Technical Conservation and Landing Obligation rules and regulations 2025
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-24)

Guidance on the technical conservation and landing obligation (discard ban) regulations from 2025, including how the rules apply, selling undersize fish, reporting requirements and quota management.

Changes to exemptions and/or conditions applied will be brought into force via secondary legislation.

As such, the following Statutory Instrument brings into effect the latest exemption changes.
- The Sea Fisheries (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2025 No 2025/92 Coming into force date - 28 February 2025
The following guidance has been updated and outlines (by gear sector and region) the measures and exemptions to the landing obligation rules that apply within UK waters only.

When operating in EU waters please refer to the EC rules on discarding https://ec.europa.eu/oceans-and-fisheries/fisheries/rules/discarding-fisheries_en

Changes to exemptions within UK waters in 2025

Discontinuation of current exemptions:

Coming into effect from 28 February 2025.

Four exemptions will be disapplied in English waters. Three fully and one partially, by amending the relevant discard plan. All other UK exemptions will remain unchanged.

A high survivability exemption for turbot caught in English waters of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) subarea 4 will be disapplied for beam trawls with a cod-end larger than 80 mm. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption. This exemption remains in place in Scottish waters of ICES subarea 4.

A de minimis exemption for mackerel, horse mackerel, herring and whiting caught in the pelagic fishery carried out by pelagic trawlers up to 25 metres in length overall, using mid-water trawls, and targeting mackerel, horse mackerel and herring in English waters, ICES divisions 4b and 4c south of 54 degrees north will be disapplied. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption.

A de minimis exemption for mackerel, horse mackerel, herring and whiting caught in the fishery carried out with pelagic trawlers up to 25 meters in length overall, using mid-water trawls, and targeting mackerel, horse mackerel and herring in English waters, ICES division 7d will be disapplied. This is due to insufficient evidence to support this exemption.

The partial change is in relation to the cod element, of a de minimis exemption for cod and whiting below the minimum conservation reference size caught in the mixed demersal fisheries by vessels using bottom trawls or seines with a mesh size of 70-99 mm in English waters, ICES division 4c which will be disapplied. This is due to concerns about the Northern shelf cod stock, in particular in the Southern North Sea, and insufficient evidence to support this exemption. It provides a consistent approach across subarea ICES 4. The whiting element of this exemption is retained.

New exemptions coming into effect:
- No new exemptions
Documents

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0010636f8db3c27071db/00_Landing_obligation_general_requirements_v2025.pdf)

Landing obligation general requirements (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0010636f8db3c27071db/00_Landing_obligation_general_requirements_v2025.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a531431516e496676ce07/01_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Beam_trawls_v2.pdf)

2025 - North Sea – Beam trawls (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a531431516e496676ce07/01_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Beam_trawls_v2.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071dc/02_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea – Nephrops (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071dc/02_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00111c041dcc469dae9a/03_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea – Demersal towed gears (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00111c041dcc469dae9a/03_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae94/04_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Fixed_nets_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea – Fixed nets (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae94/04_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Fixed_nets_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00119a6dc0352ab34242/05_-_2025_North_Sea_and_NWW_-_Pots_and_Fyke_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea and North-Western waters – Pots and Fyke (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00119a6dc0352ab34242/05_-_2025_North_Sea_and_NWW_-_Pots_and_Fyke_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071dd/06_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Longline_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea – Longlines (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071dd/06_-_2025_North_Sea_-_Longline_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011d4f0d327e77071ed/07_-_2025_Celtic_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

2025 - Celtic Sea – Demersal towed gears (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011d4f0d327e77071ed/07_-_2025_Celtic_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011d4f0d327e77071ee/08_-_2025_Celtic_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

2025 - Celtic Sea – Nephrops (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011d4f0d327e77071ee/08_-_2025_Celtic_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae95/09_-_2025_Irish_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

2025 - Irish Sea – Demersal towed gears (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae95/09_-_2025_Irish_Sea_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071de/10_-_2025_Irish_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

2025 - Irish Sea – Nephrops (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011636f8db3c27071de/10_-_2025_Irish_Sea_-_Nephrops_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae96/11_-_2025_NWW_-_Beam_trawls_v1.pdf)

2025 - North-Western waters - Beam trawls (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0011aa3a187e2c9dae96/11_-_2025_NWW_-_Beam_trawls_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0012aa3a187e2c9dae97/12_-_2025_NWW_-_Fixed_nets_v1.pdf)

2025 - North-Western waters – Fixed nets (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a0012aa3a187e2c9dae97/12_-_2025_NWW_-_Fixed_nets_v1.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67bc33d4d157fd4b79addd13/2025_English_Channel_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v2__1_.pdf)

2025 - English Channel – Demersal towed gears (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67bc33d4d157fd4b79addd13/2025_English_Channel_-_Demersal_towed_gears_v2__1_.pdf)

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(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00121c041dcc469dae9b/14_-_2025_NS_and_NWW_-_Pelagic_gears_v1.pdf)

2025 - North Sea and North-Western waters – Pelagic gears (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/679a00121c041dcc469dae9b/14_-_2025_NS_and_NWW_-_Pelagic_gears_v1.pdf)

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