Research and analysis

Strategic environmental assessment environmental report - non-technical summary

Published 16 December 2025

Applies to England

Non-technical summary  

The Southern North Sea demersal non-quota species fisheries management plan (FMP) has been prepared to meet the requirements of the Fisheries Act 2020. It sets out the policies and proposed measures Defra will use to manage demersal non-quota species (NQS) fishing activity in the Southern North Sea, so stocks are harvested within sustainable levels. Alongside these measures, the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP also sets out management to help support wider social, economic and environmental aspects of the fishery.  

This environmental report has been produced in accordance with The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (SEA Regulations 2004). The following issues (from schedule 2, paragraph 6 of the SEA Regulations 2004) were scoped into the assessment:   

• biodiversity  

• fauna  

• flora  

• geology and sediments (soil)  

• water  

• climatic factors  

• cultural heritage  

• landscape and seascape  

This assessment focuses on how the policies and actions in the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP could give rise to both significant positive and negative environmental effects. The findings of this assessment have been used to inform the development of the FMP.    

The assessment was conducted against a baseline that primarily used existing evidence on the state of the marine environment. This is set out in the updated UK marine strategy part one published in 2019. Additional sources of evidence were used to establish the status of environment in relation to issues, such as climatic factors, not covered by the UK Marine Strategy (UK MS). The historical impact of fishing activity on the marine environment has been considered part of the baseline. Our assessment used the best available evidence to reach a suitable judgement on the environmental effects of the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP.   

This report sets out those plans, programmes and environmental protection objectives, both international and domestic, that Defra considers relevant to the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP. 

This report considers and acknowledges the existing environmental effects of fishing for demersal NQS using towed gear and nets in the Southern North Sea on those issues scoped into this assessment, in relation to:  

• marine protected areas (MPAs) 

• the UK MS descriptors of good environmental status (GES) for the wider marine environment  

• climatic factors 

The potential positive and negative environmental effects of the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP’s policies and proposed measures, alone and in-combination, have also been assessed.  

The strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has concluded that beyond the direct impact on targeted stocks, the fishery has an impact on the wider marine environment. This is primarily through seabed disturbance (from mobile demersal gears) and bycatch of unwanted or protected species (mainly from drift and fixed nets). Actions have been proposed to investigate these impacts and use this evidence to develop robust mitigation strategies.  

The contribution of demersal non-quota fishing to climate change related issues and cultural heritage, for example through structural damage, was also identified as a potential impact. The impact of demersal NQS fishing in MPAs is managed in the 0 to 12 nautical miles (nm) zone in English waters. Management in MPAs beyond the 12nm limit is being considered and implemented where necessary. 

The Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP has considered these impacts and sets out proposals to monitor and, where required, introduce mitigation to address these impacts.  

The assessment of likely negative effects identified a low risk of significant adverse effects on the environment from implementing individual policies, measures and actions. The policies, measures and actions will, where appropriate, be developed to avoid any potential negative effects identified by the assessment progress. The environmental effects of implementing the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP policies and measures will also be monitored to identify unforeseen adverse effects at an early stage, so appropriate remedial action can be undertaken.  

This assessment recommends that future iterations of the Southern North Sea demersal NQS FMP should consider: 

• how they can develop the cultural heritage of each fishery and how fisheries management can contribute to reducing potential negative interactions with marine heritage assets 

• how fisheries management can contribute to reducing potential negative interactions with submerged prehistoric landscapes or seascapes 

Read the full environmental report for the North Sea demersal non-quota species FMP.