Fishing has long been the lifeblood of Cornwall’s coastal communities, providing vital food security, intertwining with tourism and hospitality, and standing as one of Cornwall’s most significant industries but, until recently there was limited data to back this up.

To quantify the economic impact of Cornish seafood, the CFPO commissioned the Value of Seafood to Cornwall report. This comprehensive analysis revealed Cornwall’s seafood sector contributes £174 million to Cornwall’s gross value added, supporting approximately 8,000 jobs.

Landing over fifty different species a year, Cornwall’s fishing fleet is one of the most sustainable and diverse in Europe, yielding an average first-sale value of £50 million a year. Notably, for every fisherman at sea, there are 15 additional jobs onshore, underscoring the industry’s extensive economic reach.

The impressive findings of this research demonstrate how integral Cornwall’s seafood sector is to the Cornish economy, employment and other high-value sectors in the South West.