7th Report – Resetting the relationship with fishing communities

Key findings

• The government has not clearly explained why £360 million over 12 years is the right funding level or duration for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, despite the timeframe aligning with UK-EU reciprocal access arrangements.
• Devolved allocations using the Barnett formula are misaligned with the actual distribution of the fishing industry—Scotland has 40% of the UK fleet but receives only 8% of the Fund (£28m vs England's £304m).
• First-year funding for England (£22.6m) is modest and not front-loaded; stakeholders call for multi-year funding packages to enable sustained project planning across the 12-year period.
• Consultation on the Fund has excluded significant stakeholders including Brixham (England's largest fishing port) and Cornwall's fishing communities; engagement must be expanded and continuous from year two onward.
• Poor communication on regulatory changes (UK-EU technical measures with June 2026 implementation) left industry and even the MMO uncertain about deadlines and obligations; the MMO ceased routine publication of enforcement data, eroding regulatory transparency and trust.

Recommendations

• The government should provide analysis supporting the £360 million funding level, 12-year duration, and spending profile, plus rationale for a new scheme versus building on existing ones; define measurable long-term outcomes for growth, resilience, and competitiveness.
• Priority should be given to active fishing community-driven projects throughout the Fund's 12 years, embedded in any expanded delivery model with clear, measurable criteria; year-two priorities should include fleet modernisation reducing carbon emissions and place-based fishing advisory services.
• The government should set out year-by-year allocations for England over the next four years and clarify how funding will flow to devolved administrations (annual, front-loaded, or single payment).
• Industry engagement should continue consistently from year two onward, expanded to include additional fisheries groups and Cornwall representatives; government should specify whether a single new delivery system or two-tier model will be used and proportion allocated to each priority area.
• The UK Government should work collaboratively with devolved administrations on Fund design and allocation for year two to ensure consistency and fairness across the sector; Seafish should support a coherent UK-wide approach.
• Defra officials working on fisheries policy, funding schemes, and regulatory design should undertake regular, in-person engagement at ports with active fishing vessels, mirroring the department's civil service placement programme on farms.
• Defra should establish a UK-wide network of Regional Fisheries Management Forums (fishers, marine scientists, environmental organisations) meeting at least three times yearly with published minutes; forums should review draft technical measures and policies, with Defra required to respond formally to written recommendations.
• Defra should provide a clear written account of engagement with the fishing industry after the December 2025 UK-EU fisheries consultations, including dates, stakeholders, communication of new technical measures, implementation timelines, and flexibility on the June 1, 2026 deadline.
• The MMO must include inspection rates and enforcement outcomes in annual reports beginning with 2025–26 and retrospectively publish data for the previous three years to enable trend assessment and scrutiny.
• The government should urgently develop a comprehensive UK-wide Sea Use Framework collaboratively, placing fishing and coastal communities at its heart with strong cross-government leadership, to manage competing marine demands (offshore wind, marine protection, fishing) fairly.

Key actors

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Marine Management Organisation (MMO), National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO), The Crown Estate, Seafish, Dame Angela Eagle (Fisheries Minister), Steve Reed (former Defra Secretary)