2.11 



UNITED KINGDOM 



The United Kingdom's (UK) fishing fleet of high-seas vessels ranked among the largest and most modem in 

 the world less than two decades ago. The loss of the UK's traditional fishing grounds off Iceland during the "Cod 

 Wars" of the 1970s, however, signaled the end of British dominance in high-seas fishing, the UK high-seas fleet 

 declined to only 18 vessels in 1986. The fleet has since enjoyed a modest resurgence, more than doubling to 41 

 vessels. This was partially the result of the Falkland's War, which opened up the island's huge squid resources to 

 UK fishermen and partially as a result of EC grants to modernize the fishing fleet. The UK fleet fishes primarily 

 in the North Atlantic. If the UK fleet continues to expand, some vessels may begin to fish in other distant-water 

 fisheries, because several key North Atlantic species have been overfished in recent years. 



CONTENTS 



1. General Background 157 



2. Fleet Background 158 



3. Modernization Programs 159 



4. Decommissioning Programs 159 



5. Shipyards 159 



6. International Agreements 159 



7. Fleet Dispersal Plans 160 



Sources 160 



Endnotes 164 



1. General Background 



UK fishermen landed 589,000 tons of fish and 

 shellfish worth nearly $695 million in 1992.' This 

 was not sufficient to meet the demands of the island's 

 57 million consumers and represents a decline when 

 compared with earlier years; UK fishermen landed 

 811,000 tons and ranked as the EC's third largest 

 producer of fish and shellfish in 1990. British 

 importers purchased 473 ,000 tons of seafood products 

 worth $1.7 billion from overseas suppliers in 1992, 

 as compared with exports of 410,000 tons worth $0.9 



billion.^ UK fisheries are divided among its main 

 regions and include: England and Wales, Scotland, 

 Northern Ireland, the Charmel Islands, and the Isle of 

 Man. Scottish fishermen normally produce the lion's 

 share of UK fisheries followed by England and 

 Wales. ^ The UK consumer is somewhat conservative 

 in taste, preferring cod, haddock, saithe, plaice, 

 mackerel, and herring. Dogfish is typically used to 

 prepare "fish and chips," which is enjoyed as an 

 inexpensive seafood meal. Scottish producers of 

 farmed Atlantic salmon have expanded production 

 significantly in recent years and can now meet most 



157 



