A vast majority of scientifically assessed stocks in the United Kingdom are fished at rates well above levels for high long-term yield, according to a new government report.
Five years from the UK's Charting Progress report, the updated snapshot of the country's seas was released this week, citing productivity and biodiversity as the main pressures of fishing.
The report's findings suggested that "we'll have to make tough decisions to meet our needs for energy, raw materials and food," said UK Environment Minister Richard Benyon. "There is a very genuine feeling amongst the users of the sea, especially fishermen, that they are being squeezed."
The government stressed that the identification of target fishing mortality rates and indicators to monitor progress toward achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY) are still in development, while revisions to the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy and implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive is set to heighten the focus on fisheries management within a broader ecosystem framework.
Despite pressure on fish stocks, the report shows signs of slight improvement on sustainable fishing — out of 20 finfish stocks in UK waters, the proportion of stocks at full reproductive capacity and being harvested sustainably has increased from around 10 percent in the early 1990s to 25 percent in 2007. But the proportion of stocks with full reproductive capacity has changed little since 1990.
In 2007, the UK fishermen landed 611,000 metric tons of seafood in the UK and abroad, with an ex-vessel value of almost GBP 650 million. Of this, GBP 510 million was from the eight UK regions providing a GVA (gross value added, or the added value of outputs of goods and services from an activity compared to inputs) of GBP 204 million.
Shellfish and demersal fish species currently contribute around 40 percent each to the total market value of the catch, with pelagic species, such as mackerel and herring, making up the remaining 20 percent. Secondary activities also feed into overall revenue, with processing contributing GBP 385 million in GVA in 2007.
The UK fishing industry employed almost 13,000 people in 2007, while the processing sector employed more than 18,000 people in 2005, though some of this processing employment is derived from farmed seafood. The dependency on fishing jobs can be higher than 20 percent in some coastal communities, explained the report.
The North-East Atlantic mackerel stock is currently the most valuable finfish fishery in UK waters, operating mainly from Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, Wales and the Channel Islands, the most valuable fisheries are shellfish, including crabs, lobsters and cockles. The demersal fisheries in the North Sea, west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea have shifted away from offshore fishing for finfish species and toward inshore waters for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and other shellfish and mixed demersal species.
"This shift has resulted partly from long-term declines in many stocks and associated fishing restrictions, particularly those aimed at cod recovery, as well as the perceived economic opportunities in other fisheries," said the report.
Seven of the top 10 most profitable fleet segments operate in the North Sea and off Scotland's west coast. The total profit earned by the UK fleet was around GBP 95 million in 2006 (before interest payments and depreciation).
Profitability, added the report, has varied widely in the UK fishing industry during the 2000s because of a reduction in catch per unit effort, escalating fuel prices, an increase in quota trading and increases in ex-vessel prices following the introduction of buyers-and-sellers regulations in 2006.
