FISH LANDINGS IN SCOTLAND IN FEBRUARY 2025

Fish landings in Scotland in February 2025. 

A note by Tony Mackay, Economist. tony@tonymackay.co.uk

1. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have just published their monthly fish landings statistics for the UK for February 2025. The Scottish ones are set out below. The landings are by all UK and foreign vessels.

2. It was a very disappointing month, with a -15% fall in the value of fish landings to just under £28 million and a -29% fall in the tonnage to just under 17,000.

3. Scotland accounted for 61% of the UK value and 66% of the tonnage of fish landed. That was similar with the usual average shares of about 65%. England ports accounted for 32% of the UK value total, Northern Ireland 6% and Wales 2%.

4. The value of fish landed was £1,647 per tonne, which was +20% higher than in February 2024. The average for 2024 as a whole was £1,500.

5. Three of the nine Scottish ports/districts recorded increases in value and six decreases. The value increases were in Kinlochbervie (+29%), Ullapool (+18%

) and Peterhead (+5%). Two ports/districts recorded small increases in tonnage and seven declines, with the worst being in Fraserburgh(-71%) and Lerwick (-65%).

6. Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK, accounting for 42% of the total Scottish value and 25% of the total UK value in February. The tonnage shares were 63% of the Scottish total and 42% of the UK. The port had a small +5% increase in value but a -19% fall in tonnage.

7. Scrabster was the second highest value port in February but recorded a -5% fall, and -9% in tonnage.

8. Both Kinlochbervie and Ullapool had a surprisingly good month, with +29% and +18% rises in value respectively.

9. In marked contrast, it was a bad month for the Shetland ports. Lerwick recorded a massive -43% fall in value and -65% in tonnage, and there were also falls in both Cullivoe and Scalloway.

10. The table below gives the 12 months’ totals from January to December 2024. The Scottish total value of £510.2 million was -1% lower than 2023. The tonnage total of 340,049 was +6% higher.

11. Only three ports had increases in the value of landings in 2024: Kinlochbervie (+21%), Lerwick (+20%) and Peterhead (+16%) The others had declines, the worst being Cullivoe (-40%) and
Ullapool (-30%).

12. Four ports recorded increases in tonnage and five declines. Some of the tonnage changes have been surprising, notably the +4% rise in Fraserburgh, where the value is -5% lower.

13. Peterhead continues to dominate both the value and tonnage, accounting for 47% and 59% respectively of the Scottish totals.

14. Lerwick ranks 2nd. Some of its growth in 2024 is obviously attributable to falls in the other Shetland ports of Cullivoe and Scalloway.

15. I shall write a more detailed report on the 2023 and 2024 annual totals when MMO publish the annual statistics. That will include the statistics for each of the various ports/districts which make up the “Other Scotland” category.