Seafish is commencing the 2008 Survey of the UK Fish Processing Sector this month to update the information gathered in the last survey, which was carried out in 2004.
The survey will gather current information helping Seafish to develop a better understanding of issues and trends within the industry. This information can be used by businesses to inform business decisions and by government to inform policy. It will also be used by Seafish to improve advisory services to industry, carry out business benchmarking and design services that Seafish offers to the industry.
Adam Brown, Seafish Industry Analyst and project leader said: “This is an important project for Seafish as it allows us to understand what is happening to the industry as a whole. The findings from the previous survey are still regularly requested by a number of organisations which demonstrates the value of this information. It is important that we update this information and the more companies that participate in this survey, the more useful and valuable the results will be.”
To advise the project, an external advisory group was set up with invited representatives from the whitefish, the shellfish, and the frozen fish sectors along with a spokesperson from the Fish Merchants Association. The group has met for the first time to help tailor the service to meet industry needs.
Steve Norton, Chief Executive of the Grimsby Fish Merchants Association and member of the advisory group, said: “This project will be a 'health check' and will provide vital information that will not only benefit the industry, but will enable Seafish to accurately identify areas of need and direct resource."
Importers and distributors are being included in the survey for the first time, and this will give a valuable insight into a sector of the industry which has never previously been surveyed.
The first stage of the survey involves taking a census by telephoning every processor, importer and distributor to ask a few questions to gather information on business locations and employee numbers.
This will then lead to a more detailed, face-to-face survey which will take place over the summer and will form a definitive list of processors operating in the industry.
