The annual report UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2022 is available from the Marine Management Organization, a UK government body, with data on performance measures of the fleet, landings, and trade.
UK fishing fleet size in 2022 included 5,541 registered vessels, a one-seventh decline during the preceding decade. During that time, smaller craft were replaced by larger vessels and fleetwide Gross Register Tonnage held steady at 203,000 tonnes. One-fifth of the fleet are vessels over 10m in length, and nearly half are of Scottish registry. Employment on UK fishing vessels totaled 10,000 workers, down by 2,100 from ten years earlier.
Domestic landings by UK-flag vessels in 2022 reached 640,000 tonnes, valued at EUR 1.22 billion. From a year earlier, this volume was down by 2% and its value was up by 13%. Landings by foreign-flag vessels in 2022 topped 19,000 tonnes, down by 4% from 2021, while landings abroad by UK-flag vessels totaled 245,000 tonnes, down by 5% from 2021.
UK fishing effort (kW days at sea) in the >10m fleet decreased by 3% from 2021 to 2022, and a huge 40% during 2004-2022, particularly among demersal trawls and seines.
In trade, the UK remains a net fish importer, but the gap in 2022 between imports (647,000 tonnes) and exports (330,000 tonnes) widened further from 2021, as the decline in export volume exceeded the decline in import volume.
The full report is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6512f96df6746b0012a4ba77/UK_Sea_Fisheries_Statistics_2022_.pdf