Statistics about fishing in the UK and beyond

Amy Wardlaw, MMO, Posted by: Posted on:10 August 2017

Where to find information online about fishing activity in UK waters and by UK and EU fishing vessels. Explanation of the rules around foreign ownership of UK fishing vessels. 

Following the decision to leave the EU the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has seen an increase in the number of people and organisations asking for statistics about fishing activity in UK and EU waters. We’re committed to publishing any relevant information we hold on our website. We’ve put together this round-up of the questions we’re commonly asked, and links to where you can already find the relevant information online.

Amount and type of fish caught in UK waters

The annual fisheries statistics published by the MMO include a wide range of information about the structure and activity of the UK fishing fleet. This includes type, amount and value of fish landed, broken down by major ports in the UK.

They also cover the activities of UK vessels overseas (Table 3.15 – landings abroad by UK vessels by country of landing) and vessels from other countries landing into the UK (Table 3.16 – landings into the UK by foreign vessels by vessel nationality).

The statistics for 2016 are due to be published on 28 September 2017. 

Fishing activities of EU vessels in UK waters

In 2015, EU vessels caught 683,000 tonnes (£484 million revenue) in UK waters and UK vessels caught 111,000 tonnes (£114 million revenue) in Member States’ waters. Further information is on the MMO website.

This provisional information was also included in the White Paper – The United Kingdom’s exit from, and new partnership with, the European Union.  It will be followed by a more detailed final form statistical release as part of the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics annual publication in September 2017.

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