Ban Industrial Sandeel Fishing campaign - quick update!

If you’ve completed our e-action calling on Defra to back a ban on damaging sandeel fisheries, first of all, a huge thank you! A ban in English waters will be a vital step to securing a UK-wide ban on industrial fishing for sandeels.

We’re absolutely thrilled to see so many of you – over 30,000 to be exact – have taken the e-action and are helping to ensure we get this seabird-saving decision over the line.

You may have noticed a follow up email landing in your inbox from the consultation team. This is nothing to be concerned about, it’s just the automated response from the consultation email address – don’t worry, it’s not targeted at you or your response!  

Rest assured, you don’t need to do anything else if you don’t want to – showing your support for the ban is the most important thing! However, if you do feel like you would like to send some extra information to show why a ban is the most important action that Ministers can take, that’s great too!  

Although the consultation has a form you can fill online, we suggest you just pop a message back to the consultation team directly at sandeelconsultation@defra.gov.uk that says something like: 

Re: I support a ban on industrial sandeel fishing – follow on 

I’ve submitted a response backing a sandeel fishing ban as a vital measure to help our most threatened seabirds and other wildlife. In response to your email, I’d like to follow up with some more information regarding the other options beyond a full ban in English waters that are being asked about in the automated response. 

I wholeheartedly support DEFRA's Option 1 – Full Closure of English Waters within the North Sea - but believe that this should be extended to all English waters. A full closure of English waters would demonstrate that the UK Government is taking a stand for our internationally important seabirds and would deliver the best long-term safeguard for their food supply. It will also demonstrate your commitment to an ecosystem approach and to be a world leader in sustainable fishing. 

I urge that any partial closure options (Option 2 and 3) are rejected as these will not deliver the outcomes needed to help sustain or restore populations at the necessary spatial scale. To be effective you must consider management holistically and that includes recognition of the highly mobile lifestyles of some of our best-loved marine wildlife like seabirds and cetaceans – which do not respect lines on a map!  A full ban is also easier to monitor, will prevent the risk of displacing sandeel fishing effort within English waters and is vital if you are to deliver a comprehensive, ecosystem-based approach to sandeel fisheries management.  

The alternative technical and temporal measures should also be rejected as being fundamentally incompatible with achieving the desired aim to increase the resilience of sandeel stocks, seabirds and the wider marine ecosystem. Closing some fishing areas or using alternative technical measures in English waters is not commensurate with addressing the scale of threat facing the UK’s North Sea seabird populations. A full closure to stop industrial sandeel fishing activity in English waters is therefore the only appropriate option.  

More information justifying the need for a UK-EEZ wide closure is outlined in the RSPB’s sandeel report (https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/documents/campaigning-for-nature/rspb2021_the-case-for-stronger-regulation-of-sandeel-fisheries-in-uk-waters.pdf) especially in section 5). 

I hope you will move swiftly to introduce a ban in English waters and will continue to work with the devolved administrations to deliver a UK-wide industrial sandeel trawling ban as soon as possible. 

Kind regards, 

[name] 

Thank you again for take action to save our seabirds. We will keep you updated on the progress of the campaign, and the outcomes of the Westminster Government's consultation.

p.s. if you haven't yet taken the action but would like to, please follow this link and add your voice.