Overview

Scotland's fishing industry plays an important role in Scotland’s marine economy, and a significant role in the economic, social and cultural fabric of Scotland’s rural and coastal communities. Scotland has also published its Future Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 ( FFM). The strategy and the subsequent delivery plan shows the progress with delivering key aspects of the Strategy since 2020. It sets out the importance of managing Scotland's fishing industry sustainably and responsibly, in order to safeguard the long-term viability of the industry and the rich marine environment that it operates within. 

Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy (FFM Strategy) was published in December 2020.  The strategy envisions for Scotland to be a world class fishing nation, delivering responsible and sustainable fisheries management. This strategy sets out the approach to managing Scotland’s sea fisheries from 2020 to 2030, as part of the wider Blue Economy. It also considers how, as part of Blue Economy approach, we can best share the marine space, to ensure we are managing in the right way, and making the best decisions, for the marine environment as a whole and all those who depend on it. 

Basically, the overall approach to fisheries management in Scotland is framed within the delivery of the Scottish Government's National Performance Framework along with Environment Strategy and National Marine Plan and this together supports the holistic and overarching framework for managing Scottish seas in sync with environment and climate change. This interdisciplinary approach helps us realise the climate action goals and brings us closer to achieving the net zero target by 2045. 

Deliver Plans

A delivery plan (2022 Delivery Plan) was published in 2022 to support the FFM Strategy, record the progress with delivering key aspects of the Strategy so far and to help stakeholders to forward plan by indicating when work to deliver the various actions within the Strategy is intended to be carried out. Even the updated delivery plan is published in March 2025 which aims to capture progress and provide an update on progress against each of the actions within the Strategy's 12 point action plan.

Fishing Activity in UK

Fisheries is a devolved subject which entails the Scottish Parliament can legislate on the given subject but in the current regime Scotland operates within the UK Fisheries Act 2020 which was enacted during Brexit scenario to govern UK fisheries in the post-Brexit. 
Leaving the European Union has created significant changes to UK fisheries management and presents an opportunity to develop a world-leading and sustainable fishing industry in Scotland.   Since the 1970s, the UK fisheries have been managed by the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) - a multinational approach that allowed fishing vessels from any EU country to fish anywhere in European waters. 

While fishing is a devolved power in Scotland, the CFP provided an overarching and legally binding framework for the Scottish Government to develop fisheries management from. On leaving the EU the UK became an independent coastal state outside of the CFP, with new powers to design its own domestic fishing policy (out to 200 nautical miles) which would also apply to foreign vessels in UK waters. The UK Government subsequently implemented a new fisheries management framework under the UK Fisheries Act 2020.

Fisheries in Scotland - Post Brexit 

As fisheries remain a devolved power in Scotland, the UK Fisheries Act 2020 provides a framework for the Scottish Government to develop a progressive and world-leading fishing industry. The Scottish Government is responsible for managing the activities of Scottish fishing vessels operating within the ‘Scottish zone’, which accounts for 62% of UK waters. This led to Scotland publishing the resulting Future Fisheries Management Strategy (FFMS) in 2020. The strategy provides a series of proposals for sustainable fisheries management in Scotland.