This page provides information on the development of national Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). It will be updated with developments in the plan and can signpost you to relevant information, any stakeholder events, or consultations in relation to these plans.

What are Fisheries Management Plans?

FMPs are national ‘action plans’ for the management of individual fisheries and will be developed collaboratively with the fishing industry and other stakeholders. The plans could change management measures in your fisheries and so it is important to stay up to date and, where possible give your views to feed into the development of the plans as part of the process. All upcoming stakeholder engagement events, consultations, and any other relevant information will be posted on this page.

The need for FMPs came from the Fisheries Act 2020 which provides the framework to manage our fisheries as an independent coastal state outside of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The act requires the UK fisheries policy authorities (Defra, and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) to publish fisheries management plans (FMPs) to help deliver our ambition for sustainable fisheries. The Joint Fisheries Statement lists the 43 proposed FMPs.

Progress with Fisheries Management Plans

The first 5 FMPs were published on 14th December 2023 following a 10-week consultation on drafts of these plans which closed on 1st October 2023.

Please see below a list of these plans and links to the full plans:

Crab and Lobster

Whelk

King Scallop

Bass

Channel Non-Quota Demersal Stocks

The following plans are in development: 

• Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel Mixed Flatfish
• Cockles
• Queen Scallop
• North Sea and Channel Sprat
• Southern North Sea demersal non-quota species
• Southern North Sea and Channel Skates and Rays
• Nephrops

Public consultations on these plans will be held during 2024.  The final plans will be published by the end of 2024.

Click here for more information on the plans in development.

Engagement Events and Consultations

Please see the list of upcoming events or active consultations below:

Events