Today, as the latest round of investment from the UK-wide £100 million Seafood Fund to modernize the sector opens for applications, funding was announced to support the UK fishing industry through initiatives to repair infrastructure and revitalize local docks. The expansion of processing facilities for well-known British fish, such as Scottish salmon and Cornish sardines, as well as funding to revive an aging dry dock, is among the winning projects scheduled to earn a part of £20 million.
As a landmark of government investment, the UK Seafood Fund has supported the sustainability and long-term future of the fishing and seafood industry of the UK with the help of the fund’s infrastructure, which is paying for the upgrades of processing, aquaculture, ports, and other facilities to meet the demand of future while boosting the economic growth and employment opportunities.
The availability of an amount of £30 million has been confirmed by the government for the infrastructure projects with the opening of the latest round of funding for bidding as well as the winners of the first round of the scheme were also announced. By investing in greener technologies to lower greenhouse gas emissions and transition to more reusable materials, the round 1 winning bid helped firms become more ecologically sustainable as part of the infrastructure scheme.
The UK Seafood Fund has supported the sustainability and long-term future of the fishing and seafood industry.
Mark Spencer, the minister of fisheries said that the communities of fishing are an essential element of the heritage and culture of the UK as they are a valuable part of the economy with their contribution. Due to this, the ministry is supporting the industry with funds to magnify the growth of the industry. With the increasing demand in the nation and in abroad, this funding will assure support for the supply chain of seafood businesses with well-equipped to keep up with the demand and promote production and sustainability of the sector.
From the first round of infrastructure funding, a share of £20 million will be given to the successful bidders by the government, along with around £50 million in investment from private sources. These include HSH Coldstores is investing in a cold storage and logistics complex in order to increase seafood processing in Grimsby and create new jobs. The Scottish company Denholm Seafoods will set up the necessary machinery to boost Peterhead’s landings of herring and mackerel. In order to create two specifically designed sardine fishing vessels, Falfish, based in Cornwall, will invest in new technology to grade, freeze, and pack pelagic fish. Shoreham Port is also converting an old dry dock into a cutting-edge facility for local and visiting fleets.
The Chief Executive at Shoreham Port, Tom Willis expressed delightfulness to the succession to redevelop the company’s dry dock.
The Chief Executive at Shoreham Port, Tom Willis expressed delightfulness to the succession to redevelop the company’s dry dock. Investment in enhancing Dry Dock capabilities is constantly emphasized as a priority when the fishing community is concerned. With workshop access and quayside space, the renovated Dock will provide excellent dry maintenance facilities for vessels up to 50 meters in length. The project will start soon and be finished by early next summer.
Denholm Seafoods’ director, Allan Stephen, expressed his company’s satisfaction with the support it has got from DEFRA, noting that it has been extremely fruitful from the start. In order to preserve the high quality of the product, Denholm Seafoods will be able to invest in new freezing and production facilities with the help of the DEFRA grant. One of the UK’s most significant exports, salmon, is exported from the country every year for about £600 million. Other prolific fish species, including Cornish sardines, are in high demand on the continent for their high quality.
Businesses will have until March 2025 to complete their transformational projects for the second round of the £30 million UK Seafood Fund infrastructure program, making a wider range of organizations eligible to apply. The UK Seafood Fund’s Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) program, which supports sustainable fisheries management by funding data collection and research, will soon announce the successful applicants. In December 2022, the final FISP round will begin.
