Commentary on provisions of Act Fisheries objectives, fisheries statements, and fisheries management plans Section 2: Joint fisheries statement
Subsection (1) of this section introduces a duty on the Secretary of State and Devolved Administrations (the fisheries policy authorities) to set out their policies for achieving the fisheries objectives in section 1, as well as to set out what use they plan to make of fisheries management plans in relation to the achievement of the fisheries objectives. The purpose of the statement is to recognise that, although fisheries is devolved, none of those authorities acting alone could achieve the fisheries objectives. The intended effect of the joint fisheries statement (JFS) would be to set out and coordinate fisheries policies after the UK has left the CFP.
	Subsection (2) provides that the policies to be included in a JFS may in particular include policies relating to the distribution of catch quotas and effort quotas under section 26 (distribution of fishing opportunities),
	Subsection (3) provides that a JFS must include a list of fisheries management plans in force and another list outlining the fisheries management plans that the fisheries policy authorities propose to prepare and publish in the future. The JFS should also set out the rationale for deciding which stocks, types of fishing, and fisheries should be subject to fisheries management plans and which should not.
	Subsection (4) provides that a document is not a JFS unless it contains a statement confirming it has been prepared for the purposes of this section.
	Subsection (5) requires a JFS to be prepared and published within two years of the Act coming into force.
	Subsection (6) defines a "fisheries management plan" for the purposes of the Act.
	Subsection (7) provides that certain policies of the Secretary of State that would otherwise be included in a JFS may be set out in a separate document (a Secretary of State fisheries statement).