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On the 1st of July 2026, over 100 delegates from around the country came together to mark a ‘national day’ to recognise the value and specific needs of our inshore and small-scale fishing communities, whilst celebrating exemplars of success within the sector. The event took place at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, the home of the Duke of Northumberland, who co-hosted the event in partnership with the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, the Inshore and Small-Scale Fisheries Consortium (ISSF) and the Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (AIFCA). The day was shared with the 10 regional IFCAs to celebrate 15 years since their inception in 2011. Delegates included fishermen from every corner of England, and organisations from across the UK who work in and for fisheries.
The day was officially opened by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, who spoke about the importance of our inshore fisheries to the economy and culture of coastal communities, with words also from Alison Hume the MP for Scarborough and Whitby (below right, pictured with Joe Redfern of the Whitby Lobster Hatchery) and a recorded speech from the Fisheries Minister Stephen Morgan.
The realities of fishing lives and challenges faced were movingly brought to the audience through poetry from Adrian Bartlett (PFSA) and Women in Fisheries ambassador Ashley Mullenger, who also premiered her new film ‘Freedom’ at the event. Speakers on the day included Sarah Coulthard (Newcastle University) and Simon Bywater (Renaissance of the East Anglia Fisheries, REAF), who discussed the evidence base regarding the nature of decline in inshore fisheries and the work of the ISSF over the last two years to bring fishermen together with regulators, scientists, and policy makers to address the causes. A fishermen’s panel led a Q&A session with the audience, chaired by Emily Bulled of AIFCA. Michael Johnson of the Marine Management Organisation then explained opportunities available through the new Fisheries and Coastal Growth Fund administered by his team.
The morning then continued with talks detailing the work of the IFCAs and their management of inshore fisheries with Robert Clark (Chief Officer of the AIFCA) speaking about the history of the IFCA and work around the country, including management of inshore Marine Protected Areas, followed by Alex Aitkin who described the management of Northumberland’s inshore seas. After lunch, which was a locally sourced seafood lasagne, talks were given by ‘the female fisherman’ Ashley Mullenger, and a roundtable discussion with Adrian Bartlett (Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association PFSA), Caroline Bennett (Sole of Discretion) and Anna Patel (Fishing into the Future) about their work in Plymouth to bring seafood into local schools and campaigns to keep Plymouth’s fleet afloat. Bally Philp (Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation) spoke about fishermen’s collaboration with the Scottish Entanglement Alliance to mitigate the risks of whale entanglement in creel rope by using heavier ropes and providing training to safely release entangled whales. Joe Redfern spoke about the work of the Whitby Lobster Hatchery and Carol Elliott, Dean Lawrence and Peter Dade spoke about the Fishermen’s Mission work on mental health and outreach campaigns. The talks concluded with Lewis Tattersall from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Tour of Northumbrian fishing villages
The evening before (30th June) 44 delegates enjoyed a tour of Northumbrian fishing villages Boulmer, Beadnell, Craster and Seahouses, led by Chief Officer of the Northumberland IFCA Mark Southerton. Mark and local fishermen spoke about the local decline in fishing boats, particularly driven here by lack of availability of crew and new entrants to a fishing career and insufficient coastal housing due to a high proportion of holiday homes.
The purpose of the day was to highlight the importance and value of our inshore fishing communities, who fish using small boats (10-12m in length), usually family rather than corporately owned, and who are heavily dependent, because of their small size, on inshore fishing grounds (out to 6 nautical miles of the coastline). These small boats make up 80% of our fishing fleet and are in serious decline in many parts of the country (Coulthard et al 2025[i]). The ISSF is working closely with fishermen to understand the particular needs and sensitivities of small-boat operators to the challenges that are faced by the fishing industry, whilst evidencing the contributions of the small-scale sector, highlighting what is at stake through its unabated erosion. Put simply, these small boats ensure the many societal benefits of sustainable fisheries are delivered across the entire breadth of our coastline. These benefits include public access to freshly landed nutrient rich seafood, jobs (as research by the Cornish Producer Organisation has recently concluded, for every fishing job at sea 15 more are generated on land[ii]), fishing culture and heritage, and connecting people to the sea through seeing active boats in harbours, fish being landed, eating fish, and being a part of our strong maritime identity. The erosion of our small-scale fisheries risks the complete disappearance of any commercial fishing and associated benefits from many traditional fishing towns and villages. The small harbours and beach landing sites which smaller vessels frequent, often in rural areas, are generally unsuitable for larger fishing operations due to the infrastructure required.
The day was an opportunity to celebrate our inshore small-scale fisheries and re-connect with many working in the fishing sector, helping to further furnish relationships of trust and mutual understanding of the challenges faced. It also sought to bridge the work of fisheries management with the remits of coastal and rural development and economic growth. The challenges faced by fishing families often overlap with challenges of rural and coastal living, for example, poor public transport to enable fishermen to reach their boats in the early hours and lack of affordable housing. The day sparked new synergies and connections to help ensure that fishing communities are at the centre of rural development and growth debates and decision-making, so that fishing is recognised and valued as the beating heart of coastal towns and villages. That heartbeat has fallen silent in some places, and may be feint in many others, but it is still there, in part due to the grit and determination of fishing families who are loyal to a work and life that they love. This heartbeat can be loudened with the right recognition, investment and support, to the benefit of everyone. We are an island nation and we’ve always been able to provide food from the sea – we now need to move together and with determination, to ensure that this capability remains geographically widespread and resilient.
The Inshore Small-Scale Fisheries Consortium is a collaboration of individuals from several organisations who share concern about the decline in the small-scale fishing sector and are working with fishermen and others to address it.
The ISSF Consortium is very grateful to His Grace the Duke of Northumberland for hosting the National Day of Celebration and to The Fishmongers’ Company’s Charitable Trust and Newcastle University for funding travel expenses for attending fishermen and the post-event evening buffet.
[i] Coulthard, S., Hatt, A., Lewis, P., Stewart, B.D., Roach, M., Clark, R., Fanshawe, S., White, C.S., Urquhart, J., Percy, J. and Gray, T., 2025. Recognising and protecting the national benefit of sustainable fisheries in the UK. Fish and Fisheries, 26(4), pp.561-576.
