The way UK fisheries are managed is changing. The Joint Fisheries Statement (2022) signals a movement toward co-management – where the industry and policymakers collaborate in decision-making.
However, this collaborative approach is untested before in the UK. The Core Values guidance provides a readymade blueprint for the UK government to use when setting up new systems and processes to ensure effective working relationships between fishermen and fisheries managers, placing co-management on steadier foundations.
The Core Values guidance is not the work of a single author, but emerged from genuine in-person conversations between fishermen, scientists and managers at FITF’s Fisheries Resource Education Programme (F-REP) – a series of 3-day in-person residential events. This inclusive, outside-the-box approach to understanding the different needs and perspectives of those who need to work together effectively in new, joint decision-making structures is what gives the Core Values their credibility. It means we can be confident the guidance reflects the views of all the varied groups involved.