Photo by James Newcombe
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries has launched a call for evidence to support the development of a wide-ranging Action Plan for a Thriving and Sustainable UK Fishing Industry, with submissions invited from anyone with a stake in the sector. The deadline for responses is 23:59 on 20 May 2026.
What the action plan aims to do
The APPG launched the action plan initiative in November 2025 in direct response to industry calls for a long-term sector strategy. The plan is intended to provide a strategic roadmap, making the case for a government-led sector strategy, setting out priority areas for action, and offering recommendations to address the key challenges currently facing the UK fishing industry. The APPG’s stated ambition is a framework for a UK fishing industry that “supports good jobs, resilient communities and thriving regional economies; provides climate-smart, nutritious seafood; strengthens national food security and public health; and safeguards fish stocks and healthy marine ecosystems.”
The work is being led by Daniel Zeichner MP, Independent Chair and former Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, alongside APPG co-chairs Melanie Onn MP (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) and Alistair Carmichael MP (Orkney and Shetland).
What the call for evidence covers
The APPG is seeking views across four key action areas — sustainable management and access, fleet modernisation and infrastructure, workforce and labour, and supply chains and domestic consumption — as well as four enabling factors: narrative and social licence, policy and governance, science and knowledge, and funding and investment. For each theme, respondents are invited to address challenges, opportunities, support needed and priority actions.
The breadth of the invitation is deliberately wide. The APPG is welcoming submissions from fishermen and women, vessel owners, communities, boat builders, gear manufacturers and suppliers, processors, retailers, logistics operators, scientists, academics, NGOs, policy experts, regulators, and devolved administrations. Published or unpublished reports, case studies and research are also accepted as supporting evidence.
How to respond
Written submissions can be sent to the APPG Secretariat at secretariat@fisheriesappg.org, or submitted via an online form. Alternative formats can be arranged by contacting the Secretariat directly. All responses will be anonymised and used solely to inform the Action Plan. The deadline is 23:59 on 20 May 2026.