Survey of UK fishing fleet launched

Seafish said the data collected during the survey is essential to help create its Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet and Employment in the UK Fishing Fleet reports. It can help policymakers make informed decisions and offer valuable insights into how the industry is navigating socio-economic challenges such as labour shortages and economic fluctuations. 

Interviews during the fleet survey typically last between 10-15 minutes, and all data captured is kept strictly confidential. 

Every skipper and vessel owner who participates in the survey is eligible for a free benchmark report that compares their business performance to vessels of a similar size, with Seafish saying this can be beneficial in helping them highlight areas of improvement for their business and be used for grant and loan applications. 

Additionally, they will receive a printout of the Man Overboard Toolkit, a short guide that covers safety equipment, safety drills and risk assessments for fishermen. The toolkit was produced earlier this year by the Home and Dry Fishing Safety Campaign. 

“Our annual Fishing Fleet Survey continues to be one of our most important projects. It serves as an invaluable resource, allowing us to produce reports that support the UK fishing industry, including our Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet Report,” Seafish Economics Project Manager Juan Carlos Paredes Esclapez said. “We strongly encourage as many skippers and vessel owners as possible to participate in this year’s survey. The information collected through this survey is essential for ensuring that the UK fishing fleet receives the support it needs.” 

The findings from last year’s UK Fishing Fleet Survey will be released later this summer as part of Seafish’s annual Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet Report. 

This report presents data on the financial and operational performance of the UK fishing fleet at various levels, with early insights suggesting that, following several challenging years, 2023 and 2024 showed a gradual return to normality for the UK fishing fleet. 

It finds that fishing activities returned to pre-pandemic levels for many fleet segments, but the size of the UK fishing fleet has continued to decrease.  Meanwhile, total fishing income in the fleet reached GBP 1.1 billion in 2024, an increase of 7% over 2023. Also, landings were up 15% over 2023, driven mainly by increases in some pelagic species.  

The 2025 Fleet Survey schedule, including harbour visit dates, is available on the Seafish website.