Fishing (Access to Territorial Waters) Bill

A Bill to restrict the rights of vessels not registered in the United Kingdom to fish in territorial waters; and for connected purposes.

Originating House

House of Commons

Sponsor

Sir Christopher ChopeConservative

Parliament last updated

7 December 2018

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

The bill would change who may fish in the UK’s territorial waters. If enacted, only vessels registered in the United Kingdom would have the right to fish there, with provisions described as “connected purposes” applying to the rest of the bill. It aims to give the UK tighter control over fishing access in its territorial waters.

Key Points

- Fishing in UK territorial waters would be limited to UK-registered vessels, restricting access for non-UK-registered boats.
- It is a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Sir Christopher Chope and is at the second reading stage in the House of Commons.
- The bill covers territorial waters and includes provisions referred to as “connected purposes.”

Who is affected?

UK-registered fishing vessel owners and crewsFishermen and boat operators from other countries who fish in UK watersThe UK fishing industry and coastal communities dependent on fishingRegulators and port authorities responsible for enforcing fishing rights

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingCommons

5 Sept 2017

2nd readingCommons

23 Nov 2018

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

1st readingLords

2nd readingLords

Committee stageLords

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

Royal Assent

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - Fishing (Access to Territorial Waters)

1 Jan 1970

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.

Parliamentary Votes (0)

No recorded votes for this bill yet.