Fishing industry in 2021 statistics published

The publication is a summary of:

The UK fishing fleet

Its activity at sea

Landings – how much fish they catch and land

Effort – how long they spend at sea

Trade

Key statistics include:

Fleet

In 2021 there were 5,783 United Kingdom registered fishing vessels. This represents a 10 per cent reduction in the last ten years, however Gross Tonnage (GT) has remained the same at 202 thousand tonnes. Approximately 20 per cent of the United Kingdom fleet is represented by vessels over 10 metres in length, of which 44 per cent are administered in Scotland. There are around 11 thousand fishers working on United Kingdom registered vessels. This is a reduction of 1,700 fishers in the last ten years.

Landings

In 2021, United Kingdom vessels landed 652 thousand tonnes of sea fish with a value of £921 million. Compared to 2020, this is an increase of 5 per cent and 11 per cent in quantity and value respectively. This is mainly driven by the United Kingdom’s recovery from the covid period and additional quota available to the United Kingdom fleet after leaving the EU. Landings into the United Kingdom by foreign vessels in 2021 was 20 thousand tonnes, which compared to 2020 represents a 48 per cent reduction, however landings abroad by United Kingdom vessels has increased by 5 per cent to 258 thousand tonnes.

Trade

The United Kingdom is a net importer of fish. The United Kingdom’s crude trade gap in 2021 for sea fish is 305 thousand tonnes. This is higher than 2020 where the gap was 250 thousand tonnes. In 2021 the United Kingdom imported 655 thousand tonnes of sea fish, with a value of £3.1 billion. It exported 350 thousand tonnes, with a value of £1.6 billion.

View the full report, tables and underlying datasets at: to editors:

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) manages the seas around England, including the management of fisheries.

The MMO has the task of ensuring that stocks are managed throughout the year to maximise fishing opportunities for the UK industry, while ensuring that stocks are not overfished and the UK government and taxpayer does not have to pay steep penalties.

We are continually working with the fishing industry to improve day-to-day management with accurate catch limits and forecasts that secure longer fisheries, while safeguarding the welfare of fish stocks.

Further information is available from our website at www.gov.uk/mmo

Contacts:

Tel: 0300 123 1032

Email: media@marinemanagement.org.uk