Seafood industry invited to help shape the future of Seafish

Seafish, the public body that supports the seafood industry in the UK, is inviting the seafood industry to share views on the organisation’s future direction as part of a strategic review.

From 12^th July until 20^th August, individuals, businesses and organisations will be asked how Seafish can best serve the seafood sector in the UK and how it can be funded.

Seafish was set up in its current form in 1981. The levy funded body has adapted its work over the last 40 years to respond to the needs of the seafood sector but the levy system was last updated in 1999.

The survey questions will ask:

• What work should Seafish do more of or less of to help the industry to thrive?
  
  
• What changes can be made to the levy to ensure it is equitable for the industry and ensures Seafish is funded to help it deliver for the industry in the future?

Watch CEO Marcus Coleman explain more about what we are asking and why

As a public body, Seafish must carry out strategic reviews from time to time. The review started with the four fisheries administrations in late 2020. Seafish recently held a series of workshops with key representatives from across the seafood supply chain in the UK to discuss the same questions in the survey.

The responses from all three parts of the consultation will be drawn together and a report with recommendations submitted to the Government by the Seafish board at the end of the year.

Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: “With Brexit and the pandemic, we have been called upon by the industry and government to support the seafood sector more than ever.

“This strategic review is about trying to strengthen our offering and ensure we are doing what the industry need us to do. However, we are working within a levy system from the last century which doesn’t reflect the seafood industry today. If the industry and government want us to do more then we need to look at how we make that happen."

Seafish is working with the UK’s four governments to ensure that the strategic review process is fair and transparent. A Strategic Review Steering Group, including Seafish and all four government administrations, is overseeing the process and ensuring the strategic review fulfils the Government’s needs for a review of a public body.

The link to the survey is Seafish Strategic Review: Stakeholder Survey (alchemer.com)

For more information on the strategic review, visit Seafish strategic review — Seafish.

ENDS