Creelin’ in the Years: Fishing Policy Report
Head Researcher: Kathryn McRae
Researchers: Hamish Doig, Finn Whiteley, Joss Wildgoose Bulloch
Editors: Edwin Brattselius Thunfors and Luke Gaudois
Editor-in-Chief: Edwin Brattselius Thunfors
Executive Summary
The fishing industry in Scotland is in a state of decline. High input costs, quota and licensing constraints, low profitability, labour shortages, and a divide between policymakers and fishers has led to an industry on the brink of extinction. This paper aims to create a comprehensive outline of the challenges affecting the Scottish fishing industry, Fife in particular, and details a number of policy actions which could be taken to combat them. Utilising thorough research, examinations of past and present fishing policy, interviews with policymakers and fishers, and quantitative data analysis, this paper attempts to provide an approach to fishing policy that is grounded in historical, sociocultural, and economic context, and acknowledges the many compounding factors which impact the industry. This paper advocates for regulatory reform, labour market intervention, economic support, and policy which target often obscured cultural and social factors. Ideally, by taking an informed and holistic approach to policy making, it is possible to address the diverse and extensive challenges the fishing industry in Scotland faces.