The government’s plans for fisheries after Brexit are promising but alarmingly devoid of detail about its environmental commitments.

Yesterday’s white paper promised sustainable fisheries and better monitoring of fishing activity and enforcement of laws after Brexit, but no real plans for how these goals will be delivered.

Once again we’re seeing the government talking the talk, but failing to back up almost any of its promises with details or concrete action.

Marine life

Whilst it is great see a commitment to managing fisheries with the whole marine environment in mind, a lot of what’s in the white paper is just a continuation of current EU policies.

Michael Gove, the environment secretary has said he wants to use the opportunity of Brexit to secure a “sustainable marine environment for the next generation”.  This is the chance to set an ambitious agenda – but yesterday’s plans are really no better than the status quo.

Importantly, the white paper assumes the UK will get a larger share of fish to catch, as part of its negotiations with the EU.

Achieving the environmental promises in the white paper depends on curbing overfishing. As the same time the government is promising a greater share of fish stocks when the UK has left the EU, so it needs to explain how this is consistent with fishing at sustainable levels.

Fish responsibly

The government now has a chance to set rules that ensure marine life in the UK’s seas continue to recover and thrive once we leave the EU. New fisheries legislation must include:

• Requirements for government to set truly sustainable catch limits according to the best scientific advice

• High environmental standards for fishing gear and methods and better protection for vulnerable ocean ecosystems

• More resources for robust monitoring and enforcement of fisheries laws

• A commitment that negotiations with the EU and other countries will ensure commercially important shared stocks are managed sustainably.

There is huge support amongst the British public for new laws that ensure we fish responsibly and protect the marine environment. More than three out of four people support a new law to ensure fish stocks are protected from overfishing after Britain leaves the EU.

Healthy seas mean healthy fish stocks. We need well-managed fisheries to achieve that and the government’s initial plans leave a lot to be desired.

This Author

Tom West is law and policy advisor, UK environment, for ClientEarth.