Great Britain

Abstract

Given the long and elaborate coastline of the United Kingdom (Figure 6.1) — and with a baseline in Scotland which encloses the extensive area of the Minch — it would be surprising if inshore fisheries were not to play an important role in the UK’s fishing industry, as indeed is the case. However, as with many European countries, it is no longer easy to define with any precision what is meant by the term inshore fisheries. We know, for example, that circa 80% of the registered fleet comprises vessels under 12 m in length and we can infer that not far short of half the active fishermen are involved within the small boat sector with perhaps a third of them engaged on a part time or seasonal basis. But we also know that, as a consequence of technological developments, much of this so-called inshore fleet is capable of operating well beyond the 6 mile limits which have traditionally marked the boundary between inshore and offshore waters. Moreover, these inshore waters are also exploited by non-local, nomadic vessels much larger in size than the under 12 m inshore boat.