Seafish aims to secure a sustainable and profitable future for the UK seafood industry. It works on issues like responsible sourcing, fishermen's safety, international trade, and more. Seafish provides guidance on responsible fishing and works with fishermen and organizations on tasks like mapping marine features, collaborating on management, and establishing industry measures to influence decisions and secure support.

1. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Responsible Sourcing and
Inshore Fisheries
Mark Gray
Responsible Sourcing Work Programme Leader

2. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Seafish’s new strategic direction
Purpose: Securing a sustainable and profitable future for the UK
seafood industry
Vision: The authority on seafood
High Level Objectives: Protect, Promote, Inform
New Sector Panels: Domestic and Exporters
Importers and Processors
Consumer and Supply Chain

3. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Seafish Workstreams
Consumption Promoting the consumption of seafood in the UK
Regulation Providing guidance and support for the industry
Fishermen’s safety Making sure fishermen are up to date on safety
training
Responsible sourcing Ensuring information is available on best practice
International trade Providing export and import companies with
the right data
Information Coordinating and responding to industry enquiries
Reputation Increasing awareness of industry standards &
operations
Regional support Giving specific support to UK regions

4. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Responsible sourcing
What are the issues?
• Pressure on buyers to source seafood responsibly
• Dealing with data deficient fisheries
• Lack of information and assessment of mixed fisheries
What are we doing to address them?
• Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood
• Tailored information and guidance
• Outreach (Common Language Group, Discard Action Group,
Aquaculture Common Issues Group)

5. Responsible
Sourcing Guides
• Why are they needed?
• What information do
they provide?
• Who uses them?
• Are they successful?
• What species do they
cover?
• What does Seafish plan
to do with them?

6. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Responsible Fishing
Scheme
• Why was it established?
• How does it benefit
fishermen and the rest
of the supply chain?
• How successful has it
been in terms of
– Membership?
– Recognition?
– Meeting the demands
of responsible
sourcing?
– Dealing with
transgressions?

7. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Responsible Fishing
Underpins responsible sourcing & features heavily in our work, for
example under:
• Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood
• Responsible Fishing Scheme
• Gear technology
• Media work
There are wider benefits associated with responsible fishing, such as:
• Securing markets
• Reducing regulatory burden
• Securing access to MPAs
• Influencing fisheries management
• Helping to maintain a healthy and productive sea

8. Responsible Fishing
within MPAs
• Determining fishing /
MPA feature interaction
• Assessing damage and /
or disturbance caused
by fishing
• Modification of fishing
gear
• Other mitigation
measures

9. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Defra Generic Matrix
Fishing gear type
Generic sub-
features
Subtidal
sand
(high
energy)
Subtidal
gravel
and sand
Subtidal
muddy
sand
Seagras
s (SACs)
Maerl
Intertidal
and
subtidal
chalk
reef
Subtidal
bedrock
reef
Subtidal
boulder
and
cobble
reef
Sabellaria
spp reef
Subtidal
mussel
bed on
rock
Kelp
forest
commu
nities
Towed (demersal) Beam trawl
(whitefish)
Beam trawl
(shrimp)
Light otter trawl
Dredges (towed) Scallops
Mussels,
clams, oysters
Pump scoop
(cockles,
clams)
Static - pots/traps Pots/creels
(crustacea/gast
ropods)
Cuttle pots
Red Fishing will be prohibited
Amber Fishing will be subject to AA
Green No restrictions on current effort
Blue Fishing does not occur

10. Sites with ‘red’ fishery/feature interaction

11. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Fishermen mapping marine features
• Improve the accuracy
of feature distribution
and boundaries
• Up to date information
on mobile features
• Utilise fishermen’s
knowledge/ability
• feature location
• environmental
conditions
• boat skills

12. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Fishermen collaborating with the IFCAs
& Natural England

13. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Selsey Fishermen’s seabed survey work

15. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Participating in Fisheries Governance
What are the benefits of engaging in management &
establishing industry measures?
• Utilising evidence & data provided by industry
• Influencing management decisions
• Collaborating on research
• Saving time and money
• Agreeing workable solutions
• Creating trust
• Securing support and compliance
Some examples…

16. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
Welsh Fishermen’s Association
Welsh Waters Scallop Strategy
• Fishing intensity experiment
• Stock assessment
• Gear improvement
• Gear conflict resolution
An ecosystem-based approach
for MCZ management in Wales

19. supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable futuresupporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future
The importance of industry engagement in
MPA designation and management
Level of
engagement
from
fishermen
Cost
Reliance on
the
precautionary
principle
Influence on
management
Risk of
fishing
closures
inside
MPAs
Inactive Zero High Low High
Reactive Low Medium Medium Medium
Proactive Medium Low High Low