Industry body Seafish has published its annual look at the UK seafood industry revealing how much seafood the UK caught, farmed, traded and ate in 2022.
Seafood in Numbers 2022 uses data pulled from across the organisation’s economics and insight work to reveal how the UK fishing fleet caught 618,759 tonnes of fish in 2022 – enough seafood to feed the population of Europe two portions of seafood a week.
It also highlights how imports still dominate, with the value nearly five times higher than the value of fish landed in the UK.
Seafood eaten out of home continued to grow as the sector started to recover from Covid. Although it is still around 20% lower than pre-Covid levels, with servings in fish and chip shops seeing an 11.5% drop.
In supermarkets, meanwhile, tuna overtook salmon as the most purchased seafood species as consumers started to feel the cost of living pinch.
Jennifer Robson, head of economics, insight and advice, says: “Collaboration within the seafood industry is at the heart of Seafood in Numbers. The insights from our annual surveys are a direct result of the collective effort and support of our industry stakeholders. The willingness of our industry partners to actively participate in the data gathering process has been instrumental. By working together, we have been able to compile a comprehensive picture of the UK seafood landscape.”
To support the UK Seafood in Numbers 2022, Seafish will host a webinar in January 2024 during which it will provide background on the current state of the UK seafood industry and identify key trends. Register now at: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Team
