Brexit Allowed UK To "Take Control" Of North Sea Fishing; 59%Of Cod, Mackerel Pops Fished So Hard They Can't Repopulate

The UK’s populations of fish such as cod, herring and mackerel are still being “grossly mismanaged” by politicians and overfished, despite hitting unhealthy levels, a study has found. British fish stocks have been under growing pressure for decades, but during the Brexit campaign some politicians promised that leaving the EU would allow the UK to take control.

The reality, say ocean experts, is that in the five years since leaving the EU, rather than protecting British fish, politicians have set catch limits too high, allowing international trawlers to plunder stocks. Of 105 stocks assessed, the report by Oceana UK found that only 41% were considered to be healthy, meaning they were not being fished so much that they were unable to repopulate.

Hugo Tagholm, the executive director of Oceana UK, said: “Five years after becoming an independent coastal state, the UK seems to have accepted a state of relentless decline. We urgently need a plan to end overfishing, one that follows the science and puts our seas on a long-term path to recovery – ensuring a new generation of coastal prosperity. But this requires leadership. Ministers must act now to redefine the future of fishing, so that those that fish in harmony with nature are prioritised over those that devastate our seabed and empty our seas.”

North Sea cod is at critically low levels, yet continues to be overfished. The same is true for Celtic sea cod, Irish sea whiting, Irish sea herring and North Sea and east English Channel horse mackerel. Callum Roberts, a professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, said: “These results highlight the gross mismanagement of the UK’s greatest natural asset – its seas. The government has the best fisheries science at its fingertips, and even when data are scarce, the course to restoration is clear. Our seas are already at risk from oil, sewage and agri-chemical pollution; habitat destruction; and the climate crisis. We need to move away from brute extraction, regardless of collateral damage and set a new course to make fishing fair, evidence-based and above all sustainable, so that it works within nature’s limits.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/08/brexit-nothing-stem-decline-uk-fish-populations-study