Seafood trade and Brexit — Seafish

Seafood trade and Brexit

Most of the seafood caught in UK waters is exported and most of that export goes to the EU. We publish research and data on seafood trade in the EU.

Seafood trade between the UK and EU

The UK’s overall seafood trade with the EU increased in 2019:

  • The value of seafood traded was £2,548m, up 7.7% from the previous year.
  • The volume of seafood traded was 604k tonnes, up 6% from the previous year.
  • The average price per kilo was £4.22/kg up 1.7% from the previous year.

Imports

Most of the seafood imported to the UK from the rest of the EU comes from, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

This is mostly made up of salmon, tuna and cod. Around 20% of the value of seafood imports is salmon from Sweden.

Exports

Most of the seafood exported from the UK to the EU goes to France, Spain and the Republic of Ireland.

Most of the value of exports comes from salmon, Nethrops (better known as langoustine) and scallops. Over 25% of the value of exports comes from salmon going to France. 

View the full 2019 UK/EU seafood trade report. 

Shellfish trade

We explored the implications of trading scallops, Nephrops, brown crab and blue mussels under World Trade Organisation (WTO) conditions. This has been highlighted as a potential trading situation under a no deal EU exit. 

Our guide includes links to further resources.

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