Parliamentarians and representatives from across the fisheries sector have met in Westminster to discuss the socioeconomic challenges and opportunities facing UK fishing communities.
The Social and Economic Sustainability event, arranged by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries, discussed how issues such as sporadic income and unsociable working hours can be addressed through policy and collective action. The session was the APPG’s most popular to date.
Panelist Deborah Layde, grants director at Seafarers UK, flagged that income insecurity was a top concern. “Insecure, fluctuating incomes create problems in maintaining regular payments for housing, council tax and priority debts. These problems can then lead to housing, mental and physical health issues,” she said.
Arina Motova, chief economist at Seafish, highlighted uncertainty as challenge for the industry. “There is uncertainty in future quota and fisheries management, uncertainty in trade relationships and uncertainty in availability of labour force. It’s very difficult to plan any business or investment in this environment,” she said, whilst also stressing that attracting young people into the sector is crucial.
Parliamentarians, industry representatives, environmental NGOs, policymakers and many more gathered within the Palace of Westminster to share their thoughts. "The event provided a great opportunity for our APPG members to engage with people from across the fisheries sector,” said Sheryll Murray MP, who chaired the event.
