£360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund - Call for evidence
We are unable to provide our own response here, as DEFRA state that all responses “should not have been published anywhere already. This includes blogs, newspaper articles, websites and journals, for example.”
As such, we shall only publish our response here once the call for evidence has closed. Below, we list the questions being asked within this call for evidence, along with a link to provide any evidence.
Many see this fund as a foregone conclusion, with incredible lobbying effort from the commercial catch sector to keep it all to themselves and away from any ‘scientific’ or other work, e.g. within recreational fisheries.
We must protest this, and provide the evidence that clearly shows that coastal communities rely more on tourism and recreational uses of the marine environment than commercial fishing practices that export 70% of their catch.
The call for evidence questions:
1. What should be the key priorities for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to ensure it delivers meaningful impact across both the fishing industry and communities?
2. How should the Fund be structured and delivered to reflect the diversity and needs of fishing communities across the UK, including inshore fleets and more isolated areas?
3. What role should the devolved administrations play in the design and delivery of the Fund?Restricted: For Committee use only
4. What lessons can be learned from previous funding schemes, such as the UK Seafood Fund, to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of the new Fund? How can the new Fund work to complement and not duplicate currently available schemes?
5. What additional measures, beyond the Fund, are needed to support the long-term viability and resilience of fishing communities?
6. How can the UK ensure a skilled and future-ready workforce in the fishing and seafood sectors, including through training, apprenticeships, career development and visa policies?
7. What has been the impact of recent policy developments —such as the proposed ban on bottom trawling in more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the roll-out of Fisheries Management Plans and the extended EU-UK reciprocal access arrangements — on fishing communities?
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