UK Sea Fisheries Statistics: temporary suspension of the accredited official statistics designation

Question 1

1. Introduction

Accepted Answer

In Summer 2024, on behalf of all UK Fisheries Authorities, the MMO investigated quality concerns in the landing data it manages and uses to produce data included within the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics release.

This resulted in the publication of the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics: Unscheduled Corrections [4] on 8 October 2024. This report published corrections to landings between 2018 and 2022, accounting for an underreporting of landings as records were not flowing through the system as expected. An issue related to the exchange rate applied to convert sales of fish recorded in a currency other than Sterling was also resolved. Additional checks have been in place to monitor data quality and there has been no recurrence of these issues.

Investigating these issues provided an opportunity to consider the statistical production process for the Sea Fisheries Statistics from end to end; from the moment data are entered into the system and the ways in which data are processed, to the way in which the resulting statistics are published and presented.

This highlighted a number of quality issues that ought to be addressed. These areas of improvement are not necessarily to do with the quality of data published within these releases but equally in relation to the presentation and documentation that accompanies these statistical series.

For example:

The Fisherman’s Survey collects data to estimate the number of fishers (full- and part-time) working on English vessels. The data collected in relation to 2023 are not reliable, and the resulting statistics would be misleading.
The methodology used to impute missing sales values is not applied consistently across all records, and in some cases, imputed values are used when sales records exist. There is no audit trial to identify where an imputed value is being used.
Statistical disclosure control methods have not been reviewed since the introduction of GDPR. While we believe the risk of disclosing personal or sensitive information is small, a clear and relevant statistical disclosure control policy should be in place and documented.
Supporting documentation, such as the methodology and quality report, have not been updated in several years. While the methodology used to compile the Sea Fisheries Statistics has improved over time, these changes are not reflected in the materials users rely on to make appropriate use of the Sea Fisheries Statistics.

Given these factors, the MMO has requested a temporary suspension to the accredited official statistics status of the Sea Fisheries Statistics, and associated publications, which was agreed by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

From 3 December 2024, the Sea Fisheries Statistics will not be designated as accredited official statistics. An official statistics development programme is being finalised, with the intent of seeking to re-accredit this statistical release in the future.

Question 2

2. Immediate impact

Accepted Answer

The annual Sea Fisheries Statistics 2023 will be published as scheduled on 5 December 2024.

The results of the Fisherman’s Survey 2023 will not be published. This affects the number of fishers and number of full- and part-time fishers. There are substantial concerns about the reliability of data collected for English vessels, with the resulting estimates contrary to long term trends, coherent publications and anecdotal industry intelligence.

Data for 2022 and earlier continue to be the most reliable estimate of the number of fishers for UK vessels for that time period. The number of fishers for Scottish vessels will continue to be published as part of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics [5], and Seafish have published information about employment in the fishing industry in the Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet [6].

The remainder of the fleet section and other sections included with the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics release (landings, effort & trade) will be published using the same methodology used to date. There will be additional guidance included throughout the release.

The landings data within the release provides a consistent time series and so can and should still be used for any analysis on trends of uptake for UK fisheries. Reported volume and value of landings at overall (high-level) are likely to be within an expected tolerance for operational data such as these and therefore can be considered reliable. This includes reporting of landings at a UK level or broken down by broad species group or vessel nationality (excluding the Channel Islands). Additional caution is advised when looking at specific species with small volumes of landings, as at higher levels of granularity value data is less reliable than previously thought.

The same applies to the monthly sea fisheries statistics [7] and non-quota uptake of UK vessels in EU waters [8] releases. These releases will continue to be made available according to the advertised publication schedule.

Question 3

3. The longer-term development plan

Accepted Answer

The Official Statistics Development Programme will include a full review of the publications produced by the MMO and assess the impact of any quality issues identified, as well as reviewing and updating all supporting documentation around the methodology, quality report and disclosure control. Updates and revisions will be introduced as soon as reasonably possible, and users will be signposted to new or updated information as it becomes available.

Two aspects relating to landing data for English vessels will be considered first:

The MMO is committed to continued transparency around the development of these official statistics. Regular updates on progress and findings will be available, as well as information about upcoming plans.

Question 4

4. Accredited official statistics

Accepted Answer

The Code of Practice for Official Statistics [10] (the Code) details the standards to which official statistics should be produced and published. It is focused around three pillars of trustworthiness, value and quality, and covers all aspects of statistical production, including data collection, processing, and dissemination.

All statistics published by Crown Bodies listed in the Official Statistics Order, including MMO, are designated as official statistics. All official statistics should be published in line with the standards set out in the Code. They may be compliant with the Code but may not have undergone a full independent assessment. Or there may be development required to meet the required standards.

Those official statistics publications that have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation [11] as compliant with the Code are designated as accredited official statistics (formerly National Statistics). This accreditation indicates the statistics are produced to the highest standards, including all relevant materials to support users in their use of the statistics.

A statistical release or series can be designated as official statistics in development (formerly Experimental Statistics) where new or existing official statistics are undergoing change and development that will be tested with users. The MMO does not currently publish any official statistics under development.