Sandeel fishing consultation: draft partial business and regulatory impact assessment

Sectors and Groups Affected

The following sectors have been identified as being affected:

• UK catching sector: The UK catching sector has a ~3% share of the total UK and EU sandeel quota, however the UK Fisheries Administrations have not allocated sandeel quota to UK vessels since 2021. Therefore, at present, the UK catching sector will not be directly affected by the proposed extension. However, the wider environmental effects of the proposed extension may impact the UK catching sector if the closure leads to an increased abundance of other commercially fished species which prey on sandeel.
• EU catching sector: The EU catching sector has a ~97% share of the total UK and EU sandeel quota. The majority of sandeel fished in Scottish waters is caught by Danish and other EU vessels.
• Processing sector: The UK and EU processing sectors will be impacted by the proposed closure. Of the sandeel caught by non-UK vessels in Scottish waters in 2016-2020, 1.1% is landed into Scottish ports.
• Consumers: There could be a Scottish consumer market purchasing locally caught sandeel.