Sustaining small-scale fisheries
Inshore fisheries are a lifeline for coastal communities.
- By Sarah Coulthard on behalf of the Inshore and Small-Scale Fisheries consortium (ISSF).
“The UK fishing industry is often heralded as a national asset and the lifeblood of coastal communities. Evidence continues to build about the value of fisheries to coastal regions, along with recognition of their importance to national food security. A recent study in Cornwall, which showed that for every fisherman at sea there are 15 more shore-based jobs, is one great example of the interconnectedness between fishing and thriving coastal towns. We also have greater understanding of the high regard in which our fishing industry is held by the British public. A high-street survey conducted with 510 members of the public in fishing towns in England found: 83 per cent agreed they’d be ‘very concerned if the fishing fleet no longer existed in their area’; 99 per cent agreed that ‘local fishing is important to cultural heritage and identity of the area’; and 84 per cent felt that ‘more should be done by government to protect the fishing industry in their area’.”
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