SEAFISH LAUNCHES 2026 FISHING FLEET SURVEY

Seafish launches 2026 Fishing Fleet Survey. Researchers from Seafish will visit ports and harbours across the UK between July and September as part of the annual Fishing Fleet Survey.

Each year researchers spend time with skippers and vessel owners to collect information on business performance, crew demographics and other pieces of insight into the current challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

Seafish, the public body that supports the UK’s seafood sectors, is the only organisation that collects a comprehensive set of financial data from across the UK fishing fleet in this way. The information gathered underpins the organisation’s Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet and Employment in the UK Fishing Fleet reports. These reports provide valuable evidence to help policymakers, industry bodies and stakeholders better understand the economic health of the fleet and inform future decision-making. Interviews typically take between 10 and 15 minutes and all information provided is treated in the strictest confidence.

Juan Carlos Paredes Esclapez, Economics Project Manager at Seafish, said:

“The Fishing Fleet Survey provides one of the most comprehensive pictures of the UK’s fishing industry, and every interview helps strengthen the evidence we can provide to support the sector.

“By taking just a few minutes to participate, skippers and vessel owners are helping us build a better understanding of the realities facing fishing businesses today. That evidence is invaluable in highlighting industry trends and ensuring the challenges and successes of the fleet are accurately represented.”

Every skipper and vessel owner who takes part in the survey and provides financial data at the end of the year is eligible to receive a free benchmark report comparing the performance of their business with similar vessels across the fleet. The benchmark report can help identify areas for improvement and can also support grant or loan applications.

The findings from last year’s Fishing Fleet Survey will be published later this summer in Seafish’s annual Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet report.

Researchers will visit Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales and skippers and vessel owners who would like to arrange an appointment in advance can do so by emailing fleet.survey@seafish.co.uk with the following information:

• Name
• Email address and/or telephone number
• Port of operation

A Seafish researcher will then get in touch to arrange an interview at a convenient time and location. For those who cannot attend an in-person interview, a phone or video call can be arranged. The Fishing Fleet Survey starts on July 13 and will run to September 11.

For more information on the survey, including harbour visit dates and locations, visit the Seafish website.

Image: ©Fish Focus