APPG on Fisheries and APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture – Joint Statement on UK Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund

On 19 May, the UK Government announced a new twelve-year £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to drive growth and boost the sector for the future. Defra has indicated that the fund will see investment in new technology and equipment to modernise Britain’s fleet, deliver new training and skills, and promote British seafood exports across the world, among others. The Government has committed to work with the industry to target investment where it matters most.

Committed to supporting two industries vital to the UK’s coastal communities – sustainable and thriving wild capture fisheries and shellfish aquaculture – the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries and the APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture welcome the announcement of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, and its aim to drive growth and boost the sector by investing in the industry and coastal communities more broadly. We also welcome the Government’s commitment to work with industry to target investment where it matters most, and the assurances provided by the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs on the same. 

Together covering a diverse range of segments, sectors and geographies, and focusing on both shared challenges and unique complexities, both the APPG on Fisheries and the APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture work to ensure that the voices of our coastal industries are heard in Parliament. Across our individual activities, which typically cover a range of thematic challenges, funding presents a cross-cutting theme.

Both APPGs recognise that a long-term strategic approach to supporting and investing in UK fishing, shellfish aquaculture, seafood and coastal communities is crucial not only to ensure a viable future for the coastal communities and the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems, but to long-term domestic food security and meeting commitments on climate and biodiversity. 

Understanding that the particulars of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund are still to be devised, to ensure the fund can support a diverse industry, vibrant coastal communities and healthy marine ecosystems, alongside being strategic and long-term, it will need to be: 

• Cognisant of what has and what has not worked in the past
• Accessible to a broad range of stakeholders, large and small
• Entail a degree of flexibility in order to respond to a shifting seascape
• Coupled with a cross-departmental, long-term strategic plan for the sector’s future. 

To support this and illuminate industry priorities, while at the same time reflecting on past funding for the sector, the APPG on Fisheries and APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture will co-host an open parliamentary seminar on 25 June outlining industry needs across the following themes: People, Food, Nature, Resources and Community. 

Bringing together parliamentarians, policymakers, and sector professionals, the session will explore what an effective, targeted fund might look like, and on steps needed to ensure the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund becomes an effective vehicle for investment in the future of our fishing and seafood communities. 

APPG on Fisheries Co-Chair, Melanie Onn MP said, 

“From catching to processing, the value of the UK’s fisheries sector is not easily quantified but integral to communities around this nation’s coasts. We welcome the announcement of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, and the assurances received from the Minister that the fund will be devised with the sector to target investment where it matters most. Since the reformulation of the APPG on Fisheries last autumn we have heard from industry of investment needs relating to addressing skills gaps, infrastructure needs, and more broadly towards future proofing the industry and fisheries. It is vital that sector voices are heard so that the fund is set up to effectively support the future of our communities.”

APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture Chair, Caroline Voaden MP said, 

“As the Member of Parliament for South Devon, home to both fishing and shellfish aquaculture communities, and Chair of the Shellfish Aquaculture APPG, I am pleased to see the Government providing much-needed support to these vital sectors. Shellfish aquaculture is an industry of the future. Sustainable, beneficial to the marine environment and an asset to coastal communities, which deserve far better than the neglect they have endured in recent years. I look forward to seeing the full details of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund in due course, and hope to see shellfish aquaculture businesses from across the country flourish as a result.”

APPG on Fisheries Co-Chair, Alistair Carmichael MP said, “The UK’s fishing and seafood industry has a vital role to play in sustainable food supply and the resilience of regional economies, with potential also – if strategically supported – to contribute to regeneration, the national economy and to meeting our wider commitments on sustainability. Investment in the sector is part of this, but this must be coupled with a broader long term strategic plan for the sector. We look forward to hosting representatives of the industry and related sectors on 25 June, and hope that Defra will take this opportunity also to engage with and listen to the needs of our fishing industries and communities.”

The APPG on Fisheries and APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture will host an online parliamentary seminar, Investing in UK Fishing, Shellfish Aquaculture and the Coast, on Wednesday 25 June, from 10:00 to 11:30am. Register at the link here: https://loom.ly/293nmg4

Skilled labour ‘dominant issue’ for fishing fleet

 

A new report looks at the issues facing the fishing industry.A new report looks at the issues facing the fishing industry. Accessing skilled labour continues to be the dominant employment issue for the UK fishing fleet, a new Seafish report suggests.

The 2024 Employment in the UK Fishing Fleet Report provides a snapshot of employment in commercial fishing from data gathered during Seafish’s annual fleet survey last summer.

It highlights that less than a quarter of skippers and vessel owners interviewed at that time rated access to skilled labour as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, while nearly half rated it as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’.

The parts of the fleet most affected by the recruitment challenges include the scallop dredgers and Nephrops and demersal trawlers over 10m. These vessels typically require a larger number of crew and vessel operators reported that the issues are impacting days at sea and fishing activity.

Amongst the issues contributing to the shortage of skilled labour is the fishing sector’s ageing workforce. The overall average was 44 - four years older than that reported in Seafish’s 2021 employment report. vessels registered in England had the largest proportion of workers aged over 60. These workers were largely owners working on static under 10m and low activity vessels.

Other reasons for labour shortages cited in the report are difficulties in finding local crew, with other industries, such as offshore wind and aquaculture, often seen as the main competitors for attracting new entrants. For some vessel operators the recent changes to the visa system have made it more difficult and more costly to recruit skilled crew from overseas.

Commenting on the report’s findings Seafish’s Head of Industry Workforce Issues Neil McAleese said: “As this new report recognises, access to skilled labour is an ongoing issue for the commercial fishing sector. This issue is critical as the shortage of labour has economic implications for both businesses and the wider economy. The industry continues to experience a decline in full-time employees due to an ageing workforce, insufficient domestic entrants, and changes in the skilled worker visa policy affecting the viability of recruiting migrant workers.

“Those within the industry understand the difficult challenges that fishermen are facing and are working together to identify solutions. We are working in partnership with industry stakeholders and government to find solutions to these challenges. This includes Seafish’s work to develop and deliver training courses designed to attract new entrants to the industry. These courses include to Commercial Fishing courses, Fisher Apprenticeships, the Diploma in Sea Fishing, and the Maritime Studies – Trainee Deckhand course."

The 2024 Employment in the UK Fishing Fleet report can be accessed here. It describes the findings of the employment component of the 2024 Seafish Fleet Survey. Its purpose is to aid discussion and decision-making around the labour needs of the UK catching sector.

The report presents data on nationality, age, gender, professional qualifications, work and remuneration patterns of workers in the UK catching sector. Skippers and vessels owners were interviewed and asked about their access to skilled labour, their business performance in the last year and, their expectations for the future.

The 2024 survey sampled a larger proportion of the UK’s small-scale fleet of vessels (vessels under 10m and low activity) than in previous years and this may have influenced the findings including the proportion of UK workers amongst the sampled vessels.

By Gregor White - gregor.white@hnmedia.co.uk Published: 18:00, 17 May 2025

UN Ocean Conference - Emotive misinformation again!

 Clarifying the Confusion: Super-Trawlers vs. Bottom Trawling

The Super-Trawler Debate: Why Accurate Reporting Matters

Discussions about industrial fishing are often clouded by oversimplification, with complex issues reduced to dramatic headlines or emotive imagery. While legitimate concerns exist about overfishing, habitat destruction, and bycatch, the reality is far more nuanced—and many fisheries, particularly in the UK, have made significant progress in sustainability.

Take the MSC-certified Cornish sardine and hake fisheries, which have drastically reduced marine mammal bycatch through acoustic deterrents, modified nets, and strict monitoring. Such advances prove that responsible fishing is possible when science, regulation, and industry collaboration align.

Yet this BBC report at the Ocean Conference in Nice repeated a common but misleading conflation—lumping super-trawlers (large pelagic vessels) together with bottom trawling. Worse still, the segment featured footage of lush, vibrant seabeds—scenes completely unrepresentative of areas routinely worked by bottom trawlers. Such imagery misleads the public, implying that these habitats are typical of trawling zones when, in reality, heavily trawled seabeds are far more barren.

Why the Distinction Matters

• Super-trawlers target mid-water fish like mackerel and herring. Their nets, though enormous, operate well above the seabed and do not cause seafloor damage or disturb carbon-storing sediments.

• Bottom trawling is an entirely different practice, dragging heavy gear across the ocean floor. While some fisheries have adopted less damaging methods (e.g., lighter gear, area closures, selective nets and larger mesh sizes), the practice remains controversial—and should not be confused with pelagic fishing.

Similarly, claims about marine mammal bycatch often lack context. Dolphins and porpoises are primarily at risk in certain mid-water or coastal fisheries, not bottom trawling (where interactions are rare). Many pelagic fleets, including some super-trawlers, now use mitigation measures, though enforcement and improvement remain essential.

The Danger of Misrepresentation

Using misleading visuals and conflating different fishing methods does a disservice to the debate. It obscures the real progress made by sustainable fisheries while diverting attention from the worst offenders. If we want effective ocean conservation, we need clarity, not sensationalism—and reporting that reflects the true state of our seas, not just the most dramatic clips.

Cornish Fishing Under Attack: Betrayed by Westminster, Silenced by Extremists

"As Cornwall’s fishermen cling to survival, Westminster and Brussels toast another ‘deal’—twelve more years adrift."

Three weeks ago, the UK Government sold out Cornish fishing. At the so-called "EU UK reset summit," they handed EU fishing vessels unfettered access right up to our 6-mile limit - for another 12 years, with nothing in return for Cornish fishing. Now, the UK Government are back with another hammer blow: a proposed blanket ban on fishing in certain areas, all concentrated around Cornwall's coast.

This isn't policy. It's annihilation. It is clear that Labour cannot stand the thought of a Cornish fisherman producing seafood and are happy to wipe fishing and coastal communities off the face of the county. This new proposal ignores science, rhyme or reason and any thought for the leaps and bounds the fishing fleet have made when it comes to reducing its environmental impact. There is no thought for displacement of the fleet, driving effort into other fisheries, the total lack of sound science and evidence of how fishing methods actually interact with the seabed, as well as the whole raft on unintended environmental consequences that such radical blanket bans will create. And Labour have chosen this moment - when the industry is still on its knees from the so called EU reset - to stick the boot in.

Lets remember that this is the same government that merely six months ago gave the green light to create a space equating to 300,000 football pitches, or the entire size of Cornwall, worth of seabed around the Cornish coast to produce electricity from. In order to do this, they will be banging and crashing anchors, chains and electromagnetic cables in to the same space fishing is being banned from. All about saving the seabed and marine environment, is it? It's hard not to smell a rat.

Who's really calling the shots on this new ban of Cornish fishing? Not coastal communities. Certainly not fishermen. But extremist NGOs like Oceana UK and the Blue Marine Foundation - organisations hell-bent on wiping fishing and coastal communities off the map, with no regard for science, history, or consequences. Ministers are falling over themselves to listen to them, not to Cornish fishermen. And who funds these groups? Luxury fashion houses. Whiskey brands. Celebrities. All the non essentials for a healthy life. Last time of checking, fashion was second only to fossil fuels when it comes to global pollution. The hypocrisy stinks. 

Dressed up as eco warriors, they never called the fishermen, they never stepped foot on a working harbour, they never asked how these decisions would impact the 8,000 jobs it provides in Cornwall, or the countys ability to feed itself and the wider population with low-carbon, nutritious food produced just off our shore. They can not stand the thought of collaboration as that would risk leading to genuine solutions and no endless catastrophe for them to fundraise from. These organisations pretend they have a connection to the coast - but clearly it is not in their hearts.

And now, the Cornish fishing industry and its communities are expected to stand by while they attempt to erase the very industry that built our Cornish coves, harbours, and communities?

We won't.

Cornish fishing is more than an industry - it's a legacy. It's food security in an unstable world. It's who we are. It's our identity. And it's worth fighting for. We won't be silenced. We won't be sold out. And we certainly won't be pushed aside by out-of-touch elites.

Keep Cornwall Fishing.

Copy and paste this template email/letter to your MP

---

[Your Name] 

[Your Address] 

[Your Postcode] 

[Your Email/Phone Number]

[Date]

[Your MP's Full Name] House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

Subject: Urgent Concern for the Future of the Cornish Fishing Industry

Dear [Your MP's Name],

I am writing to you today as a concerned resident of [town] about what I believe is an existential threat to the Cornish fishing industry and our coastal communities. The recent proposal for a blanket ban on fishing in certain areas around Cornwall's coast is an attack on our heritage, our economy, and our identity.

Just weeks after the "EU UK reset summit" granted EU vessels unfettered access to our 6-mile limit for another 12 years with nothing in return for Cornwall, this new proposal feels like a final, devastating blow. This is not sound policy; it is the potential annihilation of a way of life.

The proposal seems to ignore the significant progress our fishing fleet has made in reducing its environmental impact. There appears to be a lack of sound science or consideration for the unintended consequences, such as the displacement of the fleet into other fisheries. It is particularly galling that this ban is proposed for the same areas where the government has approved massive seabed disruption for energy projects. This contradiction makes it hard to believe the primary concern is the marine environment.

Furthermore, it seems these decisions are being driven not by the needs of our community, but by extremist NGOs like Oceana UK and the Blue Marine Foundation. These organisations, seemingly funded by luxury brands and celebrities, are disconnected from the realities of our working harbours. They have not consulted our fishermen, nor do they seem to understand the impact their proposals will have on the 8,000 jobs the industry provides, or on our county's ability to produce low-carbon, nutritious food.

Cornish fishing is more than just an industry; it is our legacy and our food security in an unstable world. It is who we are. We will not be silenced, sold out, or pushed aside by out-of-touch elites.

As my elected representative, I urge you to oppose this radical blanket ban. I ask you to stand up for your constituents, to defend our fishing industry, and to ensure that the voices of Cornish communities are heard in Westminster. We need a future for Cornish fishing, not its erasure.

I look forward to your response and learning what action you will take on this critical issue.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Stage 3 Consultation: Have Your Say

MPAs off Cornwall

The UK government is seeking public input on the third stage of its Marine Protected Areas (MPA) consultation, aimed at further safeguarding marine biodiversity. This phase focuses on implementing byelaws and management measures to protect sensitive habitats and species in MPAs.  

Key Details of the Consultation

Objective: Strengthen protections for marine ecosystems, including seabed habitats and vulnerable species.  

Areas Covered: Multiple MPAs across UK waters, with proposed restrictions on damaging activities like bottom-towed fishing gear.  

Why It Matters: MPAs help conserve marine life, support sustainable fisheries, and combat biodiversity loss.  

How to Participate

The government invites stakeholders, including fishermen, conservation groups, and the public, to share their views.  

🔗 Read the full consultation documents and respond here**: [Marine Protected Areas Stage 3 Consultation] (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-protected-areas-stage-3-consultation)  

🗓 Deadline: Ensure submissions are made before the closing date (check the official page for updates).  

Your feedback will help shape policies that balance **marine conservation with sustainable use**. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to protecting the UK’s precious marine environments!  

Protecting Our Oceans debate

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed) 09/06/2025

The Government are committed to protecting the ocean. Marine protected areas are pivotal to our ambitions to preserve and improve our seas. They are central to our international commitment to protect 30% of global seas by 2030. We have built a comprehensive network of 181 MPAs covering 40% of English waters. Now we are focusing on making sure they are properly protected.

MPAs are protected from the point of designation by the planning and marine licensing regimes that cover activities such as dredging for aggregates and construction of offshore wind farms. Some fishing methods, especially bottom trawling, can have a significant impact on our MPAs, and the Government are legally obliged to address this. Fishing is of course an important source of food, and is critical to our coastal communities. We want to support fishing, encourage it to become more sustainable, and ensure it does not damage protected species and habitats.

We use an evidence-led process to identify the specific measures needed to safeguard our MPAs. We have made good progress. Currently, 60% of English MPAs are protected by byelaws that limit the use of damaging fishing gear, but we need to do more.

The Marine Management Organisation is undertaking a programme to roll-out byelaws to protect all our offshore MPAs where needed. The first two stages of this programme have been completed, with byelaws covering 17 offshore MPAs. Today it is starting a consultation on the third stage, the largest by far.

The proposed byelaws are to protect coarse, sandy and muddy seabed habitats and the species that live on and in them. These include: ocean quahog—which can live up to 100 years old; fan mussel—one of Britain’s largest and most threatened molluscs; and sea pens—part of the soft coral family, which can look like large feathers sticking up out of muddy seabeds. This is a substantial package of proposed measures. It covers a further 42 MPAs and includes proposals to stop bottom trawling over approximately 30,000 sq km, approximately 13% of English waters.

We appreciate that these potential measures would impact fishing fleets, both domestic and European. We encourage them to respond to the consultation, and everyone else who cares about supporting our coastal communities and protecting our seas should also have their say. We recently announced a £360 million fishing and coastal growth fund, in part to help modernise Britain’s fishing fleet.

Where do you even begin with this?

The video also includes one of the lamest 'bottom' jokes ever aired.

The video, titled "The Bottom Line," has been roundly condemned by industry bodies, including the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO), for what they describe as a "simplistic and emotionally manipulative" attack on the commercial fishing fleet.

Federations have been quick to point out what they see as a complete lack of balance in the film, which lays the blame for marine ecosystem changes squarely at the feet of the fishing industry. Fishermen argue the film deliberately ignores a host of other significant factors, including the well-documented impacts of climate change, industrial and agricultural pollution, and the rapid expansion of offshore energy installations.

Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the SFF, stated that the film presents a "jaundiced and partial view" that fails to acknowledge the huge strides made by the industry in sustainability and conservation over the past two decades.

"To present commercial fishing as the sole cause of the ocean's problems is both disingenuous and fundamentally wrong," she commented. "Our members are on the water every day and are committed to a healthy marine environment. This film does a great disservice to the fishermen who work tirelessly to put food on our tables within a highly regulated and science-led framework."

A central point of contention is the film's depiction of bottom trawling. Industry leaders have branded the footage used as "misleading," arguing that it fails to differentiate between legal, regulated trawling and the illegal, unregulated fishing practices that the UK fleet has long campaigned against. They stress that modern trawling gear is designed to minimise seabed impact and that the fleet operates under strict spatial and temporal restrictions.

The NFFO has echoed these concerns, highlighting that the film's narrative conveniently overlooks the UK's position as a world leader in fisheries management. They argue that such "one-sided" campaigns risk severely damaging a vital domestic food production sector by misleading the public and pressuring retailers to boycott British-caught fish.

The unified message from the fishing industry is a call for a more balanced and evidence-based discussion, urging for an end to what they term "sensationalist" and "celebrity-led" campaigns that threaten the livelihoods of coastal communities across the nation.