Seafish Chair responds to industry questions

Earlier this year, the Seafish board put forward its proposal for modernising its levy regime, and the proposal included some adjustments and increases to levy rates and scope. The view expressed by many of our stakeholders was that such increases were unpalatable, given the commercial pressures experienced throughout the sector, and so the decision was made not to take the proposal forward. The message to Seafish, from our government sponsors and stakeholders alike, was “to cut our coat to suit our cloth”. The message, from governments in particular, was also to focus on activities that would deliver the greatest economic growth and value to the sector. The board readily accepted those messages and set about acting without delay.

Since the financial year 2024/25, Seafish has moved into deficit. This was in response to the many and varied requests for support from the industry, all of which we were keen to respond to if possible, and was enabled by the size of the surplus carried over from previous years. It was possible to run a deficit budget while the cash reserves permitted, but not indefinitely. The board’s first duty is to steward its finances so that it never runs out of money. Without action, the risk of running out of money would have quickly become serious.

The board took the view, supported by its various soundings from stakeholders, that it could deliver best value by focusing on a smaller number of activities and doing them really well, rather than trying to shave costs from the whole menu of its already lean operations. The board decided to concentrate on three main themes:

• Trade facilitation
• Safety and skills
• A future-ready industry 

These three core areas would be supported by three key services:

• Data, analysis and insight
• An engagement team close to industry
• A lean corporate services team

The board concluded that there was no time to waste in adapting its 2023-28 Corporate Plan to meet this new reality, and instructed the Executive Team to identify the priorities that would deliver best value. It was clear that this would mean that something would have to give.

So why has the board selected its Fisheries Management Programme to pull away from, since that work could fit well under the theme of “future-ready industry”?

It is worth stating up front that the services delivered by the Seafish Fisheries Management Team, working alongside many industry colleagues, has been of very high quality, and is rightly valued by stakeholders, and it is with considerable regret that the board has made the decision to pull away. There are a number of reasons which led to this decision:

1. The Seafish team’s work was largely funded by DEFRA and/or Scottish Government. Feedback from those governments indicated that continuing funding into 2026/27 could by no means be relied upon. An end to that funding would make it impossible for Seafish to continue that work beyond the current financial year.
2. Feedback from governments also indicated that their emphasis was likely to move from designing Fisheries Management Plans to implementing those already designed. Neither governments nor Seafish saw a role for it in implementing or enforcing those plans.
3. Seafish has not been the only organisation delivering Fisheries Management Plans. Other plans have been delivered by commercial organisations or by other public bodies. It does not seem to be the best use of levy-payer funds to co-fund the team’s work to compete with other providers, especially when those providers may be wholly funded by government.
4. Seafish took soundings from a range of stakeholders. Views expressed were not unanimous, but there was significant agreement that we had identified the right three themes to follow, and the right selection of priorities.

In summary, the future of the Seafish Fisheries Management Team was uncertain, thanks both to external factors and to Seafish’s own financial pressures, and this is why the board took the difficult decision to pull away. I should emphasise that Seafish is committed to completing all existing contracts, and so the work continues to the end of March 2026.

While our main Fisheries Management Programme service will close, we will retain some fisheries management expertise within Seafish. The scope of this will be determined via consultation with colleagues in the industry, but what it will mean is that Seafish will still be contributing through its data and insight team, along with our regional engagement and communications teams.

By making these difficult choices, and by implementing them without undue delay, the board has secured a sound financial footing for the organisation for around the next five years. This is the first duty of any board of a public body. It is also important to note that the board felt it was very important to be swift in bringing an end to any uncertainty felt by our colleagues at Seafish regarding their future, even if the news was to be unwelcome.

The board has now requested the Executive Team to consider what can be done to ensure the smoothest possible transition to these new circumstances, with the objective of enabling talented people to carry on contributing, making sure that value already created is not lost, and supporting those who take on the commitment to continue the necessary work for as long as is necessary.