Fisheries Act Fails to Deliver on Sustainability Promises, Experts Warn

As of November 2025, many fish stocks around the UK are facing an increasingly dire situation, with scientists advising significant reductions in catches for several key species. However, the government's flagship post-Brexit Fisheries Act, introduced in 2020, is being criticized for failing to deliver on its promises of revitalized fish stocks and thriving coastal communities.

MPs, environmentalists, and inshore fishermen argue the Act continues to allow overfishing, with more than 50% of fishing opportunities allocated above scientific advice every year since the UK left the EU's fisheries policy. Additionally, there are concerns that the Act's provisions for distributing quotas are not adequately supporting local communities, as industrial-scale trawlers are seen to be benefiting at the expense of generational family fishers.

The criticism follows a recent legal challenge by the environmental charity Blue Marine Foundation, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The courts ruled that ministers hold wide discretion in allocating quotas, undermining efforts for stricter sustainable management. In response, there are calls for a review of the Joint Fisheries Statement, which sets out the policies to achieve the Act's objectives, to assess whether it is meeting its sustainability goals.

Inshore fishermen, such as Martin Yorwarth from Canvey Island, Essex, have described the fisheries management as a "farce," warning that the "wiggle room" in the Fisheries Act allows the industrial fishing lobby to continue operating at unsustainable levels. They argue the law is already outdated and in need of a complete overhaul to ensure fair and sustainable practices.