3 October, 2007

A TWENTY year vision to help fishing communities and businesses prosper, safeguard fish stocks and protect the marine environment has been unveiled by the Westminster government.

UK fisheries minister Jonathan Shaw yesterday (Tuesday) published Fisheries 2027, the government's long-term vision for a sustainable fisheries sector to optimise economic and social benefits for society from commercial fishing and recreational angling while protecting marine life and habitats.

Fisheries 2027 envisages more joined-up, flexible and responsive management of fisheries to address the effects of climate change, and predicts that better-informed consumers will demand more variety and more local, environmentally-caught seafood in future.

Mr Shaw said: "We want to get the best possible long-term benefits for society from fisheries.

"We need a healthy marine environment to protect rare and vulnerable species and habitats. That means more environmental protection, and harvesting the sea's resources in a responsible way.

"We want to see coastal communities boosted by more jobs providing high-quality fresh fish, helping to maintain the character and identity of ports throughout England.

"We are still catching too many of some types of fish, and the greatest negative impact on the marine environment is unsustainable fishing. More needs to be done to safeguard stocks and to secure a sustainable future for businesses throughout the supply chain."

Defra will be discussing a draft implementation plan, also published today, on how to achieve the vision with people throughout the sector with the aim of publishing a shared plan next year.

For more information go to www.defra.gov.uk/fish/sea/sfp/index.htm