Ms Claudia Allen and Prof Richard Collins, School of Law, Queens University Belfast, & Dr Heather Ritchie, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast.
This presentation shares findings from an academic research project examining post-Brexit fisheries governance – in particular, a review of fisheries law, policy and governance literature – that are relevant to Assembly deliberations regarding the forthcoming Fisheries and Water Environment Bill. The review was part of a wider Marine Institute funded project between University College Cork and Queen’s University Belfast, entitled “Enabling co-existence and co-location in shared ocean spaces through better governance” (CoCoMar). It focused on the evolving marine governance frameworks governing transnational working around the island of Ireland: those frameworks provide a key mechanism for Ireland (an EU Member State) and Northern Ireland (a non-EU country) to meet their international, regional (European Union (EU) and OSPAR (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic)) and national law and policy commitments.
Outlining key findings of the review, the presentation explains how marine governance is particularly challenging in transboundary contexts: marine spaces do not respect legal or administrative boundaries, yet natural ecosystems still must be managed coherently to achieve international commitments relating to sustainable development, climate change and biodiversity loss; noting that the waters of the Northeast Atlantic, including the seas around the island of Ireland, were no exception. It highlights increasing pressure in those waters from traditional and emerging marine activities, including fisheries, conservation, offshore renewable energy and maritime transport, and shows such activities are largely governed in isolation, limiting capacity for integrated decision-making in shared waters and risking conflict between and within sectors.
It further explains that the reviewed literature showed how fisheries often sit at the centre of such governance challenges, as fisheries legislation and policy are extensive, complex and fragmented, making it difficult to align with emerging marine spatial planning processes, wider socio-economic and conservation policy objectives. Moreover, the literature suggested that the noted challenges had been exacerbated by new additional layers of regulatory scrutiny, policy divergence and institutional complexity due to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. The literature further indicated divergence can generate uncertainty, constrain co-location with other marine uses and increase potential for cross-jurisdictional regulatory disputes.
The presentation also focuses on Northern Ireland’s unique transboundary legislative position, to discuss existing jurisdictional ambiguity at the marine border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, to help inform Assembly discussion in this area.
Date of Seminar: 27 May 2026
Briefing Paper
Presentation
Seminar video will be forthcoming