which may also be protected under various legislations or other designations. As many benthic species and habitat PMFs are represented within the Scottish MPA network, it is assumed these features will receive protection through the MPA management process. The Whitefish/Demersal FMPs include an action to continue to implementfisheries management measures for the most vulnerable Priority Marine Features (PMFs) in Scottish inshore waters (0-12 nautical miles).

Atmospheric emissions

The Climate Change Committee was set up under the Climate Change Act 2008 to support the strategic aims of Defra and the devolved administrations and to independently assess how the UK can optimally achieve its emissions reductions goals. The Committee advises on the level of carbon budgets and submits annual reports to Parliament on the UK’s progress towards targets and budgets. Evidence on the contribution of the UK demersal fishing fleet has been considered in this SEA and would continue to be reviewed against the FMPs’ policies as part of monitoring.

Review

The Fisheries Act 2020 requires the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs to be reviewed at least every six years; the Act requires a report on the FMPs’ progress to be included in the report on the JFS every three years. The formal review will assess how the FMPs have contributed to the cod, whiting, haddock, saithe, hake, monk, megrim and ling fisheries harvesting within sustainable limits and the Fisheries Act objectives. The review will include a report on individual policies and actions and whether they have been: a) implemented, b) any known interactions between the actions and health of the stock.. An earlier review may be triggered in light of a change to relevant evidence, international obligations, or wider events. The decision to review earlier will be taken by the fisheries policy authorities.

The results of monitoring the effectiveness of the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs will also contribute to the legally required process to review the JFS. The JFS report will set out the extent to which each FMP has been implemented and has affected stock levels in the UK.

Additional reviews can be conducted at any point within these time scales if relevant evidence, international obligations, or wider events require a change in the policies set out in the FMPs.

The findings of these reviews will inform the development of subsequent iterations of the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs. As part of the reporting and wider review processes, alternatives to management can be identified to ensure the Whitefish/Demersal FMPs deliver on their policies and wider environmental obligations.

The SEA Environmental Report will be periodically updated to reflect how the implementation of proposed FMPs’ policies and actions affect the environment. Such updating will ensure that the SEA remains up to date throughout the ongoing FMP process into the future.