Dear Ed,
Temporary suspension of accredited official statistics status of Sea Fisheries Statistics
I am writing to ask you to consider a temporary suspension to the accredited official statistics status of the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO’s) Sea Fisheries Statistics (SFS) 2023, and associated publications.
The annual SFS is currently an accredited official statistic (formally National Statistics). It was designated as National Statistics in 2012, with this status confirmed in 2019 following a compliance check.
The SFS provides comprehensive statistics about the activity of the fishing industry. It is the only place where estimates for the whole UK, including all UK fishing authorities, can be found.
The publication includes statistical series covering the volume and value of fish landed, fleet size and composition, fishing effort and international trade. The statistical publication focuses on the latest year and a five-year comparison, with time series and detailed data also available.
Alongside the annual release, a series of monthly statistics are published, providing more timely estimates of fishing activity. The monthly Sea Fisheries Statistics are currently accredited official statistics (designated as National Statistics in 2015), with other publications including landings of non-quota stocks of UK vessels in EU waters, fishing effort and fishing vessels made available as official statistics or statistical data series.
The publication largely relies on data extracted from systems used for fisheries management. You will be aware that, on behalf of all UK Fisheries Authorities, the MMO investigated quality concerns in the landings data over the summer, which resulted in the publication of the Sea Fisheries Statistics: Unscheduled Corrections release, published on 8 October 2024. This primarily resolved an underreporting of landings, as records were not flowing through the databases correctly, and updated the exchange rates used to convert sales of fish recorded in currency other than GBP.
Investigating these issues provided an opportunity to consider the statistical production process for the SFS 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 I consider need to be addressed, 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 SFS has improved over time, these changes are not reflected in the materials users rely on to make appropriate use of the SFS.
Given these factors, I am seeking your agreement to temporarily suspend the accredited status of the SFS and associated publications.
MMO is currently finalising our development programme which will consider all aspects of statistical production and presentation with the intention of seeking to reinstate the accredited official statistics status in the future. Where this development programme and consultation with users requires a significant change to current methodologies, it may become necessary to designate aspects of the SFS as official statistics in development. We will keep you updated with our plans.
MMO have engaged with some of our key stakeholders and will provide our broader user base with background information ahead of the next planned release explaining the areas requiring improvement, our request to change the official statistics designation and the reasons for this. We would plan to make the SFS data available on the existing publication schedule as official statistics with clear and prominent signalling to users on the nature and impact of any quality concerns and are committed to engaging and informing users throughout the official statistics development programme.
MMO have engaged and informed our counterparts in the Fisheries Authorities of our plans.
I am copying this letter to Ian Lonsdale, Head of Profession, Defra, Michelle Willis, Chief Executive Officer, MMO, and Mike Rowe, Director of Marine and Fisheries, Defra.
Yours sincerely
Rebekah Paul
Head of Statistics & Analysis and Chief Statistician
Marine Management Organisation
statistics@marinemanagement.org.uk