Co-designing the principles for defining low impact fishing

In the recent Fisheries White Paper the UK Government outlines a desire for an efficient but sustainable fishing industry with technological advances having driven greater efficiency, such as where modern smaller boats have been able to catch more fish than they have previously, existing approaches to considering sustainability may no longer have their original utility. As the UK leaves the European Union and takes back control of its waters in a new era of fisheries governance, there is distinct opportunity to consider new criteria for defining 'low impact fishing', and to replace current definitions used for fishing vessels, such as the 'under 10 metre' categorisation, while considering what low impact fishing means across the commercial fleet and recreational sector.

This invitation to tender is for an original piece of work to develop a framework of principles for low impact fishing, and to agree the processes for applying them. The scope of this work extends only to England for operational reasons, but it is recognised the outputs may be of interest at a UK-wide scale and beyond.

Additional information: The Contracting Authority intends to use an eTendering system in this procurement exercise. Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: suppliers instructions how to express interest in similar tenders. 1) Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once): - browse to the eSourcing Portal: https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register, - accept the terms and conditions and click "continue", - enter your correct business and user details, - note the username you chose and click "Save" when complete, - you will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure). 2) Express an Interest in the tender: - login to the portal with the username/password, - click the "PQQs/ITTs Open to All Suppliers' link (these are pre-qualification questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier), - click on the relevant PQQ/ITT to access the content, - click the "Express Interest" button at the top of the page, - this will move the PQQ/ITT into your "My PQQs/MyITTs" page (this is a secure area reserved for your projects only), - you can now access any attachments by clicking "Buyer Attachments" in the "PQQ/ITT Details" box. 3) Responding to the tender: - click "My Response" under "PQQ/ITT Details", you can choose to "Create Response" or to "Decline to Respond" (please give a reason if declining), - you can now use the "Messages" function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification, - note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ITT, - There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the "Submit Response" button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.