UK fisheries

Fisheries may be looked at from a variety of perspectives. Firstly, the various regional seas around UK have their own physical characteristics and associated fisheries. These are the North Sea, the English Channel, the Southwest Approaches, the Irish Sea and the seas north and west of Scotland.

There are a variety of methods used to catch fish that may be classified in several ways. These are generally classified as either active (mobile) or passive (static).

Hauling mid-water trawl © Chris Martin/SNH

Each gear or fishing practice has its own advantages and disadvantages in catching fish, but also in terms of overall effect on the marine environment. Some of these effects are unwanted and have been grouped into the following categories:

Bycatch including marine mammals, turtles and seabirds
Damage to seabed habitat and its associated community
Indirect effects on the biological community and the marine food web in particular.

We have a number of special concerns in relation to fisheries at present. These are:

deep-sea fisheries
sharks, skates and rays (collectively known as elasmobranchs)