Report | January 19, 2021

UK Fisheries Audit

The UK’s decision to leave the EU and to regain control of its waters has considerable implications for the management of North East Atlantic Fisheries. The results derived from the implementation of new UK domestic regulations and international fisheries agreements will have a direct impact on the status of fish stocks and the socio-economic performance of fishing fleets. There is an opportunity and a responsibility for the UK, as an independent coastal state for the first time in over 40 years, to lead the way in achieving sustainable fisheries.

The key objective of this report is to provide an evidence-based snapshot of the status of UK fish stocks and the UK fishing sector’s recent exploitation history of those stocks, by the time the UK abandons the EU fisheries policies. In doing so, the report provides a baseline for future evaluations of the UK’s progress and/or setbacks in sustainable fisheries management.

The turnover of UK fisheries in 2019 was about £1 billion with the majority derived from over 24 metres vessels operating from Scotland. Most of the UK fisheries landings from the North East Atlantic in 2019 (618,000 t) came from UK waters (81% by live weight or around 500,000t and 87% by value). Around 27% of EU catches in the North East Atlantic were also typically taken from UK waters between 2012 and 2016, amounting to approximately 700,000 tonnes.

Download the summary here.