RDE 405 - MMO1403 Regional Fisheries Groups Evaluation

Five Regional Fisheries Groups (RFGs) were set up at the end of 2020 by Defra and implemented by the MMO to provide a formal platform whereby inshore fishers and others not represented by a wider national group could come together to hear from and share views with organisations such as the MMO, Defra, Cefas, and IFCA. The intention behind this is to help develop collaborative working relationships between policy makers, scientists, regulators, and fishing sector interest groups, operating at the regional scale who may miss out of other engagement opportunities. This in turn supports the Joint Fisheries Statement "Our future vision is that industry should play a greater role in managing fisheries. This can include work to develop new management practices and contributing to fisheries science being more actively engaged in fisheries management decisions, and co-designing future policy" (section 3.4.2). Given the amount of work going on within the marine and fisheries world (e.g., the development of Fisheries Management Plans, marine plans and development and implementation of offshore MPA management) providing these accessible engagement platforms with industry is seen as increasingly important. They not only to provide a space to discuss plans, but also provide a one-stop shop to discuss various consultations to address consultation fatigue issues, but also provide the opportunity to build more collaborative and trusted working relationships between people who regulate the industry and the fishing community. There are five regional groups, and each group is tailored to meet the differs needs of each area. By doing this, everyone involved in fisheries management can have a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the fishing industry regionally. This contract was awarded by MMO.