FISH LANDINGS IN SCOTLAND IN MARCH 2024

Fish landings in Scotland in March 2024. A note by Tony Mackay, Economist

1. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have just published their monthly fish landings statistics for the UK for March 2024. The Scottish ones are set out below. The landings are by all
UK and foreign vessels.
2. Overall, there was a big -17% fall in the value of fish landings in Scotland to just under £29 million, compared with March 2023, and a -6% fall in tonnage to 29,514.
3. That is much worse than the UK totals, which were a -6% decline in value but a +2% rise in tonnage. Scotland accounted for 52.6% of the UK value and 69.9% of the tonnage of fish landed.
4. Seven of the nine Scottish ports/districts recorded falls in value and only 2 an increase. Seven also recorded falls in tonnage and only 2 increases. The value increases were in Kinlochbervie (+12%) and Lerwick (+8%). The biggest declines were in Fraserburgh (-52%), Ullapool (-49%) and Scrabster (-40%). The tonnage increases were in Kinlochbervie (+47%) and Peterhead (+2%).
5. The value per tonne of fish landed fell by -13% to £975 from £1121 a year ago.
6. Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK, accounting for a massive 37% of the total Scottish value and 19% of the total UK value in January. The tonnage shares were 75% of the
Scottish total and 52% of the UK. However, there was a -6% fall in the March value.
7. Ullapool overtook Lerwick as the second highest value port, although the latter had the second largest tonnage. Kinlochbervie overtook Scrabster as the fourth highest value port.
8. I shall write a more detailed report on the 2023 annual totals when MMO publish the annual statistics. That will include the statistics for the ports/districts which make up the “Other Scotland
“category.