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Evaluation of Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs)

Introduction

The Inshore Fishing industry in Scotland

The Marine Directorate conducted an evaluation in 2024 to explore the economic, social and broader fisheries management impacts of the network of RIFGs. The evaluation has come at a pivotal time for inshore fisheries management with EU Exit and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and an upsurge of questions regarding the impact of climate change on the fishing industry. The evaluation therefore sought to understand if RIFGs were still a suitable vehicle for stakeholder engagement in inshore management within this changed context.

The evaluation was conducted in house by a small team of analysts including researchers and economists from the Marine Analytical Unit (MAU) in the Marine Directorate. The review was carried out using an online survey, online and face to face interviews with a range of stakeholders, and a brief review of documents. More detail is available in section 4 of this report.

Scotland’s inshore waters extend from the coast out to 12 nautical miles (NM), with a concentration of fishing taking place within 6 NM. Fishing operations have changed over the centuries with developments in boat design and gear technology. The species caught has also changed, as well as there being a decrease in the number of people employed. However, there remains an active fishing industry, the majority of which operate solely in inshore waters.

The number of active Scottish fishing vessels was 2,006 in 2023. The Scottish fleet is dominated by vessels that are 10 metres and under in length with a total of 1,530 vessels falling into this category in 2023, accounting for 76 per cent of the Scottish fleet. These smaller vessels make up the vast majority of the inshore fleet; 1,110 are recorded as landing fish in 2023. These vessels typically contain one or two crew members and fish daily from a single port and do not tend to fish nomadically or seasonally to the same extent as offshore demersal or pelagic vessels.

Inshore fishing is mostly conducted by one of two methods:

• static gear fishing which is primarily for crabs, lobster and Nephrops by placing baited pots or creels on the sea bed. Other static gear includes gill nets and lining, which are not as common;
• mobile gear fishing involving the towing of gear behind a vessel, such as nets for Nephrops or dredges for scallops.

Other inshore fishing methods include hand diving for species such as scallops.

Creel vessels make up the majority of the inshore fleet. In 2023, 790 (71%) of the 10 metre and under vessels which were recorded as landing fish were using creels. There were 138 pelagic vessels, and the remaining vessels were split equally between Nephrop trawl, demersal, and other fishing methods. The 10 metre and under fleet is distributed around the Scottish coast and islands, with 32% in Orkney, Shetland and Stornoway, 38% in the East Coast and 28% in the West Coast.

Shellfish is the main target species for the inshore fleet. These are fished by the creel and Nephrops trawl fleet. In 2023, 10 metre and under Scottish vessels landed £61 million worth of fish and shellfish, accounting for 9% of the value of fish and shellfish landed by all Scottish vessels. The majority of landings by the 10 metre and under fleet was shellfish which was worth £50 million in 2023, accounting for 30% of all shellfish landed.

Fishing continues to play an important role in the local labour market as well as the heritage of many coastal towns around Scotland. In 2023, there were estimated to be 3,793 fishers working on Scottish vessels, 1,510 on the 10 metre and under fleet; and of that, around 1,031 estimated to be working on creel vessels. The total number of fishers represents 0.14% of the total Scottish labour force, however this is up to 3.2% in Shetland, 2.2% in Na h-Eileanan Siar, 1.5% in Orkney, and 1% in Argyll and Bute. The fishing sector accounts for 6% of employment in the marine economy. More fishing data is available in Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2023.

Using Seafish data and fleet segments, the Scottish under 10 metre fleet had an average fishing income of £56,000 and an average operating profit of £14,000 in 2023. The average GVA of the under 10 metre fleet was £33,000.

Regulatory and policy context

Through devolution, Scottish Ministers are responsible for the regulation of sea fishing around Scotland and within 12 NM of Scotland's coast. In addition, the UK has exclusive rights to fish within 6 NM of its coastline. Fishing by non-UK vessels between 6 and 12 NM is restricted to countries with historic rights relating to specific fisheries.

Planning measures related to inshore fisheries are in Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) 2015. The NMP includes the following policy: ‘Inshore Fisheries Groups (IFGs) should work with all local stakeholders with an interest to agree joint fisheries management measures. These measures should inform and reflect the objectives of regional marine plans.’ The NMP also includes a vision for Marine Planning Partnerships (MPPs) to work with IFGs and Local Authorities towards ‘a more regional model of marine management’.

The National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) is under development and a draft version will be subject to public consultation.

The environmental, economic, and social outcomes within the Future Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 (FFM) apply to the inshore sector. In addition, the FFM position on inshore fisheries groups is:

‘[Considering the role that sectoral groups play] will also see us strengthening the role of the Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs) so that they are recognised as the main delivery vehicle for local management, and have the right resources in place to deliver improvements and tackle local issues such as gear conflict and fishing effort.’

Within the context of planning and strategy, there are many current policies that are directly or indirectly impacting the operations and future planning of inshore fishers. For example, minimum landing sizes for crab and lobster, trawl net sizing regulations, plans for more monitoring technology placed on inshore vessels, and inshore Marine Protected Areas.

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