European Union Committee
Brexit: fisheries

8th Report of Session 2016-17 - published 17 December 2016 - HL Paper 78

Contents

Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

Fisheries and the EU referendum

The work of the Committees

This report

Chapter 2: Background and context

Fishing in the United Kingdom

The ‘tragedy of the commons’

Box 1: Tragedy of the commons

The Common Fisheries Policy

Total Allowable Catches and quotas

Box 2: Total Allowable Catches (TACs)

Box 3: Relative stability

Box 4: Maximum Sustainable Yield

Box 5: Exclusive Economic Zone

Figure 1: Map of the UK EEZ

An unpopular policy

Brexit and the CFP

Chapter 3: A new legal baseline

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The Fish Stocks Agreement

An independent coastal state

Accessing the EEZ

Historic access rights

Access and co-operation

Quota-hopping

Box 6: Quota hopping

Chapter 4: Domestic policy fit for purpose

The Great Repeal Bill

Opportunities for reform

Coastal communities

Revising technical Regulations

Domestic quota allocations

Wider environment

Constraints

Sustainable stocks: commitment to MSY

Devolution

Resourcing and enforcement

Alignment to the CFP

Chapter 5: A new co-operative relationship

Co-operation with the EU and other neighbouring states

The purpose of a framework

Chapter 6: Total Allowable Catches and relative stability

Scientific advice

Political decisions

Box 7: The ‘Mackerel Wars’

Dividing the TAC: allocating quotas

Contested allocations

A new allocation mechanism

Chapter 7: Access and negotiating quotas

Contentious negotiations

Access: the great lever

The power of walking away

Policy linkage: trade

Chapter 8: Fisheries and trade

International trade in fish

The importance of trade with the EU

Table 1: Exports of fish to the EU and non-EU countries by
species, 2014

Table 2: Imports of fish from the EU and non-EU countries by species, 2014

A future trading relationship with the EU

Complying with standards

International markets

Policy linkage

Chapter 9: The wider Brexit negotiations

Chapter 10: Relationship models

‘Horses for courses’

Bilateral approach

The Norway agreement

Regional basins

Replacing the Northern Agreements

Advisory Councils

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs)

Box 8: Regional Fisheries Management Organisations

Summary of conclusions and recommendations

Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest

Appendix 2: List of witnesses

Appendix 3: Glossary

Evidence is published online at www.parliament.uk/brexit-fisheries-inquiry and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7129 3074).

Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.





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