Fishing vessel owners and skippers in the UK are being encouraged to participate in the latest annual survey of the fleet being conducted by non-departmental public body (NDPB) Seafish, with researchers visiting ports and harbours around the country from 15 July 2024.
The aim of the 10-week survey is to learn about the financial performance of fishing businesses and the demographics of their crew. The process also gives vessel owners and skippers the opportunity to share details on how their business has fared in the last 12 months.
Interviews take no longer than 15 minutes to complete and all responses will be treated as strictly confidential, with no figures from any individual vessel revealed elsewhere. Researchers will also be handing out a free First Aid at Sea Guide for every skipper or vessel owner that participates.
“Our fleet survey is an essential tool for monitoring the performance of our fishing industry. By taking part in this survey, vessel owners and skippers can help create an understanding of the challenges they face as well as new opportunities,” Seafish Economics Project Manager Juan Carlos Paredes Esclapez said.
“We encourage as many fishing businesses and vessel owners as possible to get involved in this year’s survey. The data collected is crucial for guiding policymakers, industry stakeholders, and businesses, ensuring the sector is prepared to tackle future challenges effectively.”
Fishing businesses who take part in the fleet survey can request a free benchmark report which compares their vessel’s economic performance to similar vessels and can help identify areas for improvements. It can also be used as evidence in grant or loan applications.
During last year’s fleet survey, many fishing vessel owners responded to the survey. Seafish’s Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet report for 2023 will be published later in the year, but initial findings show:
- On business performance over the previous 12 months, 24% rated it poor or below average. 41% rated it average and 35% rated it above average or excellent
- On the outlook for business over the next 3-5 years, 17% rated it bad or very bad, while 37% rated it good or very good. Most people (46%) were neutral or unsure about their future performance
The most mentioned factors to recent performance were abundance of catch (36% of respondents), operating costs (30%), the price of catch (25%) and access to labour (20%). Abundance and price of catch were seen as positive influences by most respondents, while operating costs and access to labour were seen as negative.
Labour continues to be a pressing issue for the UK fleet and the 2023 survey included a specific question on access to skilled labour, including UK and foreign crew.
Nearly half of respondents reported that this issue did not apply to them as they were single-handed vessels but among the remaining 201 people interviewed, 71% rated their access to skilled labour as bad or very bad. A tenth of respondents reported being negatively affected by changes to the transit visa regulations.
In general, 2023 findings suggest a slight improvement in vessel owners’ and skippers’ moods about their business performance.
The schedule of when researchers are visiting areas across the UK is available on the Seafish website, www.seafish.org/fleetsurvey.
