However, it also ruled that the U.K. had made a procedural error in bringing in the ban by not giving due regard to the rights of EU fishers during an adjustment period — as required under the Brexit trade deal.
The fish are fed to livestock by farmers in countries like Denmark, but are also the favored food of baby seabirds.
Conservationists have long pushed for the ban on fishing the stock in a bid to give the endangered birds a break — and a chance at arresting their falling numbers.
A U.K. government spokesperson said the judgment “does not mean the U.K. is legally obliged to reverse the closure” and that it would now “undertake a process in good faith to bring the U.K. into compliance on the specific issues raised by the Tribunal.”
“We remain committed to protecting our seabirds and the wider marine environment, in accordance with our commitments to the TCA [the U.K.-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement] and other international agreements,” they added.
A European Commission spokesperson told reporters on Friday afternoon that the bloc’s executive was “still analyzing this ruling.”
