The decline of the English and Welsh fishing fleet?

At least for the past 50 years, the size of the fishing fleet has been in decline. Regulations are in place to limit the number of fishing vessels in order to align effort with fishing opportunities (the status of stocks), and fleet reduction programmes have further impacted the size of the fishing fleet. High fuel prices impact profitability, leading to a lack of investment. Beverton and Holt suggested that increases in efficiency would lead to increases in fishing power and to overcapacity. We present the results of studies on efficiency and vessel “exit and entry” in order to evaluate the effects of changes in efficiency and the status of fish stocks on the size of the fishing fleet from the early 1990s to the present day. Government policies that support a market-based approach to the allocation of harvest rights have been introduced in order to facilitate rationalization, but direct evidence of the effects of such policies is not easily obtainable, although the measures do provide opportunity for capital to move offshore. This has further contributed to the decline in the number of fishing vessels operating out of certain ports. The decline of the fleet reflects the ever-changing nature of resource-dependent industries in a world dominated by increasing globalization.