01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC045699
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Scotland and other parts of the UK
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 10
- Postcode
- PH16 5BU
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
The Open Seas Trust exists to protect and restore the UK’s seas, focusing especially on Scotland’s inshore waters. We work to stop damaging and illegal fishing practices, safeguard vulnerable habitats, and ensure that marine resources are managed in the public interest. Our approach combines evidence-gathering through independent research and field surveys, legal accountability to uphold environmental law, and policy engagement to influence decision-makers in Scotland and the UK. We also build strong coalitions with communities, fishing groups, and environmental organisations to amplify coastal voices and public support. Through this mix of science, advocacy, and collaboration, we aim to deliver healthier seas, fairer fishing, and lasting environmental protection.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of citizenship or community development
- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
The Charitable Purposes of the SCIO ('the Charitable Purposes') are: 3.1.1 to conserve and to advance the environmental protection, and to promote the conservation and the environmental protection, of marine species in the waters and seas surrounding the United Kingdom. 3.1.2 to advance the environmental protection and improvement of the waters, seas and seabed surrounding the United Kingdom. 3.1.3 to promote the responsible use of marine resources and species in and for the United Kingdom. and 3.1.4 to advance education through scientific and other research in relation to the marine species, waters, seas and seabed surrounding the United Kingdom, and to disseminate the results to policy-makers, the fishing, supply and food industries and to the public generally.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2024 | £428,163 | £482,533 | 10 | 28 August 2025 |
| 31 December 2023 | £412,129 | £405,764 | 10 | 30 September 2024 |
| 31 December 2022 | £415,243 | £365,151 | 10 | 29 September 2023 |
| 31 December 2021 | £286,960 | £197,388 | 10 | 30 September 2022 |
| 31 December 2020 | £154,300 | £114,462 | 10 | 27 September 2021 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- c/o J&H Mitchell,, 51 Atholl Road, Pitlochry
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.openseas.org.uk
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.