Landings Enriched Approach for Positional FISHeries data (LEAPFISH): 2024 publication pre-announcement
Marine Management Organisation (MMO), on behalf of the UK Fishing Authorities, will publish landings-linked spatial fishing activity data for 2024.
Vessel heading to shore
The dataset, known as LEAPFISH (Landings Enriched Approach for Positional FISHeries data), is provisionally scheduled for release on 27 August 2026. Any changes to scheduling will be announced via the release calendar.
The dataset combines spatial location data from Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) with fishing landings data. This enables landings to be linked to fishing activity at a finer spatial scale than is currently available, providing a clearer and more detailed picture of where fishing takes place and what is being caught in those areas. Landings data are already available through the UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2024.
The published data will cover UK fishing vessels 12 metres and over and will include fishing activity from 2024. It does not include i-VMS data. All data will be aggregated to ensure that no sensitive information is disclosed. The time series will be expanded and backdated in future releases.
The data will be published as Official Statistics in Development. This means they are released while methods, processes, and data sources are still being refined. Publishing at this stage provides early insight and invites feedback from users and stakeholders to help improve their quality and value.