Fishing communities in the United Kingdom are to benefit from better infrastructure, strengthened supply chains, new jobs and increased investment in skills, provided through a GBP 75 million investment boost, announced by the country’s government on 27 December 2021.
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the investment will strengthen the fishing sector’s ability to land more fish in the UK and take them to market faster, and will also ensure that the industry and coastal communities are better equipped to benefit from the additional quota gained as a result of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) signed with the EU last year.
This will be achieved by improving the capacity and efficiency of harbours and processing facilities while boosting the long-term sustainability of the fishing industry and supporting jobs, increasing opportunities for coastal communities and levelling up across the country, it said.
A GBP 65 million infrastructure scheme is to be made available for projects such as modernising ports and harbours alongside increasing capacity and efficiency at processing and aquaculture facilities.
A competition will be run to identify the best projects, prioritising those that reduce carbon emissions, helping increase the sustainability of the sector and contributing towards the UK’s commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050.
Up to GBP 10 million will also be used to encourage new entrants into the processing, catching and aquaculture sectors, alongside training and upskilling current workers. This will be done by offering an improved package of training to people joining the industry and making it easier for people from coastal communities to progress through their career, Defra advised.
The two funding schemes are the second and third parts of the GBP 100 million UK Seafood Fund designed to level up coastal communities across the UK. They follow the Science and Innovation pillar, announced in September 2021, which is investing in new technology, trialling new gear and supporting world-class research to improve the productivity and long-term sustainability of the industry.
UK Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said that a year on from the TCA deal, “a positive picture is emerging” for the country’s fishing industry and that the government is “committed to levelling up coastal communities”.
Defra explained that sustainability is an important aspect of both schemes, and that the Infrastructure pillar will invest in the transition to renewable energy. Examples could include the electrification of UK ports to accommodate docking of electric or hybrid powered ships as well as increasing use of solar panels. Port electrification has already proven effective in cutting fossil fuel consumption and reducing emissions produced by the fishing industry.
The transition of the UK seafood industry to more sustainable practices and a greater use of renewable sources will drive down energy costs, protect fish stocks in the future and improve sales as well as building on the UK’s reputation as a global leader in action to protect the environment, it said.
To support the long-term future of the fishing sector, fishers will also be trained in more sustainable fishing techniques, with the aim to help businesses work alongside offshore wind developments and existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The funding will also provide further support for fishers and industry workers through the development of new, tailored courses in business management, mathematics and literacy, as well as courses on health, safety and wellbeing improvements to existing courses with funding for staff and equipment. Industry will also be invited to put forward funding bids for infrastructure and skills and training.
A further GBP 1 million will be dedicated to promoting UK seafood, further details of which will be set out in 2022, Defra said.
The UK government has also published its response to a consultation with industry on proposed changes, collectively known as the “economic link”. These changes will apply to UK vessels fishing against English quota and will come into effect from 1 April 2022.
The package of economic link measures includes increasing the minimum percentage of UK crew members that must be on board vessels to 70%, and raising the amount of fish that must be landed in the UK after being caught from 50 to 70%.
Vessels that do not meet the landing or crewing requirement will be required to donate quota that provides valuable extra fishing opportunities to the inshore fleet. This will be increased from 16.5% to 20% in 2022.
