Ongoing

Coastal fisheries cluster

Sarah Coulthard

Marine Social Scientist

Sarah Coulthard

Marine Social Scientist

Overview

Sustainable fisheries provide many benefits to society, which are recognised and valued by the British public. However, across the UK, our fishing fleet is in decline, with clear regional disparity and acute loss amongst small-scale (under 10m) boats which make up 75% of the fleet. In England, a third of the under 10m fleet is harboured in rural coastal areas already experiencing cumulative pressures and inequality. 

This project brings together multiple organisations and stakeholders working in, and for, sustainable fisheries in the UK. Our goal is to support and progress a collective understanding of the drivers of decline in the fleet, the social-ecological implications, and to identify what can feasibly be done to support fishing lives, with particular (albeit not exclusive) focus on the inshore and small-scale sector.  

Image 3 Fishermen In Cromer Landing Crabs

Partners

Outcomes

August-December 2024. Evidencing the societal contribution of inshore fisheries. Funded by the AIFCA and Natural England. 

August-December 2024. Measuring Balance and the societal contribution to coastal wellbeing as delivered by IFCAs (Isles of Scilly case study). Funded by the AIFCA and Natural England.  

Jun 2023-Dec 2024. Strengthening capacity for inshore fisheries co-management: IFCA Stories. Funded by AIFCA.  

October 2024. Securing sustainable inshore and small-scale fisheries in the UK: Two regional workshops. Funded by the Esmée Fairburn Foundation and Newcastle University QR Policy Fund.   

September 2024. National photography exhibition: Pride in our seas - England, launched at the 2024 International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) conference in Gateshead.  

January-May 2023. Fisher-led perspectives on crab and lobster management in Northumberland: a regional contribution to the crab and lobster Fisheries Management Plan consultation. Funded by NIFCA and Blue Marine Foundation. 

July-Sept 2022. Social and economic impact assessment of the proposed Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) for Lindisfarne, Holy Island. Funded by Newcastle University QR Policy Fund.

Next steps

A series of fisher-led dissemination activities including a regional rollout of engagement events in coastal regions throughout 2025 (pending funding), high-level policy events, and a series of policy briefs supported by news articles and peer reviewed co-authored publications. 

Conclusions and recommendations

Sustainable fisheries deliver multiple benefits to both coastal regions and the general public, through jobs and regional economic growth, protein-rich food security, community identity and cultural continuity, and enhanced public wellbeing.  

The decline of the fishing fleet across the UK undermines the continuing delivery of those benefits to society. 

The steeper decline in the under 10m fleet, coupled with the fact that small vessel size limits the capacity to fish further afield in response to changing stocks, displacement and bad weather, suggests that our inshore and small-scale fishing families are bearing a disproportionate burden of the challenges faced across the fleet. Furthermore, in 2023, 30% of the under 10m English fleet landed the majority of their catch into rural ports compared to 13% of over 10m vessels. This indicates that the decline in the under 10m fleet may hit rural areas harder, intensifying coastal and rural disparity.  

Safeguarding a sustainable fleet that is diverse, rich in societal benefit, publicly accessible and widely distributed across our coastline, urgently requires explicit action that is tailored towards the needs of our inshore fisheries and those who depend upon them. 

Pride in the Seas II – England

This national photography exhibition invites you to reflect on our commercial fishing industry, the many contributions our fishing families make to society and the quality of life that fishermen* are able to achieve, or are sometimes being denied, as they navigate the many challenges now facing the sector. Featuring fishermen and others who work in the pursuit of sustainable fisheries, from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Plymouth, this exhibition captures the faces of fishing through visual case studies. 

Originally launched in early 2024 by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) in partnership with renowned photographer Ian Georgeson, this powerful showcase now expands its reach to the English coast, thanks to funding from Newcastle University.

View all 22 portraits that feature in the exhibition and see a snapshot below - click on the photos to read their stories.

*We use the term ‘fishermen’ in recognition that the women who commercially fish and participated in this work preferred the term fishermen over a gender-neutral term such as fishers.

Resources

Updates on this work in Fishing News

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