Through the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have recognised the need to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of non-target and sensitive marine species. Efforts to address bycatch have an important role to play in achieving key statutory targets, such as Good Environmental Status (GES), and in delivering Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants Ltd (MarFishEco) were commissioned by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to provide a critical appraisal of the current regulatory and policy frameworks for monitoring and managing bycatch in UK marine waters. Following the findings of this work, further research was undertaken to: a) map bycatch risks for certain fish species, b) estimate current UK discard rates, and c) review barriers to selective gear adoption. This project builds on our foundational work under the OEP’s marine programme, including our call for evidence on GES.
The views provided in this report are those of MarFishEco and do not represent the opinion or position of the OEP.