Leasing extra quota in England

Leasing extra quota from a producer organisation

You can apply to lease extra quota from a producer organisation (PO), to supplement your catch limits or to keep fishing a stock where the English 10-metres-and-under or English over 10-metres non-sector pool allocation has been exhausted.

Step 1

Contact MMO fisheries management team to find out if the extra quota you need can be made available via an increase in the catch limit for the stock in question. Telephone 0300 123 1032 or email: inshorequotamanager@marinemanagement.org.uk

Step 2

If MMO is unable to meet your requested catch limit increase, you may wish to contact a PO directly to agree a lease.

Step 3

The PO from which you have agreed to lease quota must complete a Domestic Quota Swap Form that includes your:

• vessel’s name
• Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS) number
• port letters and numbers (PLN)
• name and contact details
• amount of quota requested for lease

The PO must submit the form to quotaswap.dqs@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Any lease that is issued to a group of vessels, rather than a single vessel, must detail the proportion of the leased quota intended for each vessel.

If quota allocations for the year have not yet been confirmed, it is still possible to lease quota from a PO. The PO should submit a leasing request to MMO via email providing the information detailed in Step 3 above.

Step 4

MMO considers applications to lease quota on a case-by-case basis. MMO checks the licence and vessel details and considers the current non-sector catch limits, amount of quota being leased and the overall UK uptake position for the relevant stock. MMO will take up to 10 days to process the application.

Step 5

If the application is approved, MMO will send:

• an approved form back to the donor PO;
• an authorisation letter confirming leased quota details to the recipient of the leased quota, naming the boat the lease applies to.
• a copy of the leasing letter to the vessel’s port of administration

Leasing scheme letter

Leasing scheme letter

PDF, 225 KB, 2 pages

Step 6

The licence holder will be permitted to fish the leased quota, in addition to the catch limits set by MMO, from the date and time at the top of the leasing letter until such time as: the additional leased quota is exhausted, the fishery is closed at UK level, or 31 December, whichever is the sooner.

It is important that you note this letter (contained within an email, or paper copy) must be carried onboard the vessel to which it relates at all times and must be produced at the request of a marine officer.

You must comply with the leasing scheme requirements. These are as follows:

You must be the owner of a vessel that is:

• fishing against the English 10-metres-and-under or English over 10-metre non-sector quota pools

Quota can be leased by individuals or a group:

• for the current quota management period only, i.e. lease 2026 quota in 2026 only, not before or after.
• for a minimum of 100 kilograms
• in multiples of 100 kilograms
• only for the purpose of fishing against the leased quota

Unused leased quota will be carried forward into the next month and the licence holder will be permitted to fish the remaining leased quota in addition to the monthly catch limit for that month.

Unfished leased quota may be returned to the producer organisation from which it was leased (if the producer organisation agrees) up to, but not beyond 31 December of the year in which the lease was issued.

Please note that the MMO reserves the right to use unfished leased quota at the end of the year if it is in the wider industry interest.

You may not:

• fish against leased quota if the fishery is subject to a UK closure (all UK fishing vessel licences).
• transfer leased quota to another party, except by agreeing to return it to the PO it was leased to you from.

Step 7

All English 10-metres-and-under vessels that fish in UK waters should create and submit catch records, using the Catch Recording service.

More information is available at: Record your catch.

All English 12 metres and over non-sector vessels are required to complete electronic logbooks and landing declarations.

More information is available at: sales notes and electronic recording systems.

The master/owner of an English vessel that is over 10-metres but under 12-metres in length shall complete a paper logbook for every fishing trip during the period the licence holder has leased quota and not just those fishing trips where leased quota is targeted or caught. Logbooks must be completed for the entire period where quota is leased until the end of the month in which leased quota is taken in full. 

Your catch is counted against the pool allocation first and your leased quota once the pool allocation is used. For example, if a monthly pool catch limit for a stock is 1 tonne and you lease in an extra 2 tonnes, your first tonne of a 2-tonne catch will be recorded against the pool and the second tonne against your leased quota.

You must make sure your vessel does not exceed the total quota available to you. If you catch more than your limit, enforcement action may be taken against you in line with MMO’s control and enforcement policy.

Leasing extra quota from MMO

Members of the English non-sector and 10-metre and under fleet who hold Category B, C or No-quota licences may also be able to lease quota from within the non-sector pools.

MMO regularly open a window to apply for the opportunity to access this quota. The timing of the window, and the amount of quota available depends on the availability of any excess quota within the pools.

More information on the most recent leasing window can be found at the link below.

Quota leasing scheme - April 2026 - GOV.UK