Develop 21 Fisheries Management Plans as set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement to increase or maintain the sustainability of fish stocks.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 17. Implement the policies in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy to deliver sustainable fisheries, using best available scientific advice, and minimising adverse impacts on nontarget species and habitats.
Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) are being developed under the UK Joint Fisheries Statement framework, but not all of the 21 planned FMPs have been completed or fully implemented. Published UK and Scottish Government updates indicate a phased programme of development, consultation, and adoption across different stocks and fisheries.
No evidence yet shows that the full suite of 21 FMPs has been completed and fully brought into force across all relevant fisheries in Scotland.
FMPs are designed to improve or maintain fish stock sustainability by setting evidence-based harvest strategies and management measures. UK policy and marine science evidence show that well-designed and enforced FMPs can support stock recovery, reduce overfishing risk, and improve ecosystem resilience. However, ecological outcomes depend on full completion, adoption, and enforcement across all plans, not just their development. As implementation is ongoing and uneven, ecological benefits remain partial and not yet fully realised.
UK Government – Joint Fisheries Statement
Scottish Government – Inshore fisheries and coastal communities
Consult on proposals to transition our inshore fisheries to a more agile and responsive management system informed by the best available evidence.
Develop and implement a suite of technical and spatial measures to reduce levels of discarding of ‘unwanted’ fish catch alongside measures to reduce bycatch of sensitive marine species.
Identify high risk areas, gear types and/or fisheries for bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species, in which to focus monitoring and mitigation.
Work with stakeholders to focus on identifying practical, achievable actions to reduce pressure on seafloor habitats most at risk or most extensively impacted informed as appropriate by the development of an OSPAR Regional Action Plan on benthic shelf habitats.
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