LAUNCH OF APPG FISHERIES ACTION

Launch of APPG Fisheries Action Plan calls for Government to set out a long-term sector strategy. Launching its Action Plan for a Thriving and Sustainable UK Fishing Industry at the historic Fishmongers’ Hall on the evening of 9 September, the APPG on Fisheries called on Government to treat fishing and seafood as part of the UK’s critical national infrastructure.

The cross-party Group urged ministers to set out a coherent, long-term strategy for the sector in the next twelve months, recognising its strategic value as a food-producing industry vital to national food security.

The Group argues that a resilient seafood system – spanning domestic catching, processing and trade – is vital to the UK’s food security, and that a healthy domestic fishing industry is a strategic asset within that system. In 2024, UK vessels landed 745,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish, while the UK imported more than 1.1 million tonnes of seafood. While much of the domestic catch is exported and many imports reflect UK consumer preferences, this gap points to a reliance on global supply chains that recent geopolitical events have shown can no longer be taken for granted. The Government itself has acknowledged that, while the UK is currently food secure, the conditions underpinning that security are shifting. Preserving the capacity to feed the nation from its own waters, says the APPG, offers strategic insurance against future shocks.

Speaking ahead of the launch, former Fisheries Minister and independent Parliamentary Chair, Daniel Zeichner MP said,:

“For an island nation, we are strikingly blind to the value of our own seas. We have a vital domestic sector that helps feed the country, sustains coastal communities and is, in every meaningful sense, part of our critical national infrastructure. Yet we continue to look past it. This Action Plan sets out a clear framework to address this. What the sector now needs is a coherent, long-term strategy, and this Plan offers Government an actionable basis to deliver it.”

As part of the evidence gathering process underpinning the Action Plan, the APPG heard from people around the UK’s coasts and across all four nations about the potential of fishing and seafood, and the cumulative challenges facing the industry – from rising costs to access to space at sea, changing environments, workforce issues, and reputational pressures – described by industry during the inquiry as a “perfect storm” and “death by a thousand cuts”. The Parliamentary Group also heard of fragmented governance, a legislative framework that is failing to deliver – or is out of step with the operational reality of fisheries and the business of fishing – alongside a consistent call for meaningful support from Government.

In response, the Action Plan sets out 38 recommendations spanning areas including food security assessments and food-system planning; recognition of fishing’s wider national value; improved understanding and engagement; sustainability, climate-smart management; fleets, infrastructure and technology; workforce and labour; supply chains and domestic consumption; science and knowledge; and funding and investment.

Alongside a recognition of fishing’s strategic value and the need for appropriate support from Government, the Action Plan’s headline asks include calls to:

Strengthen accountability for fisheries and the wider marine environment through a dedicated Minister for the Marine with a cross-departmental mandate.

Recognise the acute and cumulative cost pressures facing the sector – in particular energy and fuel costs affecting both catching and processing – and ensure fishing and seafood can access the same energy-cost support available to other sectors.

APPG Co-Chairs, Alistair Carmichael MP and Melanie Onn MP said in a joint statement:

“Through our inquiry, our wider work on the APPG and in our own constituencies we see first-hand the true value of UK fishing and seafood, alongside the challenges facing the industry. UK fishing can deliver good jobs, resilient coastal and island communities, thriving local economies, improved food security, better health outcomes, and healthy marine ecosystems. But to do this it needs support and a clear commitment from Government to deliver the long-term strategy the sector needs.”

Development of the Action Plan was supported by a Review Board drawn from a representative cross-section of industry stakeholders from across each of the UK’s four nations. The process was further strengthened by the input of the APPG’s Expert Panel, which brings together representatives from industry, academia, management, environmental and welfare organisations.

Mike Cohen, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) said:

“We’ve long called for a national fishing strategy, and have fully supported the APPG’s work to develop an Action Plan in its absence. This is a great industry with huge potential, but unless that potential is fully recognised and supported with a Government-led strategy in line with other sectors of the economy, we will continue to be pushed from one challenge to the next. The Government must recognise fishing as a valuable food- and job-producing sector of the economy, rather than an environmental management problem, or an impediment to offshore construction. We stand ready to work with them to achieve this.”

Dr Lynn Gilmore, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation (NIFPO) said:

“Our boats continue to go to sea from ports across Northern Ireland, providing employment in our communities and putting food on tables here and around the world. But they face an uphill battle against a regulatory and legislative framework that makes their livelihoods unnecessarily difficult. While the UK’s diverse fleets face different challenges, including our own, many share the same root cause – the value of fishing is not recognised or supported. This Action Plan shows that, despite our diversity, it is possible to set out a framework that can support fishing right around the UK.”

Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) said:

“We have long engaged with the work of the APPG and were glad to be involved in this process. While it is certainly not easy to set out a strategy that can cover the complexity of UK fisheries and navigate the realities of a devolved fisheries landscape, we firmly support the core tenet that fishing should be part of Scotland and the UK’s critical national infrastructure. SFF’s regular polling shows that the Scottish public values our fishing industry, and we need our governments to value it too. This Action Plan could help set us on a course for a successful and sustainable future.”

The APPG’s development of the Action Plan was supported by a grant from the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, which also supports the APPG’s Secretariat services. The Secretariat is provided by Mindfully Wired, a Bristol-based specialist marine and environmental communications consultancy.

Eleanor Adamson, Head of Fisheries, The Fishmongers’ Company said,:

“The Fishmongers’ Company and its Fisheries Charitable Trust are proud to have supported this cross-sector, cross-party inquiry, and thank the many experts whose insights helped shape it. The UK’s fishing and seafood sector sustains communities around our coasts and plays an important role in our food security, yet rarely gets the strategic attention it deserves. We hope this Action Plan – which brings together voices from across the industry and all four nations – informs a constructive conversation about a prosperous future for the benefit of those working in the sector, the environment and our island nation.”

You can read the full report at: www.fisheriesappg.org/action-plan-report

Image credit: Phil Haslam