E9: Percentage of our seafood coming from healthy ecosystems, produced sustainably
Short Description
This is a composite indicator that tracks the sustainability of seafood, fish and aquaculture products. It combines metrics on production (covering harvesting and subsequent preparation), management and impact on the environment. The indicator will use the data collected for the management of fish stocks to assess whether harvesting rates remain within sustainable limits. It will use equivalent data for aquaculture production. These data on harvesting and production will then be integrated with data on the impact of these activities on the wider environment together with social and economic data to provide an assessment of the sustainability of our seafood.
Readiness and links to data
This indicator is not available for reporting in 2024 in a finalised form. An interim indicator is presented here that includes metrics that have been developed and compiled by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in a research report to Defra: Percentage of our seafood coming from healthy ecosystems, produced sustainably (project code EV0809).
Two components are presented here: E9a shows the live weight of quota fish and shellfish landed into English ports by sustainability outcome. The sustainability outcomes are drawn from the same data source as C10: Productive seas: fish and shellfish stocks fished sustainably. C10 shows the proportion of stocks at management thresholds, whereas E9a shows landings split by sustainability outcomes to detail the status of our seafood. Additional charts, disaggregating landings by pelagic and demersal species, are available in the source publication. Some data on non-quota shellfish are also available, however sustainability status of these stocks is not currently available so they have not been included here. The data included here are for landings from any vessel size and nationality into ports in England, but the indicator does not track the amounts that are processed for human consumption in England.
E9b is a matrix showing trends in a range of production and environmental sustainability metrics for bivalve mollusc and finfish aquaculture sectors. It is presented this way as a robust method for combining the metrics is not currently available. Similar metrics for emerging aquaculture sectors (crustacean shellfish and seaweed) are not currently available.
Further development is required to meet the E9 short description. English seafood supply chains would need to be examined not just for amounts produced, but also imported, exported, processed, consumed domestically as seafood, used for by-products, and lost as waste. The metrics for environmental health and pressures from seafood production activities need refining to reflect environmental outcomes. Socio-economic metrics assessing the contribution of seafood activities to coastal and rural communities need incorporating. A robust method for combining diverse metrics may also be needed. Such development will require collaboration across the various bodies managing English seafood.
This indicator is currently under review and its format may change. Therefore, we would welcome any feedback, particularly on the usefulness and value of this indicator, via 25YEPindicators@defra.gov.uk.
Indicator components
Figure E9a: Landings of quota fish and shellfish into English ports by sustainability status, 2009 to 2020
Table E9a: Landings of quota fish and shellfish into English ports by sustainability status, 2009 to 2020
| Year | Sustainable (%) | Sustainable (thousand tonnes) | Total (thousand tonnes) | Unknown (%) | Unknown (thousand tonnes) | Unsustainable (%) | Unsustainable (thousand tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 13.86 | 3.40 | 24.52 | 18.70 | 4.59 | 67.44 | 16.54 |
| 2010 | 12.61 | 3.06 | 24.25 | 26.16 | 6.34 | 61.23 | 14.85 |
| 2011 | 11.60 | 3.24 | 27.93 | 21.83 | 6.10 | 66.58 | 18.59 |
| 2012 | 24.91 | 7.09 | 28.46 | 18.42 | 5.24 | 56.67 | 16.13 |
| 2013 | 34.94 | 8.81 | 25.22 | 21.63 | 5.45 | 43.43 | 10.95 |
| 2014 | 39.20 | 9.51 | 24.26 | 24.40 | 5.92 | 36.40 | 8.83 |
| 2015 | 45.75 | 10.33 | 22.58 | 27.45 | 6.20 | 26.80 | 6.05 |
| 2016 | 42.99 | 9.27 | 21.57 | 27.91 | 6.02 | 29.10 | 6.28 |
| 2017 | 49.59 | 10.66 | 21.50 | 23.94 | 5.15 | 26.46 | 5.69 |
| 2018 | 42.03 | 6.65 | 15.83 | 19.72 | 3.12 | 38.26 | 6.06 |
| 2019 | 48.53 | 9.20 | 18.95 | 18.37 | 3.48 | 33.10 | 6.27 |
| 2020 | 41.76 | 5.30 | 12.70 | 27.45 | 3.49 | 30.79 | 3.91 |
Trend description for E9a
The total amount of fish and shellfish from quota stocks landed at English ports has decreased since the start of the time series, from 24,500 tonnes in 2009 to 12,700 tonnes in 2020, peaking at 28,500 tonnes in 2012. Of these, the amount landed at English ports from sustainably managed fisheries has increased from 3,400 tonnes in 2009 (14% of the total) to 5,300 tonnes in 2020 (42%). This peaked in 2017, at a value of 10,600 tonnes (50%). The amount of fish and shellfish from quota stocks landed from unsustainably managed fisheries has decreased from 16,500 tonnes in 2009 (67%) to 3,900 thousand tonnes in 2020 (31%).
Assessment of change
Assessments of change are made for the percentage of landings in English ports sourced from sustainably managed fisheries over the short and medium-term periods. In both cases there has been an improvement recorded.
Change since 2018 has also been assessed. There was little or no change in the percentage of landings in English ports sourced from sustainably managed fisheries since 2018. However, this is based on only 3 data points so should be considered as indicative and not evidence of a clear trend.
The assessment results reported here are not directly comparable with other analyses published elsewhere that use different methodologies to explore these indicator components.
Further information on this assessment, along with details on the methodology, is provided in the Assessment background page. Summaries by 25 Year Environment Plan goal and information on indicator links are presented in the Assessment results pages.
Table E9a: Assessment of change
| Component | Subcomponent | Period | Date range | Percentage change | Smoothing function | Assessment of change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E9a | Percentage sustainable | Short term | 2014 to 2019 | 11.91 | Loess | Improvement |
| E9a | Percentage sustainable | Medium term | 2009 to 2019 | 291.40 | Loess | Improvement |
| E9a | Percentage sustainable | Long term | N/A | N/A | N/A | Not assessed |
Note that assessment categories for the short and long term were assigned based on smoothed data, so percent change figures in Table E9a may differ from unsmoothed values quoted elsewhere. Percentage change refers to the difference seen from the first to last year in the specified date range.
Table E9b: Matrix of environmental management metrics for English aquaculture, 1992 to 2023
| Indicator for | Metric | Unit | Time series | Bivalve shellfish | Finfish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental contamination | Bacterial contamination | Percentage of samples above threshold for E. coli | 1992 to 2022 | Decreasing trend | Not relevant |
| Environmental contamination | Biotoxin contamination | Percentage of samples above Maximum Permitted Level | 2016 to 2022 | No trend | Not relevant |
| Environmental contamination | Chemical contamination | Percentage non-compliant samples | 2011 to 2022 | - | Decreasing trend |
| Environmental contamination | Chemical contamination | Percentage non-compliant samples | 2015 to 2023 | No trend | - |
| Managing pressures on local environments | Antibiotic use | Milligrams active ingredients per kilograms production | 2017 to 2022 | Not relevant | No trend |
| Managing pressures on local environments | Aquatic Animal Health compliance | Number of enforcement actions pernumber of farms | 2011 to 2022 | No trend | No trend |
| Managing pressures on local environments | Farm pollution offences | Number of pollution incidents per number of farms | 2011 to 2022 | Not relevant | No trend |
| Managing pressures on local environments | Triploidy | Percentage reported as triploid | 2012 to 2021 | Decreasing trend | Not relevant |
| Seafood supply | Production | Tonnes | 2012 to 2021 | No trend | Decreasing trend |
Image E9b: Matrix of environmental management metrics for English aquaculture, 1992 to 2023
Trend description for E9b
i) Seafood Supply:
Overall production of finfish in aquaculture has decreased over the period 2012 to 2022, whereas there is no trend in the production of bivalve shellfish. The total tonnage of these 2 aquaculture sectors was 12,500 tonnes in 2021, down from 13,800 tonnes in 2012.
ii) Managing pressures on local environments:
There is no trend in the proportion of farms subject to enforcement actions under the Aquatic Animal Health Regulations 2009 over the period 2011 to 2022, averaging 1.5% and 3% per year of bivalve shellfish and finfish farms respectively. Similarly, there is no trend in the proportion of finfish farms associated with causing pollution incidents, averaging 0.6% of farms per year. There is also no trend in antibiotic use in trout farms.
The percentage of Pacific oyster production reported as triploid has decreased over the period 2012 to 2021, from 50% to 33%.
iii) Environmental Contamination:
The percentages of non-compliant samples for chemicals in trout decreased from 1% in 2011 to 0% in 2022, whereas this exhibits no trend in bivalve shellfish, averaging 0.3% between 2015 and 2022.
The annual percentage of bivalve shellfish samples above a threshold for bacterial contamination (230 E. coli per 100g) has decreased, from 63% in the 1990s, but has remained around 45% in the 2020s.
There is no trend in the percentage of samples exceeding maximum permitted levels for biotoxins, averaging 3.5% per year.
Assessment of change
No assessment of change was undertaken for this indicator as a suitable time series is not yet available in the Outcome Indicator Framework.