UK Seafood Fund
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-18)

Find out about the aims of the UK Seafood Fund and what funding was available. This fund is now closed to new applications.

This fund is now closed.

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The UK Seafood Fund was a £100 million fund set up to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.

The fund was managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Objectives of the UK Seafood Fund

The fund’s objectives were to:
- reform and modernise infrastructure to level up and bring economic growth to coastal communities
- ensure the best science, research and technology were used in fisheries management
- encourage new entrants to the industry and upskill the existing workforce
- enable an environmentally sustainable fishing industry that gave the most value for money and reflected the long term needs of the sector
- boost UK seafood exports to new and existing markets
Areas of funding

The UK Seafood Fund consisted of a number of schemes that came under 4 areas of funding:
- infrastructure
- science and innovation
- skills and training
- exports support
Infrastructure

At least £65 million in grant funding was available through the Infrastructure Scheme. The scheme funded projects that helped build capacity across the UK fishing sector supply chain. It invested in:
- improved capability at ports, harbours, processing, and aquaculture facilities
- the social and economic welfare of coastal communities
- fleet modernisation
- recreational sea fishing
The projects that were awarded funding for the Infrastructure Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-seafood-fund-infrastructure-scheme-projects).

Applications for the Infrastructure Scheme have now closed.

Science and innovation

The UK Seafood Fund allocated £24 million to science and innovation. This amount was shared between 2 schemes. They are:
- Fishing Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) Scheme
- Seafood Innovation Fund
FISP Scheme

The FISP Scheme funded data collection and research to improve knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture. FISP projects were collaborations between research organisations and the fishing and seafood industry.

The projects that were awarded funding for the FISP Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fisp-projects).

Applications for the FISP Scheme have now closed.

Seafood Innovation Fund

The Seafood Innovation Fund was set up in 2019 to support research and development. It is now part of the UK Seafood Fund.

The projects that were awarded funding for the Seafood Innovation Fund (https://www.seafoodinnovation.fund/projects/).

The Seafood Innovation Fund does not currently have any funding calls open to application.

Skills and Training

Up to £10 million was available for skills and training in the sector to attract new recruits and improve workforce retention.

The funding was to be used to:
- invest in new training to address skills gaps and support innovation
- improve existing courses to increase take-up, completion and workforce retention
The projects that were awarded funding for the Skills and Training Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-seafood-fund-skills-and-training-scheme-projects).

Applications for the Skills and Training Scheme have now closed.

Seafood Exports Support

At least £1 million was used to help the UK seafood industry increase exports to existing and new markets.

Defra and the Department for Business and Trade used the funding to:
- identify new overseas buyers and connect them with UK seafood companies
- promote UK seafood at international events
- increase expertise on UK seafood produce in our embassies and consulates overseas
Read guidance on how to increase your exports on the Seafish website (https://www.seafish.org/trade-and-regulation/trade-and-regulation-advice-and-resources/).