Policy paper

Southern North Sea demersal non-quota species FMP: what happens next

Updated 16 December 2025

Applies to England

Demersal non-quota species (NQS) in the Southern North Sea (SNS) are data limited. Most lack International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) assessments and therefore cannot be assessed against maximum sustainable yield (MSY) or an MSY proxy. A precautionary approach is being taken to management.  

The FMP is focussed on action to fully evaluate each stock’s status and implement sustainable management if required. ICES assessment advises some management considerations due to exploitation of juveniles for the red mullet north stock, and anecdotal concerns about the sustainability of fishing practices have been raised on the status of the stocks.

Policy goals  

The FMP sets out a number of policy goals and actions grouped under 3 distinct themes:   

• sustainable fisheries – these aim to deliver effective management of demersal NQS in English waters of the Southern North Sea for stocks with MSY or MSY proxy assessments 

• evidence – these aim to develop the NQS evidence base and help fill identified evidence gaps. The plan includes continuing to develop stock assessment methodologies, indicators, and reference points for stock units to provide necessary protection for stocks now and in the long-term 

• social and economic – these aim to improve understanding of who benefits from these fisheries and how, ensuring that management decisions protect and enhance these benefits over time 

Management measures 

A number of management measures have been proposed in the FMP. 

1: consider restriction of future flyseining effort 

Within 2 years, we will consider: 

• introducing an engine restriction of 221 kilowatts in ICES areas 4b and 4c for flyseiners in the UK 0-12 nautical mile zone  

• introducing a measure for all flyseiners to use a minimum 100mm mesh as standard 

• if a gross tonnage limitation in ICES areas 4b and 4c for flyseiners is viable and beneficial 

Over more than 2 years, we will: 

• subject to the progress of the REM programme, propose introducing early adopter scheme that could become mandatory in the future 

• consider introducing a permitting scheme for flyseiners 

• consider restrictions on time spent in area 

• consider seasonal closure for flyseiners 

• consider an overall engine size limitation for flyseiners 

• further consider potential rope length and diameter restrictions for flyseiners 

2: growing cephalopod fisheries 

Within 2 years, we will: 

• monitor catches, consider creating research plans and gather evidence for growing fisheries in the Southern North Sea, such as cuttlefish, octopus and squid 

• consider extending the Channel demersal NQS FMP cuttlefish plan into the Southern North Sea, to support evidence gathering and ensure sustainable exploitation of cuttlefish stocks 

• align where appropriate with existing measures in the Channel plan, including voluntary codes of conduct for trap handling, seasonal considerations and monitoring protocols 

• consider collaborative research with stakeholders to assess the feasibility and benefits of applying Channel cuttlefish management approaches in the SNS 

Over more than 2 years, we will: 

• subject to evidence gathered, consider formal adoption of cuttlefish-specific management measures in the SNS, including potential seasonal closures, gear restrictions or catch recording requirements 

• explore integration of SNS cuttlefish data into wider ICES assessments to strengthen the evidence base for cephalopod management 

3: minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) 

Over more than 2 years, we will consider the introduction of: 

• an MCRS for flyseine species such as red mullet and gurnards 

• an MCRS for smoothhound 

• a maximum conservation reference size for lesser-spotted dogfish 

4: education, adoption of voluntary guidelines and development of codes of conduct  

Within 2 years, we will: 

• support the recreational sector to consider introducing voluntary guidelines and education on how recreational fishermen can fish more sustainably 

• support the commercial sector by developing identification guides for mis-identified species such as smoothhound, squid, cuttlefish and gurnards 

Over more than 2 years, we will: 

• monitor evidence uptake and efficacy of voluntary measures 

• explore how additional evidence gathering on removals from the stock could be integrated into future stock assessments