FISH LANDINGS IN SCOTLAND IN JUNE 2025

Fish landings in Scotland in June 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 June 2025. The Scottish ones are set out below. The landings are by all UK and foreign vessels.
2. Overall, there was a -3% fall in the value of fish landings in Scotland to just over £34 million, compared with June 2024, but a +7% rise in tonnage to 15,558.
3. That is a little different from the UK totals, which were a no change in value and a +1% increase in tonnage. Scotland accounted for 58% of the UK value and 66% of the tonnage of fish landed.
4. The value per tonne of fish landed in Scotland fell by -9.0% to £2,190 from £2,407 a year ago. The value was -12% lower than the UK average.
5. Five of the nine Scottish ports/districts recorded falls in value and 4 increases. Six also recorded falls in tonnage and only 3 increases. The value increases were in Ullapool (+72%), Fraserburgh
(+68%), Lerwick (+10%) and Peterhead (+10%). The biggest declines were in Cullivoe (-44%), Scrabster (-37%) and the “Other Scotland” harbours (-28%). The biggest tonnage increases were in Fraserburgh (+84%) and Ullapool (+46%); and the biggest declines in Cullivoe (-48%) and Scrabster (-27%).

6. Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK, accounting for a massive 31% of the total Scottish value and 18% of the total UK value in June. The tonnage shares were 43% of the Scottish total and 29% of the UK. The port had a +10% rise in the June value and a +13% rise in the tonnage.
7. Both Ullapool and Fraserburgh had excellent months. Ullapool’s fish landings of £31.1 million were +72% higher than a year ago and tonnage +46% higher. Fraserburgh’s value of just under
£3.8 million was +68% higher and their tonnage +84% higher.
8. Lerwick was the second highest value port and had quite a good June, with a +10% increase in the value of landings to just over £3.1 million. That was 9% of the Scottish total.
9. I have written before that Lerwick seems to be benefiting from declines in fish landings elsewhere in the Shetland Islands, specifically in Cullivoe and Scalloway.
10. Scrabster’s decline continued, with a big -37% fall in the value of landings and -27% in tonnage.
11. Kinlochbervie reported a -3% fall in value to just under £1.4 million and a -7% fall in tonnage to 718.
12. Scalloway reported a -12% fall in value to £509,000 and a -17% fall in tonnage to 175. Cullivoe’s value was -44% lower than in June 2024 and their tonnage -48%. Those were the worst falls in Scotland.
13. The “Other Scotland” harbours and ports reported a -28% fall in value to just under £9.6 million and a –10% fall in tonnage to 3,214. I hope to publish some statistics soon on the various harbours which comprise “Other Scotland” when MMO make those available.
14. I have added the monthly statistics for the first 6 months of 2025 from January to June. The overall total values of the fish landings for each port/harbour are:

15. The total value of fish landings in the 6 months January to June was just over £261 million, which was +6.8% higher than in the same period of 2024.
16. The rankings of the % changes are: