Seafood landings by the UK fleet
The UK fishing fleet landed 716,000 tonnes¹ of fish and shellfish in 2024. The majority of landings were into UK ports, mainly Peterhead, Lerwick and Newlyn. Landings abroad took place mainly in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Ireland.
¹Figure includes landings abroad by the UK fleet
Volume of landings into the UK (live weight tonnes and % of total)
Top 5 species
1. Mackerel 126,026 tonnes (+13%)
2. Herring 64,523 tonnes (+38%)
3. Haddock
39,929 tonnes (+3%)
4. Scallops
37,934 tonnes (+12%)
5. Blue Whiting
36,036 tonnes (+31%)
²Excludes landings abroad
Did you know?
In 2024, the UK fleet caught over 716,000 tones of seafood - enough to feed a portion to 60% of the global population.
Value of landings into the UK (£m and % of total)
Top 5 species
1. Mackerel £176m (+30%)
2. Nephrops £101m (-8%)
3. King Scallops £63m (1%)
4. Cod £61m (14%)
5. Lobster £48m (-7%)
In 2024, average prices for pelagic species experienced a notable increase of 17%, driven by price increases of mackerel, herring and blue whiting. Mackerel prices have increased steadily since 2020, prompted by its increased global demand.
Did you know?
Demersal and Pelagic relates to the zone of the sea or ocean where fish
are
found.
Demersal fish live and feed near the bottom of seas and oceans known as the Demersal Zone.
Examples of Demersal
fish include cod, haddock, turbot and halibut.
Pelagic fish live and feed away from the bottom of seas and oceans known as the Pelagic
Zone. Pelagic fish contain more fish oil than demersal fish – sometimes up to 30%. Examples of pelagic fish
include mackerel, herring and tuna.
Performance of the UK fishing fleet
2024 was a welcome return to business as usual for the UK fishing fleet, with increases in fishing activity, income, and market prices.
Total
turnover
£1,189m
Operating
profit
£337m
Full-time
equivalent jobs
7,220
Active
vessels
3,785
Total fish and shellfish caught by UK
vessels:
716,295 tonnes £1,145m
Fishing activity returned to pre-pandemic levels for many fleet segments, but the size of the UK fishing fleet has continued to decrease. The fleet has been decreasing in size since 2019 at an average rate of 3% each year. In 2024, the size of the active fleet (excluding low-activity vessels) was 2,637.
Trends in fleet performance in 2024 were mixed, and varied substantially according to the costs and earnings structures of each fleet segment. Increased landings and/or fish prices drove performance for some fleets, and most fleets benefited from lower fuel costs. Challenges and uncertainty remain, and some fleet segments experienced declines in operating profit and GVA.
Fishing fleet* around the UK
The English fleet is larger in size and spends more days at sea on average but the Scottish fleet has double the catching capacity (vessel tonnage), lands more fish, and generates more fishing income.
UK vessels landed 26% value abroad
*UK vessels and operations in the UK and abroad
Did you know?
Many fisheries and aquaculture operations are adopting sustainable practices to ensure the long-term health of marine ecosystems. This includes measures like reducing bycatch, protecting habitats, and managing fish stocks responsibly.
Data notes and sources
Landings
Data Source: Marine Management Organisation.
Reference: MMO monthly landings statistics
Click here to view the dataFleet economic performance
Data source: Seafish
Reference: Seafish Fleet Enquiry Tool
Click here to view the dataNote that 2024 performance and landings data is provisional
Aquaculture production
Data Source: Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS)
Reference: Data supplied directly to Seafish
Trade (Imports and Exports)
Data Source: HMRC monthly data via Business Trade Statistics (BTS), processed by Seafish.
Reference: Seafish Trade and Tariff Tool
Click here to view the dataNote that 2024 trade data is provisional
Processing
Retail data
NielsenIQ ScanTrack data to 52 week ending 30/12/2024; Reference - Monthly Retail Report 52
week ending (w/e) data to 30.12.24; Click here to view the report; Click here to view the factsheets.
Foodservice data
Circana data to year end December 2024; Reference - 2024 Q4 NPD Data Sheet; Click here to view the report; Click here to view the factsheets.