Fishing fleet — Vessels in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Fishing fleet — Vessels was 202,253 Gross tonnage in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
202,253 Gross tonnage
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
2nd
of 10 groups
All-time high
270,837 Gross tonnage
in 1995
All-time low
185,812 Gross tonnage
in 2016
Years of data
28
1995–2022

Fishing fleet — Vessels in United Kingdom, 1995–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1995200820221995: 270.8k Gross tonnage1996: 266.5k Gross tonnage1997: 266.7k Gross tonnage1998: 267.6k Gross tonnage1999: 267.6k Gross tonnage2000: 265.1k Gross tonnage2001: 264.2k Gross tonnage2002: 240.9k Gross tonnage2003: 229.0k Gross tonnage2004: 223.0k Gross tonnage2005: 217.6k Gross tonnage2006: 214.6k Gross tonnage2007: 212.5k Gross tonnage2008: 208.0k Gross tonnage2009: 207.8k Gross tonnage2010: 207.3k Gross tonnage2011: 201.6k Gross tonnage2012: 200.5k Gross tonnage2013: 196.7k Gross tonnage2014: 193.5k Gross tonnage2015: 187.1k Gross tonnage2016: 185.8k Gross tonnage2017: 187.0k Gross tonnage2018: 191.4k Gross tonnage2019: 190.6k Gross tonnage2020: 195.8k Gross tonnage2021: 201.2k Gross tonnage2022: 202.3k Gross tonnage

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Gross tonnage.

Analysis

The most recent figure for fishing fleet — vessels in United Kingdom is 202,253 Gross tonnage, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fishing fleet — vessels in United Kingdom peaked at 270,837 Gross tonnage in 1995 and was at its lowest, 185,812 Gross tonnage, in 2016.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Fishing fleet — Vessels in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Fishing fleet — Vessels in United Kingdom, 1995 to 2022.
Year Gross tonnage Change
1995 270,837 Gross tonnage
1996 266,545 Gross tonnage -1.6%
1997 266,667 Gross tonnage +0.0%
1998 267,605 Gross tonnage +0.4%
1999 267,567 Gross tonnage -0.0%
2000 265,141 Gross tonnage -0.9%
2001 264,245 Gross tonnage -0.3%
2002 240,895 Gross tonnage -8.8%
2003 228,992 Gross tonnage -4.9%
2004 222,969 Gross tonnage -2.6%
2005 217,579 Gross tonnage -2.4%
2006 214,641 Gross tonnage -1.4%
2007 212,489 Gross tonnage -1.0%
2008 207,991 Gross tonnage -2.1%
2009 207,796 Gross tonnage -0.1%
2010 207,321 Gross tonnage -0.2%
2011 201,596 Gross tonnage -2.8%
2012 200,452 Gross tonnage -0.6%
2013 196,656 Gross tonnage -1.9%
2014 193,508 Gross tonnage -1.6%
2015 187,141 Gross tonnage -3.3%
2016 185,812 Gross tonnage -0.7%
2017 187,027 Gross tonnage +0.7%
2018 191,440 Gross tonnage +2.4%
2019 190,552 Gross tonnage -0.5%
2020 195,769 Gross tonnage +2.7%
2021 201,198 Gross tonnage +2.8%
2022 202,253 Gross tonnage +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 267,844 Gross tonnage 266,545 Gross tonnage 270,837 Gross tonnage 5
2000s 228,274 Gross tonnage 207,796 Gross tonnage 265,141 Gross tonnage 10
2010s 194,150 Gross tonnage 185,812 Gross tonnage 207,321 Gross tonnage 10
2020s 199,740 Gross tonnage 195,769 Gross tonnage 202,253 Gross tonnage 3

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 1 China 10.02 million Gross tonnage compare
  2. 2 Japan 876,055 Gross tonnage compare
  3. 3 Taiwan, China 563,019 Gross tonnage compare
  4. 4 Peru 498,559 Gross tonnage compare
  5. 5 Norway 463,070 Gross tonnage compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is fishing fleet — vessels in United Kingdom?
Fishing fleet — vessels in United Kingdom was 202,253 Gross tonnage in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 270,837 Gross tonnage in 1995.
What is the lowest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 185,812 Gross tonnage in 2016.
How does United Kingdom rank for fishing fleet — vessels?
United Kingdom ranks 2nd out of 10 groups with data for 2022.
Is fishing fleet — vessels rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Fishing fleet — Vessels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fishing fleet — Vessels in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/fishing-fleet-vessels/united-kingdom-2/

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About this data

Indicator
Fishing fleet — Vessels
Unit
Gross tonnage
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
38 places, 883 data points, 1995–2022
Last refreshed

The dataset covers the number and gross tonnage of national active fishing vessels—vessels that, at the time of reporting, are active and engaged solely in catching operations. This includes all types of vessels: industrial and artisanal, motorized and unmotorized, decked and undecked, fishing in marine and inland waters. Data are broken down by length classes, expressed in meters. The unit of measure ‘Vessels’ should be read as ‘Number of vessels’. Fishing fleet - General notes Fishing fleet - Notes on individual countries and areas