The state of UK fisheries

Callum Roberts, University of York

0

200000

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800000

1000000

1200000

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1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Total fish and shellfish landed into the UK (tonnes)

Thurstan and Roberts, unpublished data

Landin

gs p

er

unit o

f fishin

g p

ow

er

(tonnes p

er

year)

Productivity of bottom trawl fishing

Thurstan et al. (2013) Fish and Fisheries DOI: 10.1111/faf.12034

Down by 25x

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10000

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1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

All species

Demersal fish

Prawns & scallops

Irish Sea fishery landings (tonnes)

Data source: ICES

1836

“The bays of this island certainly abound with a greater variety of the

most choice kinds of fish than any one place I know...”

A journal kept in the Isle of Man: giving an account of the wind etc.,

Volume 1. by Richard Townley, 1791

Bluefin Tuna, Nova Scotia, ca 1920“The middle of [Carlingford] Loch is

deep...and the bottom occupied by

an immense bed of oysters, of which

vast quantities are taken to Dublin

and other towns.” 1836

“Turbot are so abundant in Dundrum Bay, that they are

speared close to the dry strand.”

Capt. Daniels, 1836

“There used formerly to

be a very considerable

fishery in cod and

haddock, and

occasionally in herrings;

but since the trawl

fishing has been so

generally used, there is

literally no such thing to

be got as fish here.”

Evidence of Mr George

Sotheron, Bray, Ireland,

1836

1800 1900 20001850 1950

Hook & line & nets;

abundant big fish

Spread of sail trawlers;

big fish decline, others

increase

Post-war fleet

expansion and

technological advance

WWI

WWIISpread of steam

Trawlers; evidence of

overfishing grows

Spread of prawn trawling

and scallop dredging

Reduced fishing in the wars

leads to some recovery

Abundance o

f bott

om

fis

h

?

Two centuries of change

Transition 1: 1830-1860 - Sail trawlers reduce abundance and

variety of big fish and push out longliners and netters

Sail trawling is highly productive

but reduces abundance of fish

1800 1900 20001850 1950

Hook & line & nets;

abundant big fish

Spread of sail trawlers;

big fish decline, others

increase

Post-war fleet

expansion and

technological advance

WWI

WWIISpread of steam

Trawlers; evidence of

overfishing grows

Spread of prawn trawling

and scallop dredging

Reduced fishing in the wars

leads to some recovery

Abundance o

f bott

om

fis

h

?

Two centuries of change

Transition 2: The industrialization of

fishing 1880s – trawlers gain steam

power

Landings of fish soar while abundance declines and seabed

habitat is transformed; technological advances continue

through the 20th century driving down fish abundance further

1800 1900 20001850 1950

Hook & line & nets;

abundant big fish

Spread of sail trawlers;

big fish decline, others

increase

Post-war fleet

expansion and

technological advance

WWI

WWIISpread of steam

Trawlers; evidence of

overfishing grows

Spread of prawn trawling

and scallop dredging

Reduced fishing in the wars

leads to some recovery

Abundance o

f bott

om

fis

h

?

Two centuries of change

Photo: Johnny Woodlock

Transition 3: 1990-present

Prawn trawlers and scallop

dredgers reduce bottom fish,

degrade habitat and push out

bottom-fish trawlers

1800 1900 20001850 1950

Rela

tive p

rofita

bili

ty o

f fishin

g m

eth

od

Why one gear replaces another as fish abundance falls

Hook &

line & nets

Sail

trawling

Steam

trawlingDiesel/otter

trawling

Prawn

trawling &

scallop

dredging

Irish Sea fishery landings (tonnes)

Data source: ICES

Winners

Data source: International Bottom Trawl Survey

Fis

h c

au

gh

t p

er

ho

ur

of tr

aw

ling

Losers

Data source: International Bottom Trawl Survey

Fis

h c

au

gh

t p

er

ho

ur

of tr

aw

ling

Cod, Brill, Dab, Lemon sole, Plaice, Common sole,

Whiting, Hake, Conger eel, Haddock (all fish larger

than specified minimum landing size)

Fis

h c

au

gh

t p

er

ho

ur

of tr

aw

ling

Cod, Brill, Lemon sole, Plaice, Common sole, Whiting,

Hake, Conger eel, Haddock (all fish larger than

specified minimum landing size)

Fis

h c

au

gh

t p

er

ho

ur

of tr

aw

ling

Is it all this bad?

With thanks to my co-authors:

Tania Woodcock1, Emily Williams1, Julie

Hawkins1, Georg Engelhardt2, Stephen Simpson3

and Bryce Stewart1

1University of York, UK2CEFAS, Lowestoft, UK3University of Exeter, UK