The sandeel is an unlikely barometer of Brexit benefits

Puffins and kittiwakes, which feed on sandeels, are threatened with global extinction and are red listed’ as of highest conservation concern.

In January 2024 , governments in Holyrood and Westminster announced that, following public consultation and a call for evidence, they would close the English North Sea and all Scottish waters to sandeel fishing from March 2024 .

In April 2024 , the EU announced it would challenge the UK , a move condemned by international nature NGOs as shameful’ The Permanent Court of Arbitration , based in the Hague , weighed up the evidence and decided whether the proposed closure was compatible with the TCA .