Fish and seafood in the UK - statistics & facts

The UK is home to many fish species and the industry contributes largely to the economy. Surrounding this island nation is the Atlantic ocean on the west, and the North sea on the east. The most commonly landed fish species in the UK are mackerel and herring. The fishing industry, while historically important in the United Kingdom, has faced many challenges in recent years. While fishery and aquaculture feeds a large majority of the world’s population, over-fishing has become increasingly persistent and threatens both the environment and global food supply. In 2022, annual expenditure on fish in the UK amounted to around 4.33 billion British pounds, down from over 4.9 billion British pounds in 2021.

Seafood retail in the UK

As of 2022, there were 1,265 UK enterprises that specifically sold fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. There was an ongoing downward trend since 2008, however, from 2019 figures began to pick up again. That same year, the majority of seafood consumers in the UK purchased their fish chilled. In 2022, over 60 percent of retail sales in the seafood market were chilled products. Of these chilled seafood products, the largest chilled segment were fresh and natural products, without any breading or other preparation.

International seafood trade with the UK

The import value of fresh fish into the UK has fluctuated in recent years before increasing to just over 20 million British pounds in 2022. The import value of frozen fish has generally increased, peaking in 2019. Salmon, cod, and tuna were amongst the most imported type of fish that year. Cod fishing is highly regulated in the UK, as cod stocks previously plummeted and once came very close to collapsing. The demand is still there, however, as cod is often the fish of choice in their famous dish ‘fish and chips’.

Consumer expenditure in the UK on fish & seafood

Since 2003, the consumer price index (CPI) on fish in the UK has risen considerably, meaning households are paying more today for the same amount of fish compared to 2003. The consumer price index on fish in the UK totaled 63.8 points in 2003, however, in 2022 it stood at over 122.7. Several factors previously touched on are thought to influence the performance of the industry, and the corresponding CPI. People in the UK in the age bracket between 50 and 75 are the largest consumers of fish, spending upwards of 3.9 British pounds per week on fish products. This is in contrast to those under 30 years of age, who spend on average just 1.9 British pounds.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Emma Bedford, Dec 20, 2023

Key insights

Average expenditure on fish in the UK
4,330m GBP
Number of enterprises in the UK with a turnover more than 5m GBP
45
Fish landing volume in the UK by UK vessels
393,594mt
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Export value of fish in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2022 (in million GBP)

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Fish export value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2022

Consumer price index (CPI) of fish monthly in the United Kingdom (UK) from August 2016 to April 2023*

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Fish consumer price index (CPI) monthly in the United Kingdom (UK) 2016-2023

Annual expenditure on fish in the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2022, based on volume* (in million GBP)

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Fish purchase trend in the United Kingdom 2005-2022

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