Review and Recommendations
Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the introduction of the Fisheries Act (2020) has spearheaded a reform of UK fisheries management and legislation, with the aim of ensuring sustainable exploitation of UK fish stocks going forward. The chief mechanisms for achieving this will be the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), which will propose policies to guide management towards sustainable fisheries and achieve the objectives within the Fisheries Act.
This Natural England commissioned review supports the development of the Southern North Sea & Channel Skates and Rays FMP and the Celtic Sea & Western Channel Demersal FMP by evaluating current management measures for skate and ray fisheries in the UK. Focusing on seven priority species, the review assesses global management practices and their applicability to UK fisheries. The analysis highlighted a strong reliance on multi-species Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits in UK skate and ray fisheries and identified significant gaps compared with the more targeted management approaches used elsewhere in the world.
This review produced nine evidence-based recommendations to improve the sustainability and management of UK skate and ray fisheries, including the introduction of species-specific TACs, gear modifications, minimum conservation reference sizes, and approaches to mitigate unwanted bycatch. Also highlighted in this review, is the need for increased robust data collection, particularly regarding species-specific ecology of skates to allow for well-informed management decisions. The findings of this review can be incorporated into the relevant FMPs to allow managers to better achieve sustainability objectives, recover skate stocks, and reduce unwanted bycatch.