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Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS)
The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme provides financial assistance for projects that support the development of the catching, processing and aquaculture sectors, and for projects that enhance the marine environment. The scheme is available to applicants whose organisation and/or vessels are registered in England.
The scheme is delivered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), who are on hand to provide expert advice to those considering applying.
The scheme is open to businesses from across the catching (including recreational fishing), aquaculture and processing sectors – as well as charities and public and semi-public organisations.
Defra will review the scheme at regular intervals and plans to roll out changes – including the delivery of a range of competitive funding rounds – to reflect feedback from stakeholders, evolving policies and the needs of the industry.
To be eligible for this scheme you must be one of the following:
an individual or business engaged within commercial or sea fishing, aquaculture or processing or an organisation or business engaged within recreational sea fishing;
a public body or local authority in a local community that has a focus on fishing, aquaculture or processing activities (including trust ports and local authority ports, and public bodies, using funds for environmental improvements or the management of fisheries);
a university or research institute;
a new entrant to the industry or unemployed individual that could benefit from knowledge or skills in fishing, aquaculture or processing activities.
You will be required to declare if you have received funding from other Government financial support schemes and, if so, what for. This is to prevent any duplication of funding and to ensure rules around maximum thresholds of support are complied with. If you are an applicant engaged in recreational sea fishing it is suggested that you contact the MMO Grants Team before making your application so that we can best advise you on how to complete your application form whilst additional IT development takes place.
If you are a business, you will need to declare which of the following categories you fall under (definitions can be found in the general guidance document
micro-entity
small business
medium-sized business
larger enterprise.
You will be required to provide a level of match funding for your project.
Further detail on eligibility criteria is set out in the scheme’s guidance on the MMO’s website:
Key objectives include: creating a more sustainable and resilient sector; boosting the demand for English seafood and accessing new markets; improving participation through co-design and co-management; achieving good environmental status through the conservation and restoration of the marine environment.
Individual application timeframe
The MMO will contact you within 5 working days to confirm receipt of your application.
The MMO will assess your application within 8 weeks of its receipt and will notify you if any further information is required. Once all the required information to allow a decision to be made is received, the MMO will contact you to tell you if your application has been successful or not.
(if your project is unsuccessful, the scheme will not cover any costs you have incurred by starting your project at your own risk).
Scheme lifespan
Funding will be provided through the scheme for the next three financial years.
To ensure long-term support is delivered to the sector, the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) will now also support multi-annual projects which can be completed up until the end of February 2025.
For projects which last less than a year, we recommend that applicants aim to complete their project within the same financial year of the application.
Applicants can apply online using the following website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fisheries-and-seafood-scheme
You will be asked to provide details of your proposed project and supporting evidence.
You should complete your application using the scheme guidance also published on the website. For help with your application, you can contact the MMO helpline on 020802 65539.
All applicants applying to the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme must read the general guidance document as well as the project specific guidance before applying:
