Scotland’s Future Catching Policy: selectivity proposals 2026

What is the mixed demersal fleet segment?

• This fleet segment comprises of approximately 71 fishing vessels in Scottish waters who use a combination of large mesh and small mesh trawls as their primary method of fishing. Of this, 62 are Scottish registered vessels, 7 are UK registered and 2 are non-UK vessels.
• These vessels operate all over Scotland, both inside and outside the 12nm but are often found off the east coast of Scotland in the North Sea, for example, Fladdens Grounds.
• These vessels use demersal bottom trawls to catch both whitefish, ground fish and Nephrops and utilise nets with a codend mesh size of both under 120mm and over 120mm depending on what they are targeting (hence “mixed”).

What measures do we have in place now?

• A one-net rule that prohibits the carriage of nets both above and below 100mm codend mesh size on a vessel at once, but does not prevent vessels from carrying 120mm codend mesh minimum for whitefish, and 100mm+ codend mesh minimum for directed fisheries (such as Nephrops) at the same time. The one net rule is discussed in more detail below.
• Existing measures for large mesh demersal and small mesh demersal apply to this segment, dependent on the size of gear they chose to use.

What needs to change?

• The current one-net rule can often lead to high catches of unwanted juvenile whitefish as nets with a mesh size of under 120mm cod end mesh size may be used erroneously to target whitefish as well as directed species.
• Measures were updated in 2019 to reflect the difference between whitefish fishing (120mm> codend mesh size) and “directed fishing” (<120mm codend mesh size). The one-net rule that is still applied today through fishing vessel licence conditions has not yet been updated to keep pace with this change.
• Further steps need to be taken to reduce unwanted catches of whitefish in small mesh demersal gear.

What are we proposing will change?

• To amend the one net rule to ensure the clear division between the targeting of whitefish vs directed fisheries, given that there are different selectivity requirements for either.
• Moving the rule to above or below the 120mm mesh size - meaning that vessels are either classified as a directed fishery or targeting whitefish, with only one category of net allowed to be carried on board at any one time.
• If partaking in a directed fishery (under 120mm), vessels will be required to install small mesh demersal selectivity measures (i.e. square mesh panels) as per current legislation.
• If partaking in a directed fishery catch-composition rules (outlined below) will apply (requiring vessels will be required to move-on and/or return to port if they cannot meet their catch composition requirements).
• We propose to amend the one net rule to allow for the use of dual-codend separator gear to pursue both whitefish and directed species without breaching the one net rule changes.

Proposed outcome

• No targeted or inadvertent whitefish fishing with small mesh, therefore fewer discards
• A more accountable and manageable mixed fishery with a new standard for selectivity
• Higher uptake of dual codend separator gear and the associated benefits it brings i.e. the ability to separate Nephrops and whitefish species while actively fishing, the ability to utilise selectivity methods for both while fishing for both simultaneously, and the ability to continue fishing for Nephrops with the top cod end open to avoid nearly all fish bycatch.

One-Net Rule

For fishers in Scottish waters the size of the mesh which is permissible for them to use in a codend is related to the type of species which they are targeting. Over 120mm codend mesh sizes are the minimum requirement for targeting whitefish, due to anything below this retaining too many undersized fish. Under 120mm codend mesh sizes are allowed when targeting “directed” species i.e. species that may require a smaller mesh to catch effectively, such as Nephrops, but these smaller mesh nets are supplemented by requirement to use additional selectivity measures.

A one net rule is currently in place in fishing vessel licence conditions which stipulates that multiple nets may be carried aboard a fishing vessel, provided they are both above 100mm or both below 100m. As per the paragraph above current legislation draws the line at 120mm, meaning the current one net rule is no longer fit for purpose. With the proposals laid out above, we would be updating this one net rule  i.e. a vessel is either fishing purely for whitefish, in which case they are using 120mm and over nets, or they are a “directed fishery”, in which case they are allowed to use under 120mm nets but will be subject to additional selectivity measures e.g. square mesh panel, catch-composition and spatial measures e.g. move-on rules.

As an example, under the current system, a vessel currently targeting both Nephrops and whitefish may carry a 105mm net and a 120mm net and claim to fish only Nephrops with the 105mm, and only whitefish with the 120mm, but in reality could use the smaller of the two to target both. Under the new proposed measures below, this would no longer be an option – therefore ensuring that the minimum standard for selectivity is met, dependent on the targeted species.

An exemption to this one net rule would be applied when using the dual-codend separator gear allowing fishers to utilise the varying sizes in the top and bottom codend for mixed fishing while ensuring effective separation between the directed species in the bottom and whitefish in the top.

Catch Composition

Prior to the implementation of the Landing Obligation, catch-composition rules were tightly linked to discarding, and in some cases discarding was required in order for a vessel to remain legally compliant. These rules specified the proportion of target to non-target species that had to be present in the retained catch in order to classify a vessel as operating in a particular fishery. For example, certain Scottish Nephrops fisheries required that at least 30% of the landed catch be Nephrops, while the combined weight of key whitefish species such as cod, haddock, and whiting could not exceed a defined threshold.

Catch composition rules in Scottish waters were designed to support sustainable stock management, reduce unwanted catches, and improve precision in reporting and enforcement.

In certain areas (for example, to the west of Scotland in ICES Division VIa) special catch composition rules applied alongside gear regulations:

• Vessels targeting Nephrops must ensure their retained catch contains at least 30% Nephrops and no more than 10% combined of cod, haddock and whiting.
• Vessels targeting whitefish in that same area must ensure their catch contains no more than 30% combined cod, haddock and whiting.

These rules aimed to limit the catch of stocks under pressure by ensuring that fishing operations remain focused on target species (or at least avoid excessive by‐catch of sensitive stocks) and hence improve selectivity.

However, under the Landing Obligation, regulated quota species must be landed and counted against quota rather than discarded at sea. Because of this, “catch composition rules” (which historically set by‐catch thresholds) are no longer enforced in the same way for quota species (i.e., species for which the Landing Obligation applies).

In practical terms this means that while there was a catch composition framework in place to help steer fishers towards sustainable catch profiles (percentages of target species with sustainable levels of “other” species), the Landing Obligation made this difficult to adhere to for fishers and fisheries managers.

We are proposing that catch composition rules are used in a way that removes the interaction with the Landing Obligation and allows for fishers to meet catch composition targets by utilising selective gear and spatial consideration.

What would this look like?

• Catch composition rules for all directed fisheries (i.e. using trawls under 120mm codend mesh size).
• These rules would stipulate an expected percentage or ratio of the targeted catch (e.g. Nephrops) alongside a realistic margin of expected unwanted or unavoidable catches.
• If the fisher could not meet this expected target within a specific time period in a certain area, they would be expected to ’move-on’, meaning they would change location to try and minimise bycatches of unwanted or unavoidable species and maximise catches of their target species.
• If the fisher failed to meet their target species percentage after a specified total time period, they would be expected to return to port and change their gear to non-directed fishing gear (i.e. 120mm and over codend mesh size) for a set number of days – in an escalating format depending on the number of failed catch composition trips.
• Vessels would be exempt from this new system if they chose to use the dual-codend separator gear.

Primarily, those that are deemed a ‘directed’ fishery will be expected to meet  defined catch composition thresholds. These rules will ensure that fishers using codends of below 120mm diamond mesh will target a specific designated species i.e. Nephrops and will be required to change their gear if they are unable to avoid large quantities of whitefish or other bycatch.

Introducing updated catch composition rules will define more robustly what constitutes a ‘directed’ fishery, with improved selectivity and, spatial and temporal measures to decrease instances of whitefish bycatch.