Fish discards in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fish discards was 31,079 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in United Kingdom, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in United Kingdom stood at 31,079.
That represents a change of down 30.0% on the previous year and down 39.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in United Kingdom peaked at 248,693 in 1967 and was at its lowest, 25,927, in 1950.
That places United Kingdom 35th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 25,927 | — |
| 1951 | 31,254 | +20.5% |
| 1952 | 233,876 | +648.3% |
| 1953 | 160,770 | -31.3% |
| 1954 | 109,463 | -31.9% |
| 1955 | 70,995 | -35.1% |
| 1956 | 57,954 | -18.4% |
| 1957 | 91,544 | +58.0% |
| 1958 | 87,565 | -4.3% |
| 1959 | 102,197 | +16.7% |
| 1960 | 119,611 | +17.0% |
| 1961 | 98,952 | -17.3% |
| 1962 | 120,285 | +21.6% |
| 1963 | 165,919 | +37.9% |
| 1964 | 199,105 | +20.0% |
| 1965 | 211,586 | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 211,289 | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 248,693 | +17.7% |
| 1968 | 158,213 | -36.4% |
| 1969 | 61,560 | -61.1% |
| 1970 | 75,380 | +22.4% |
| 1971 | 83,837 | +11.2% |
| 1972 | 92,077 | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 71,872 | -21.9% |
| 1974 | 68,862 | -4.2% |
| 1975 | 59,453 | -13.7% |
| 1976 | 60,951 | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 67,737 | +11.1% |
| 1978 | 82,721 | +22.1% |
| 1979 | 83,694 | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 101,843 | +21.7% |
| 1981 | 101,611 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 114,554 | +12.7% |
| 1983 | 114,384 | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 107,043 | -6.4% |
| 1985 | 123,474 | +15.3% |
| 1986 | 105,366 | -14.7% |
| 1987 | 121,537 | +15.3% |
| 1988 | 128,335 | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 101,472 | -20.9% |
| 1990 | 97,754 | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 107,272 | +9.7% |
| 1992 | 101,904 | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 104,637 | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 99,037 | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 95,328 | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 99,696 | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 88,026 | -11.7% |
| 1998 | 85,361 | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 78,852 | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 69,349 | -12.1% |
| 2001 | 52,326 | -24.5% |
| 2002 | 67,210 | +28.4% |
| 2003 | 58,158 | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 60,903 | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 42,368 | -30.4% |
| 2006 | 53,959 | +27.4% |
| 2007 | 49,862 | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 51,632 | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 53,891 | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 52,468 | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 43,412 | -17.3% |
| 2012 | 45,220 | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 39,438 | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 40,367 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 41,939 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 44,098 | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 44,410 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 31,079 | -30.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 31,079 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 3.9× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 31,079 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 2.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +648.3% | 31,254 | 233,876 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 97,154 | 25,927 | 233,876 | 10 |
| 1960s | 159,521 | 61,560 | 248,693 | 10 |
| 1970s | 74,658 | 59,453 | 92,077 | 10 |
| 1980s | 111,962 | 101,472 | 128,335 | 10 |
| 1990s | 95,787 | 78,852 | 107,272 | 10 |
| 2000s | 55,966 | 42,368 | 69,349 | 10 |
| 2010s | 42,492 | 31,079 | 52,468 | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in United Kingdom?
- Fish discards in United Kingdom was 31,079 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 248,693 in 1967.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 25,927 in 1950.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fish discards?
- United Kingdom ranks 35th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.