Guidance

Fishing Area

Published 1 September 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-iuu-regulation-2026-changes-guidance/fishing-area

1. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ):   

  • Exclusive Economic Zones extend out to 200 nautical miles (nm) from the coastline or a median line where it meets another country’s limits. Within EEZs the coastal state has sovereign rights to exploration and exploitation of the natural resources, marine research and responsibility for protection and preservation of Marine life.  

2. High Seas  

  • High Seas Area - high seas are international marine waters outside the jurisdiction of any country beyond the 200nm limit of the EEZ.   

See below a map indicating the EEZs and High Seas areas surrounding the UK.

3. RFMO:  

  • Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO) - RFMOs are international organisations establishing binding measures for conservation and sustainable management of highly migratory or straddling fish species.  

Whether an RFMO needs to be referred on a catch certificate depends on: 

  • The catch area, and; 
  • The species caught. 
  • Depending on the RFMO, are either: 
  • Only applicable to those vessels which are fishing outside of EEZs but within the RFMOs ‘Convention Area’. This may be known as the ‘Regulatory Area’, for example in the case of NEAFC or NAFO. 
  • Applicable to all fishing activity for species managed by that RFMO within the RFMOs Convention Area, including EEZs. This is usually the case for the tuna RFMOs due to highly migratory nature of species, for example ICCAT. 
  • Each RFMO has defined and, in some cases, provided a list of which species they manage. 
  • UK vessels will have been issued a licence to fish in RFMO areas, and/or will be recorded on a list of authorised vessels held by the RFMO.
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