Changes to exemptions and/or conditions were brought into force through secondary legislation. The following Statutory Instrument brought the exemption changes into effect.
- The Sea Fisheries (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2025 No. 2025/92 came into force on 28 February 2025.
The following guidance has been updated and outlines (by gear sector and region) the measures and exemptions to the landing obligation rules that apply within UK waters only.
When operating in EU waters please refer to the EC rules on discarding https://ec.europa.eu/oceans-and-fisheries/fisheries/rules/discarding-fisheries_en
Changes to exemptions within UK waters
Discontinuation of exemptions:
Changes effective from 28 February 2025
Four exemptions were disapplied in English waters: three fully and one partially, through amendments to the relevant discard plan. All other UK exemptions remained unchanged.
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A high survivability exemption for turbot caught in English waters of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) subarea 4 was disapplied for beam trawls with a cod-end larger than 80 mm. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption. This exemption remains in place in Scottish waters of ICES subarea 4.
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A de minimis exemption for mackerel, horse mackerel, herring and whiting caught in the pelagic fishery carried out by pelagic trawlers up to 25 metres in length overall, using mid-water trawls, and targeting mackerel, horse mackerel and herring in English waters, ICES divisions 4b and 4c south of 54 degrees north was disapplied. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption.
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A de minimis exemption for mackerel, horse mackerel, herring and whiting caught in the fishery carried out with pelagic trawlers up to 25 meters in length overall, using mid-water trawls, and targeting mackerel, horse mackerel and herring in English waters, ICES division 7d was disapplied. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption.
4.The partial change relates to the cod element of a de minimis exemption for cod and whiting below the minimum conservation reference size caught in mixed demersal fisheries by vessels using bottom trawls or seines with a mesh size of 70-99 mm in English waters, ICES division 4c. The cod element of the exemption was disapplied. This is due to concerns about the Northern shelf cod stock, in particular in the Southern North Sea, and insufficient evidence to support this exemption. It provides a consistent approach across subarea ICES 4. The whiting element of this exemption is retained.
New exemptions:
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