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<p>We recently published our Marine Strategy Part One assessment on the health and
resilience of our marine ecosystems, including progress towards achieving our objective
of good environmental status in UK waters.</p><p> </p><p>As an independent coastal
state, we are committed to working closely with our partners including the EU, Norway
and Faroe Islands to manage shared stocks sustainably and share fishing opportunities
on a fair and scientific basis. The UK Government’s ambition is to set a gold standard
for fisheries management to achieve sustainable fisheries safeguarding stocks and
the environment for the long-term. At front and centre of the Fisheries Act is the
set of fisheries objectives which will be followed by detailed policies in the Joint
Fisheries Statement to deliver sustainable fishing.</p><p> </p><p>Underpinning this
new framework is our commitment to sustainability – supporting future generations
of fishermen while allowing our marine environment to thrive. It enshrines in law
the Government’s manifesto commitments for sustainable fishing, restating our commitment
to Maximum Sustainable Yield by including the ‘Sustainability Objective’ and ‘Precautionary
Objective’ to achieve MSY. Furthermore, the Act contains a ‘Bycatch Objective’ seeking
to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding fish; an ‘Ecosystem Objective’ to minimise
and, where possible, eliminate negative impacts on marine ecosystems; and a new ‘Climate
Change Objective’ which recognises and combats the impact of fishing on the health
of our oceans and our planet. The Fisheries Act further adds powers to improve the
protection of the wider marine environment around the UK and to enable the Marine
Management Organisation to support marine improvement around the world.</p>
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