UK Seafood Fund
Find out about the aims of the UK Seafood Fund, what funding is available, and how to apply for it.
The UK Seafood Fund is a £100 million fund set up to support the long term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.
The fund is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Objectives of the UK Seafood Fund
The fund’s objectives are to:
- reform and modernise infrastructure to level up and bring economic growth to coastal communities
- ensure the best science, research and technology is used in fisheries management
- encourage new entrants to the industry and upskill the existing workforce
- enable an environmentally sustainable fishing industry that gives most value for money and reflects the long term needs of the sector
- boost UK seafood exports to new and existing markets
Areas of funding
The UK Seafood Fund consists of a number of schemes that come under 4 areas of funding:
- infrastructure
- science and innovation
- skills and training
- exports support
Infrastructure
At least £65 million in grant funding is available through the Infrastructure Scheme. The scheme funds projects that build capacity across the UK fishing sector supply chain. It invests in:
- improved capability at ports, harbours, processing, and aquaculture facilities
- the social and economic welfare of coastal communities
- fleet modernisation
- recreational sea fishing
Find out more information about the Infrastructure Scheme.
Applications for the Infrastructure Scheme have now closed.
Science and innovation
The UK Seafood Fund has allocated £24 million to science and innovation. This amount is shared between 2 schemes. They are:
- Fishing Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme
- Seafood Innovation Fund
FISP scheme
The FISP scheme funds data collection and research to improve knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture. FISP projects will be collaborations between research organisations and the fishing and seafood industry.
Find out more information about the FISP scheme.
Applications for the FISP scheme have now closed.
Seafood Innovation Fund
The Seafood Innovation Fund was set up in 2019 to support research and development. It is now part of the UK Seafood Fund.
Find out more information about the Seafood Innovation Fund.
The Seafood Innovation Fund does not currently have any funding calls open to application.
Skills and Training
Up to £10 million is available for skills and training in the sector to attract new recruits and improve workforce retention.
The funding will be used to:
- invest in new training to address skills gaps and support innovation
- improve existing courses to increase take-up, completion and workforce retention
Find out more information about the Skills and Training Scheme.
Applications for the Skills and Training Scheme have now closed.
Seafood Exports Support
At least £1 million will be used to help the UK seafood industry increase exports to existing and new markets.
Defra and the Department for Business and Trade will use the funding to:
- identify new overseas buyers and connect them with UK seafood companies
- promote UK seafood at international events
- increase expertise on UK seafood produce in our embassies and consulates overseas
Read guidance on how to increase your exports on the Seafish website.
Updates to this page
Last updated 3 September 2024 + show all updates
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Applications for the Infrastructure Scheme have now closed.
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Under the UK Seafood Fund, round 3 of the Infrastructure scheme is open to applications. The FISP scheme and Skills and Training scheme have closed. The Science and Innovation Fund has no current funding calls.
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Under Seafood Exports Support, 'Department for International Trade' has been updated to 'Department for Business and Trade'.
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New guidance on funding available for supporting seafood exports. Added additional bullet points under ‘objectives’ and ‘areas of funding’ and a final section on Seafood Exports Support.
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First published.