EFRA COMMITTEE INVESTIGATES COMPETING PRESSURES ON UK’S COAST

EFRA Committee investigates competing pressures on UK’s coast: Fishing, conservation and off-shore wind. 

Evidence session:  

Fishing and the marine environment

Wednesday 28 January in Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Watch on Parliamentlive.tv

The Crown Estate, Seafish and the Marine Management Organisation will be questioned by the EFRA Committee on how to manage competing demands on the UK’s coastline.

MPs are interested in hearing from these three organisations about how they coordinate on fishing, habitat conservation, supporting coastal communities, and the development of energy infrastructure, which all vie for limited space.

The Crown Estate, which owns 103,400 square miles seabed around the UK, will be asked how it considers local coastal and fishing communities when making leasing decisions and how it balances its responsibilities to help the country achieve net zero with nature recovery policies.

There will be questions for Seafish on proposed, but since shelved, changes to the levy paid by fishing firms to fund its activities. The organisation will also be questioned on concerns from the fishing sector that its Seafish Management Teams, charged with promoting the sector and supporting fisheries, will be scaled back. There are concerns this will reduce services that fishing and seafood companies are paying for via the levy.

The Marine Management Organisation will be quizzed on the administration of its Fisheries and Coastal Growth Fund of £360m to modernise fishing fleets, enhance workforce skills, and revitalise coastal communities to boost tourism.

The witnesses will also be asked about the potential benefits or disadvantages that a reset with the EU regarding fishing policy could bring.

Witnesses from 10.00am:  

• Michelle Willis, Acting CEO, Marine Management Organisation

• Olivia Thomas, Head of Planning & Technical, The Crown Estate

• Colin Faulkner, CEO, Seafish

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