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This report presents economic estimates at UK, home nation and fleet segment level for the UK fishing fleet. The estimates are calculated based on samples of fishing costs and earnings gathered by Seafish as part of the 2023 Annual Fleet Economic Survey.

Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are set in order to limit catches of fish to levels consistent with long term goals for fisheries management. They are set by management stock, that is fish from a given sea area and species or group of species. This analysis compares advised and agreed TACs for the North East Atlantic Stocks assessed by ICES and discussess reasons for differences

Primary Authority 3; Brexit; IUU Fishing; Fish Name Designations; Official Controls; Fish Trade; Code of Practice for Smoked Fish; Expert Group on Food Hygiene and Control of Food of Animal Origin; Freezing Treatment for Killing Viable Parasites; Brexit Priority Work Areas; Seafood Traceability; Work with FSS and Local Authorities; Shellfish Review; Regulatory Strategy; Shellfish Classification and Risk Assessments; Official Controls; Animal By Products Scottish Case Study Discussion; Regulating our Future; Acrylamide Regulation; Changes to Seafish’s Primary Authority; India and Veterinary Residues; Crystal Violet; End Use; Importers Forum; Superchilling; Markets Advisory Council; Tuna Treatment with Nitrate; US Marine Mammal Protection Act

This progress report presents the work carried out in the first two years of a three-year project on Haddock and Cod Immune System and Vaccine Development. The aim of this project is sto study the ontogeny of the immune system in Haddock and the use of this knowledge to develop a vaccine technology.

Seafish commissioned a study to assess the ethical issues impacting on seafood species landed into, and imported to the UK. This strategic report is one of the key outputs. This includes a discussion of the issues and challenges in applying ethical concepts, particularly those set out in international standards on human and labour rights, to the seafood industry; an overview of the main issues for risk assessment, by country and region, by forms of employment, and to some extent by species; and the remedies and responses, drawing on the recent experience from Thailand.

The study was managed by officials from DARD, ANIFPO including the owners of the vessels engaged in the study and AFBI who carried out scientific monitoring of the pilot fishery. With the introduction of the Irish Sea cod recovery programme and its associated temporary sea area closures, several Northern Irish fishing vessels were displaced. They were encouraged to find sustainable alternatives to complete their annual fishing plans. Amongst the fishing vessels affected were four small (under 12 metre) vessels, which had traditionally targeted cod using gill-nets. The closure effectively stopped this fishery. As a result the four vessels, like many of their larger colleagues diversified into the Nephrops fishery using trawls. However, with the increasing costs of fuel and other overheads, combined with reductions in the landed price for Nephrops, the owners of the four vessels, together with the ANIFPO, decided to investigate alternative fishing opportunities. Following internal discussion, and with DARD’s Sea Fisheries Division, an application for funding was submitted to allow sea trials in the “open Irish Sea”, to examine the practicalities of using pots/creels to catch Nephrops. While creels were used in Strangford Lough, and other similar Loughs around Scotland, the possibility of using creels in areas traditionally trawled had not been investigated.

Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held at Billingsgate market, London on Wednesday 5 November 2014.

The first aim of this project was to examine and gain a better understanding of the aggressive behaviour of the animals. Aggressive behaviour, causing injury or death, is thought to be a major obstacle in keeping animals in communal tanks. It was found that the Norway lobsters are able to build a dominance hierarchy, which reduces overall aggression in communal tanks. Moreover, it was found that pheromones are necessary for establishing dominance. Follow up studies will aim to gain a better understanding of the role of aggression in natural behaviour including territoriality,resource competition and mate choice. The second aim is to develop economic holding conditions for the animals. Holding animals in communal tanks is thought to be easier to manage - in terms of feeding and maintaining good water quality - than keeping them separately. Ongoing experiments comparing holding conditions indicate that there seems to be no difference in survival rate between individual and communal holding conditions. The third aim is to decide upon the best methods of collecting eggs and to hatch them. This will be researched in the next two years. Eggs will be collected by catching berried females. Holding conditions will be tested to maximize the hatching rate of the four larval stages in the lab. The results of the study will improve the understanding of the species which could help drive better stock management. In addition, it could support the fishing industry by providing sustainability and reducing the influence of natural barriers to fishing, such as weather conditions.

Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held at Friends House, London on Monday 29 June 2015.

A market research report on the seafood sector in South Korea.

A market research report on the seafood sector in China.

The Seafish Aquaculture Common Issues Group answers key questions about the shellfish and fin fish aquaculture industry.