Wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Wild fish catch by gear type was 129,985 tonnes in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
129,985 tonnes
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
29th
of 111 countries
All-time high
780,086 tonnes
in 1952
All-time low
116,789 tonnes
in 2011
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 129,985 tonnes for wild fish catch by gear type in 2018.
That represents a change of down 4.5% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom peaked at 780,086 tonnes in 1952 and was at its lowest, 116,789 tonnes, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom 29th out of 111 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 438,734 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 531,382 tonnes | +21.1% |
| 1952 | 780,086 tonnes | +46.8% |
| 1953 | 686,271 tonnes | -12.0% |
| 1954 | 737,468 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1955 | 483,207 tonnes | -34.5% |
| 1956 | 505,017 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1957 | 510,288 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1958 | 464,761 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 1959 | 457,685 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 462,390 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 417,318 tonnes | -9.7% |
| 1962 | 474,659 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1963 | 525,484 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1964 | 546,034 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 579,498 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1966 | 577,693 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 633,834 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 540,222 tonnes | -14.8% |
| 1969 | 436,591 tonnes | -19.2% |
| 1970 | 491,371 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1971 | 459,540 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1972 | 569,332 tonnes | +23.9% |
| 1973 | 362,535 tonnes | -36.3% |
| 1974 | 472,691 tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1975 | 392,171 tonnes | -17.0% |
| 1976 | 341,992 tonnes | -12.8% |
| 1977 | 300,037 tonnes | -12.3% |
| 1978 | 265,310 tonnes | -11.6% |
| 1979 | 144,127 tonnes | -45.7% |
| 1980 | 220,120 tonnes | +52.7% |
| 1981 | 190,981 tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1982 | 431,445 tonnes | +125.9% |
| 1983 | 322,754 tonnes | -25.2% |
| 1984 | 311,822 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 342,983 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 285,852 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1987 | 332,464 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1988 | 336,834 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 302,149 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1990 | 245,994 tonnes | -18.6% |
| 1991 | 241,511 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 251,675 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 283,161 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1994 | 300,333 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 311,198 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 325,979 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 330,769 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 313,457 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 258,093 tonnes | -17.7% |
| 2000 | 242,475 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 195,173 tonnes | -19.5% |
| 2002 | 192,612 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 159,808 tonnes | -17.0% |
| 2004 | 155,276 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 119,805 tonnes | -22.8% |
| 2006 | 135,556 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2007 | 124,372 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 123,233 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 129,509 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 130,509 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 116,789 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 2012 | 123,262 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 132,132 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2014 | 126,716 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 122,535 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 129,800 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2017 | 136,060 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 129,985 tonnes | -4.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 129,985 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,385 tonnes, 2.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 129,985 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 54,562 tonnes, 2.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wild fish catch by gear type 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +125.9% | 190,981 tonnes | 431,445 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 559,490 tonnes | 438,734 tonnes | 780,086 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 519,372 tonnes | 417,318 tonnes | 633,834 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 379,911 tonnes | 144,127 tonnes | 569,332 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 307,740 tonnes | 190,981 tonnes | 431,445 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 286,217 tonnes | 241,511 tonnes | 330,769 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 157,782 tonnes | 119,805 tonnes | 242,475 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 127,532 tonnes | 116,789 tonnes | 136,060 tonnes | 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 wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom?
- Wild fish catch by gear type in United Kingdom was 129,985 tonnes in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 780,086 tonnes in 1952.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 116,789 tonnes in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom rank for wild fish catch by gear type?
- United Kingdom ranks 29th out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch by gear type rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. 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 Wild fish catch by gear type. 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).