The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is providing advance notice of changes to fisheries laws it expects will affect the English/UK fishing industry throughout 2019.

The MMO, whose remit includes enforcing EU and UK fisheries regulations in English waters, is providing insight into its work in order to give industry as much certainty as possible and to help them prepare for changes. In response to discussions in the media and online, this guidance is being published to clarify that current fisheries laws will continue to apply immediately after the UK leaves the EU.

What is happening

The full Landing Obligation (discard ban) will come into force on 1 January 2019. This means that for all fisheries, species with catch limits (quota species) will have to be landed and counted against quota. This includes undersize fish.

There are exemptions to this requirement subject to certain conditions. These are based on either the ability of the fish to survive capture and release (“survivability”); or on the difficulty of preventing capture of unwanted fish; or disproportionate cost of handling, (de minimis). For example, it is proposed that from 1 January 2019 plaice will be able to be discarded in certain fisheries due to its ability to survive capture and release.

In the new regulations there are also requirements for vessels to use more selective fishing gear. These will apply to parts of the Celtic Sea (from 1 July 2019) and area VIIa in the Irish Sea (from 1 January 2019).

Defra is working with the MMO and the fishing industry to identify ways to limit the risk of ‘choke’ species closing fisheries in 2019. A choke species is one for which there is not enough quota; when this runs out it may restrict opportunities to carry on fishing for other key species for which more quota is available.

The UK is also working with the European Commission and other Member States to develop other ways of limiting choke for the most high risk fisheries. These are likely to be agreed at December Council when the annual Total Allowable Catch and Quota Regulation is finalised.

The regulations are currently in draft form and may be subject to change. The MMO will issue more detailed guidance once the regulations for 2019 are finalised. However, if you want to view the draft recommendations as they stand currently, they are available here: North Sea, North Western Waters.

The technical conservation regulation is the legislation that aims to reduce the capture of juvenile fish and minimise environmental harm. A new regulation is currently in draft and it is likely to come into force in the first half of 2019.

The new draft technical conservation regulation is more streamlined that the original regulation. It aims to simplify the rules.

What the Marine Management Organisation is doing

As explained in its compliance and enforcement strategy the MMO will provide guidance and raise awareness of the rules as a first step to achieving compliance.

Work being carried out by the MMO so that it can support industry to understand and comply with the changes includes:

• Working with the EC and Defra to gain understanding of the implications of legislation changes by location of fishing activity, sector and gear type
• Training staff so that they can provide advice and guidance to fishermen in person
• Working with fishing industry representatives to understand the best way to provide guidance to fishermen and help spread the word about the changes
• Producing tailored guidance and materials to help people understand how the changes may affect them
• Working with Devolved Administrations to send out clear and consistent information

How the changes relate to the UK leaving the EU

UK fishermen will still need to comply with the changes despite the UK leaving EU. This is because the Government will be bringing EU rules into UK law as ‘retained EU law’ and so existing fisheries arrangements will continue to operate in the period following the UK leaving the EU. Retained EU law will then be replaced in time with domestic legislation but until then the existing rules apply and will be enforced by the MMO and other UK fisheries administrations.

A new drive to deliver a nation of confident linguists and ensure businesses have the skilled workers they need has been unveiled by School Standards Minister Nick Gibb today.

Good language skills open the door to exciting opportunities and careers. A survey of employers by the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) and Pearson found that almost two thirds of businesses say foreign language skills are important among their employees, particularly in helping build relations with clients, customers and suppliers.

Today’s announcement – which is backed by the CBI – will see the creation of a national language centre, along with nine leading schools across the country acting as language hubs, to improve the teaching of Spanish, French and German.

There are 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, which represents 86% pupils compared to 66% in 2010. Today’s announcement will help to raise standards further and ensure our young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:

It has never been more important for young people to learn a foreign language than now. An outward looking global nation needs a new generation of young people comfortable with the language and culture of our overseas trading partners.

This programme will give teachers the expertise and support they need to teach pupils key languages such as Spanish, French and German – languages that businesses say they want from their employees. The knowledge pupils will gain in this subject at GCSE and A level will help deliver the skilled workforce we need and build a Britain that is fit for the future.

The Government has already made modern foreign language teaching a priority through its inclusion in the English Baccalaureate and more pupils are now studying them at GCSE than in 2010. The first pupils have just sat the new gold standard modern foreign language GCSEs, which are on a par with the best in the world and deliver the skilled workforce Britain’s industries need.

Matthew Fell, CBI UK Policy Director, said:

As the UK looks to strengthen its trading relationships with nations across the world, our education system must adapt to support this goal. Studying foreign languages, developing cultural awareness and understanding global business is vital if the UK is to maintain a competitive edge on the international stage.

The launch of a Centre of Excellence for Modern Languages and regional hubs should play a big part in delivering this.

Businesses can play a role too by championing foreign language skills among their employees and supporting training wherever possible.

The Centre of Excellence – backed by £4.8 million over the next four years – will raise the standard of teaching in languages based on the Latin alphabet like French, Spanish and German by taking forward recommendations made in the Teaching Schools Council’s Modern Foreign Language Pedagogy Review led by expert headteacher and linguist Ian Bauckham CBE.

The review noted that weaknesses in British graduates’ translation and interpreting skills loses the UK an estimated 3.5% of economic performance and concluded that the vast majority of pupils should study a modern foreign language until they are 16-years-old.

Ian Bauckham CBE said:

As a teacher and linguist I know the enormous benefits that come with being able to speak a modern foreign language confidently. Employers have always valued this ability and in the future it will be ever more indispensable.

If more pupils are to study languages it’s essential that schools are able to teach in a way that brings languages to life and I am really excited that the Centre of Excellence and hubs will help that happen.

The Centre of Excellence will be supporting leading schools across the country, which will work with local schools in their area to drive up standards in the teaching of languages through the sharing of resources and best practice. The Centre will start working with the first hubs from the autumn. The nine hubs will be led by:

• Dartford Grammar School, Dartford
• Dixons Kings Academy, Bradford
• Presdales School, Ware, Hertfordshire
• Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, Marlow
• St James’ School, Exeter
• The Broxbourne School, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
• Archbishop Temple School, Preston
• Blatchington Mill School and Sixth Form, Hove
• Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead