FISH LANDINGS IN SCOTLAND IN MARCH 2025

Fish landings in Scotland in March 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 March 2025. The Scottish ones are set out below. The landings are by all UK and foreign vessels.
2. It was a mixed month, with a -1% fall in the value of fish landings to just under £31 million but a +2% rise in the tonnage to 30,575.
3. Scotland accounted for 57% of the UK value and 75% of the tonnage of fish landed, which is a big difference. The usual average shares are about 65%. England ports accounted for 36% of the UK value total, Northern Ireland 6% and Wales 1%.
4. The value of fish landed was just £1,004 per tonne, which was -3% lower than in March 2024. The average for 2024 as a whole was £1,500, so the latest average is well down.
5. Four of the nine Scottish ports/districts recorded increases in value and five decreases. The biggest value increases were in Fraserburgh (+41%), Ullapool (+33%) and Lerwick (+25%). Four ports/districts recorded increases in tonnage and five declines. There was a huge +397% increase in the tonnes of fish landed at the “Other Scottish” ports; I have asked MMO for an explanation of that. The landings at Peterhead were a surprisingly -55% lower.

6. Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK, accounting for 30% of the total Scottish value and 20% of the total UK value in March. The tonnage shares were 33% of the Scottish total and 25% of the UK. However, those shares were much lower than the usual averages, because the port experienced a huge -55% fall in the landings’ tonnage and -15% in value, compared with
March 2024.
7. Ullapool had the second highest landings, with a +33% rise in the value and +38% in tonnage.
8. Lerwick was the third highest value port, with a +25% rise in the value and +23% in tonnage.
9. In contrast, Scrabster had another disappointing month, with a -30% fall in value and -17% in tonnage.
10. Fraserburgh also had a good month, recording a +41% increase in value – the biggest in the country – and a +34% increase in value.
11. The Other Scotland ports/harbours had a very strange month because the statistics show a huge fourfold (+397%) increase in tonnage, although only a +3% rise in value. I have asked MMO to
explain the huge increase in tonnage.
12. The table below gives the landings totals for the first 3 months of 2025. The total Scottish value of £169.3 million was 20% higher than in the first quarter of 2024. The Scottish tonnage total of 105,872 was -5% lower. There has therefore been a significant increase in fish prices so far in 2025.

13. Five of the ports/harbours have recorded increases in the value of landings so far but four declines. Only two, including Other Scotland, have had rises in tonnage.
14. Peterhead has recorded a 34% rise in the value of landings, despite a -16% fall in the tonnage.
15. Scrabster has had the biggest fall in value (-32%).
16. The final table 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.

17. 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%).
18. 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.
19. Peterhead continues to dominate both the value and tonnage, accounting for 47% and 59% respectively of the Scottish totals.
20. Lerwick ranks 2nd. Some of its growth in 2024 is obviously attributable to falls in the other Shetland ports of Cullivoe and Scalloway.
21. 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.