Nearly one-quarter of a £100 million pot of fishing industry support that was promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be spent on “cutting-edge” science and fisheries research.
Fisheries Minister George Eustice is today (September 11) announcing that £24m of the UK Seafood Fund cash will be used to boost innovation in the sector.
This major investment will benefit coastal communities up and down the UK.”
George Eustice, fisheries minister.
Additional funding will go towards infrastructure projects to benefit the supply chain, and support skills and training.
The PM pledged £100m to support the UK fishing industry after signing off the Brexit deal late last year but details have only just emerged.
Hailing the announcement as a show of Westminster’s “steadfast” support for the sector, Scotland Office Minister David Duguid said: “I know from extensive engagement with the Scottish seafood industry the £100m UK Seafood Fund has been eagerly anticipated.”
The Banff and Buchan Conservative MP added: “I welcome the news that the substantial first tranche of funding will boost innovation and all-important sustainability.
“We are determined all sectors – catching and processing – should be able to maximise the opportunities now before us.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Scottish seafood and aquaculture sectors to ensure this fresh funding drives the industry to new heights.”
According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), fishing businesses across the UK now have access to £24m of investment to develop technology, trial new gear and support world-class research to improve the productivity and long-term sustainability of the industry.
Defra said it would also help the industry to process more of the fish landed in the UK and create new job opportunities across the supply chain.
Cash will be invested in technology to “put the UK at the cutting edge of new safe and sustainable fishing methods”, the department added.
Mr Eustice said: “Over the last nine months, we have taken some important steps in the right direction for our fishing industry.
“We’ve taken our independent seat at the regional fisheries management organisations, we have agreed a quota exchange mechanism, and we have seen an uplift in quota for UK boats.
“Now, this major investment will benefit coastal communities up and down the UK.
“The first investment from our £100m Seafood Fund will boost science and innovation in the fishing industry and, coupled with our Fisheries Act, help us ensure that we have the most sustainable fleet in the world.”
Today will also see the launch of a new Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme aimed at “initial engagement with industry before inviting bids for project funding”.
Defra said the scheme would fund the gathering of new data to sustainably manage the UK’s fish stocks, research new types of fishing gear to boost sustainable fishing, increase confidence in fisheries science, and increase knowledge of the benefits and impacts of fish farming.
Three ‘pillars’ of funding
The £100m fund has been divided into three “pillars”, starting with science and innovation.
This share of the overall pot will in turn cover costs for the existing Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF), worth £10m and launched in July 2019 to improve the sustainability and productivity of the UK fisheries industry.
SIF projects under way include testing the viability of solar-powered recharging motors for the UK’s small-scale fleet and reducing single-use plastic by developing biodegradable packaging.
An infrastructure pillar of the UK Seafood Fund, to be announced later in the autumn, will invest in projects to strengthen the supply chain.
And a skills and training pillar aims to make sure the industry has the skills, capacity, and expertise it needs for profitable growth.
