Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) are action plans intended to set out the policies to secure the long-term sustainability of fish stocks, required under the Fisheries Act 2020. They also 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 OEP to undertake an appraisal of the first six FMPs. The aim of this project was to provide the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) with an evidence-based assessment of the suitability and quality of the first six FMPs, to support our consideration of how best to provide future advice in relation to further FMPs. This project is part of a multi-year work programme with a focus on the achievement and deliverability of GES under the UK Marine Strategy.
The views provided in this report are those of MarFishEco and do not represent the opinion or position of the OEP. Some of the analysis in this report was used to inform the OEP’s consultation response to those FMPs in October 2023.