Seafish launches 2010 fleet survey

Fieldwork begins for the annual Seafish Financial Report on the UK Fishing Fleet. Survey staff from Seafish will cover every region of the UK in the next couple of months, interviewing skippers and vessel owners as part of the study, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Seafish.

Hazel Curtis, Chief Economist at Seafish, said: "This important annual survey provides a detailed overview of the financial performance of the UK fleet by sector. We will also provide a personal financial benchmark report for skippers who send us their vessel accounts."

"There are a few sectors that have not been well represented in recent years, so we especially want to speak to skippers of vessels under 12m and skippers of over 10m longline vessels."

The survey also involves collecting financial accounts for fishing vessels across the UK fleet so that the average performance of each fleet segment can be estimated.

"All survey information, including accounts, is treated as confidential and no individual vessel figures will be revealed," said Hazel.

The survey was launched at Fishing 2010 in Glasgow when skippers gave permission for their vessel accounts to be included in the research. This week, Julie Snowden from Seafish will begin the wider process of interviewing skippers in Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington.