Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

"The Government’s report ‘Securing the Benefits’ represents a missed opportunity to put protection of the environment at the heart of its fishery and marine policies” said Sir John Lawton,¹ chair of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.²

Sir John was commenting on today’s release of ‘Securing the Benefits’³ – the Government’s response to a study on the future of the UK’s fishing industry, known as ‘Net Benefits’.⁴

‘Net Benefits’ – issued by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit - calls for a decisive short-term shift in fisheries management to lay the foundations for a profitable industry and stock recovery, and prevent stock collapse. Sadly, there are few signs that enough action has yet been taken to build up fish populations to sustainable levels or protect the marine environment.

An extensive study by the Royal Commission, Turning the Tide,⁵ found that fisheries policies have failed and radical change is needed to shift the focus from over-exploitation to protection of the seas. We urge the Government to look seriously at a series of important steps that we recommend to protect the marine environment and ensure that the fishing industry is truly sustainable, including:

• A network of marine reserves to protect 30% of UK waters;
• A reduction in the capacity of the UK fleet to environmentally sustainable levels;
• A movement towards managing fishing on the basis of effort control;
• A system of marine spatial planning to manage rival development pressures;
• A Marine Act with a primary objective of protecting the marine environment;
• An end to damaging practices such as deep-sea trawling.

NOTES TO EDITORS

¹Sir John Lawton, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, is also the President Elect of the Council of the British Ecological Society 2005, and the ex-Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, October 1999 - March 2005.

²The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent body, appointed by the Queen and funded by the government, which publishes in-depth reports on what it identifies as the crucial environmental issues facing the UK and the world. The Commission's full reports are presented to Parliament.

³See the defra website

⁴Net Benefits: A sustainable and profitable future for UK fishing (2004). Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. Available from www.strategy.gov.uk

⁵Royal Commission’s 25th Report Turning the Tide – Addressing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment was published on 7 December 2004. The Commission has also produced a short Summary Report that includes the key recommendations. Both the full report and the summary can be downloaded from the Royal Commission's website. Copies of the full report are available from The Stationary Office Bookshops (Cm 6392, price £60.00). The Summary can be obtained free of charge from Rosemary Ferguson (tel: 020 7799 8972, fax 020 7799 8971, email: rosemary.ferguson@rcep.org.uk).

CONTACTS

Press enquiries should be directed Guy Mawhinney (0207 7799 8986) or Diana Wilkins (020 7799 8980), Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 5-8 The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JS (email: guy.mawhinney@rcep.org.uk or diana.wilkins@rcep.org.uk).