Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
Find out how the new Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund (FCGF) will support UK fishing businesses and coastal communities.
Applies to England
The Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund (FCGF) will invest £360 million into fishing and seafood businesses and coastal communities across the UK.
This funding includes £56 million which will go to support Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish fishing industries.
The fund will look to modernise the fishing and seafood sector, build resilience, and support coastal regeneration.
How the fund will work
The following information is intended to help applicants in England prepare bids. However, details may change as the fund develops.
We intend for the FCGF in England to operate as a multi‑year funding scheme, with a total value of £304 million over 12 years. We expect £132 million to be allocated up to the financial year 2030 to 2031.
To ensure funding provides benefits as soon as possible, it will start from the financial year 2026 to 2027, through the existing Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS), delivered by the Marine Management Organisation.
Funding priorities
Funding priorities will continue to be developed with feedback from stakeholder engagement.
In year 1, funding will focus on the following priorities:
- labour and workforce development - support intended to help improve recruitment, retention and skills
- enhanced health and safety - activity to promote safer working practices across the sector
- community partnerships, including support for place- based pilots and initiatives that encourage local solutions by those who understand the issues
- strengthened trade and market access - work to improve domestic and international sales and competitiveness
- infrastructure investment that supports long term industry productivity and sustainability
Competitive funding rounds
The scheme will include competitive rounds, particularly for high value or capital intensive projects. Applications in these rounds will be assessed against published criteria including alignment with the specific objectives of the fund, the relevant result indicators and deliverability.
Approach for year 2 onwards
The whole FCGF budget in England will not be limited to delivery through the FaSS. From the financial year 2027 to 2028, the scheme is expected to incorporate a broader range of priority areas.
Stakeholder engagement
The FCGF is being developed with feedback from stakeholders from the fishing and seafood sector, coastal communities and partner organisations.
A round of engagement took place throughout autumn 2025.
What happens next
Before the fund opens, this page will be updated to include information on:
- eligibility
- the application process
- the assessment criteria