Thank you for contacting me about supertrawlers.

I welcome the fact that the UK will become an independent coastal state again when the transition period ended on December 31st 2020. I am also proud that the UK is a global leader in the fight to protect our seas with our “Blue Belt” of protected waters.

For many years, the Common Fisheries Policy has restricted our ability to implement fisheries management measures within offshore Marine Protected Areas. The Fisheries Act proposes a new power to allow the introduction of measures for conservation purposes and restore our fish stock back to more sustainable levels. This builds on a manifesto commitment which promised to introduce a legal commitment to fish sustainably.

The Fisheries Act prohibits any commercial fishing vessel (including foreign-registered vessels) from operating in UK waters without a licence. It also provides powers to attach conditions (such as the areas that can be fished, species that can be caught and the type of fishing gear that can be used) to fishing vessel licences. Foreign vessels operating in UK waters will have to follow UK rules, including the conditions that are attached to their commercial fishing licence.

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, we can now take back control of our waters. For the first time in 40 years, we are free to decide who can access our waters to fish and on what terms, including considering the recommendations of the Benyon Review.

Thank you for contacting me.