The report includes detailed data about the size and composition of the UK fishing fleet, the number of fishermen and UK fishing activity during 2010. The statistics also include new coverage of fishing effort in the Cod Recovery Zone and Western Waters.
The report will inform and complement government policy and, in conjunction with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) help inform changes to the Common Fisheries Policy.
Overall, the statistics reveal that there were 16 per cent fewer vessels in the UK fleet than in 2001, with fishermen numbers falling by around 2,300. The number of days spent at sea by over 10 metre vessels have fallen by 37 per cent over the same period.
The statistics are being released in advance of the compendium publication UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2010 in late September in a drive to provide data to the public as soon as they are available. A further report on UK catches and landings will be issued in late August.
In 2010:
- The UK fishing fleet remained the sixth largest in the EU in terms of vessel numbers, with the second largest capacity and fourth largest power. 6,477 fishing vessels were registered with a total capacity of 207,000 GT and total power of 827,000 kW.
- 22 per cent of the UK fleet was made up of vessels over 10 metres in length. In Scotland almost a third of vessels were over 10 metres.
- Around 12,700 fishermen were reported as active in the UK. Of these, 2,500 were part-time.
- 268 accidents involving fishing vessels occurred, an increase of 13 per cent on 2009. The number of injuries dropped to 45 from 75 in 2009, with five recorded fatalities.
- Fishing effort with regulated whitefish trawls has fallen by 56 per cent since the implementation of the Cod Recovery Zone in 2003. Effort in the Sole Recovery Zone with regulated beam trawls has fallen by 31 per cent since its creation in 2004.
- Effort on fishing trips targeting scallops in ICES sub-area VII has increased by 47 per cent since 2001, while effort on similar trips in ICES sub-areas V and VI has dropped by half.
