Marine Fund Scotland 2025-2026

Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision is that, by 2045, Scotland’s shared stewardship of our marine environment supports ecosystem health, improved livelihoods, economic prosperity, social inclusion and wellbeing.

The Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 is one of the ways that the Scottish Government will support Scotland’s marine sectors to help Scotland achieve the Blue Economy Vision. Most of the outcomes that the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 aims to support are based on the outcomes in the Blue Economy Vision document.

The Marine Fund Scotland is a relatively small fund and where possible we will seek to use it strategically to deliver wider benefits. Applications for projects that demonstrate wider collective benefit (e.g. positive outcomes for communities) over and above, or at least in addition to, benefits for an individual organisation, business or person, are more likely to be successful.

The Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 is for projects starting and delivering in the 2025-26 financial year. At the time of publishing these General Guidance notes (April 2025), funding is only available for expenditure up to 31 March 2026. This means any purchases or work carried out on your project must have been completed and fully paid for by 31 March 2026.

• Individuals or organisations may apply. See “Scope” for some non-exhaustive examples of eligible applicants and projects.
  
  

The proposed project must be in relation to Scotland, the Scottish zone or Scottish fishing boats.

To Be Eligible To Apply, a Project Must

• be within the scope of Scottish Ministers’ grant funding powers under the Fisheries Act 2020, which are being relied upon (as set out in the ‘What legislative powers are being used to deliver funding through the Marine Fund Scotland?’ section of the General Guidance notes), in that the project falls within the specific purposes for which Scottish Ministers can offer funding and that the project is in relation to Scotland, the Scottish zone or Scottish fishing boats.
• meet the other eligibility criteria for the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 (as set out in the ‘Eligibility criteria for the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26’ section of the General Guidance notes).
• clearly deliver benefits that are in line with the desired outcomes of the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 (as set out in the ‘Outcomes for the Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26’ section of the General Guidance notes).

• Providing that the project falls within the scope of Scottish Ministers’ grant making powers as set out in the General Guidance notes, potentially relevant applications might come from (but are not limited to) the following sectors and groups:
• commercial fishing, including ‘young fishers’
• recreational fishing
• aquaculture
• seafood processing (including processing aquaculture organisms) and marketing
• seafood supply chain
• relevant operations at ports and harbours
• research and development (including scientific and research bodies)
• those innovating for the benefit of the marine space for the purposes of developing commercial fish or aquaculture activities or conserving, enhancing or restoring the marine and aquatic environment
• those delivering protection and enhancement of the marine and aquatic environment
• relevant co-operatives
• community initiatives – including beach cleans, events and education (within the specific purposes, noted above, of the Fisheries Act 2020).
• statutory bodies charged with protecting and improving recreational salmon and sea trout fisheries (District Salmon Fishery Boards and their associated Trusts)
  
  

The above list is not exhaustive and the inclusion of a group or sector in the above list does not guarantee an offer of grant funding from the Marine Fund Scotland.

The Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 will not support direct engine replacements or upgrades (i.e. diesel engine for diesel engine, or upgrading a diesel engine). However, at this stage we will consider applications for funding to support the testing of novel engine technologies as part a study or trial to test feasibility and impact.

The Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 will not support like-for-like replacements or routine upgrades of fishing gear. However, at this stage we will consider applications for funding to support the development/adaptation of gear and fishing techniques to reduce impacts on biodiversity and/or natural capital (e.g. improving selectivity), and/or reduce carbon emissions.

The Marine Fund Scotland 2025-26 will not support the replacement of creels or basic design changes such as development of escape hatches. However, we will consider support towards novel and innovative approaches relating to creels, particularly where they deliver significant improvements on the interaction of creel gear with other marine species and the environment.

• The usual grant limits for the Marine Fund Scotland are:
• up to 50% of costs for SMEs
• up to 30% of costs for larger businesses
• up to 60% of costs for organisations of fishers/collectives of fishers acting in a collective manner
  
  

There are some circumstances where 100% of costs can be covered if the proposal is of high collective benefit. Please consult the fund guidelines for full details of these.

Find out more and apply