FISH LANDINGS IN SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER 2024

Fish landings in Scotland in September 2024. 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 September 2024. The Scottish ones are set out below. The landings are by
all UK and foreign vessels.
2. Overall, there was a small -2% fall in the value of fish landings in Scotland to £39.6 million, compared with September 2023, but a big +10% increase in tonnage to 30,461.
3. That is better than the UK totals, which were a -15% fall in value but +3% increase in tonnage. Scotland accounted for 64.7% of the UK value and 70.6% of the tonnage of fish landed.
4. England ports accounted for 28.4% of the UK value total, Northern Ireland 5.8% and Wales 0.2%.
5. Five of the nine Scottish ports/districts recorded increases in value and 4 falls. Six recorded falls in tonnage and 3 increases. The biggest value increases were in Peterhead (+19%) and Scalloway (+10%). The biggest declines were in Other Scotland (-34%) and Cullivoe (-20%). The tonnage increases were in Fraserburgh (+44%). Kinlochbervie (+32%) and Peterhead (+22%).
6. The average value per tonne of fish landed fell by -11% to £1,300 from £1,458 in September 2023. There were huge variations, however. The average value in Peterhead last month was just £1,017. In contrast, it was £3,264 in Other Scotland, £2,549 in Scalloway and £2,189 in Fraserburgh. These ports land proportionately more shellfish than Peterhead.

7. Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK, accounting for a massive 42% of the total Scottish value and 27% of the total UK value in September. The tonnage shares were 59% of the
Scottish total and 38% of the UK. The port had big +19% increases in value and +22% in tonnage, so it was a very good month.
8. Lerwick was the second highest value port in September, recording a 5% rise in value and +1% in tonnage. Some of those increases seem to have been attributable to falls elsewhere in Shetland (ie Cullivoe and Scalloway).
9. Fraserburgh had an excellent month, with a +25% increase in the value and +44% in tonnage landed. In contrast, Scrabster had a poor month with a -13% fall in value and -5% in tonnage.
10. The table below gives the 9 months’ totals from January to September in both years. The Scottish total value of £360.7 million was -1.4% less than for the same period in 2023. The tonnage total of 249,171 was +8.1% higher. There has therefore been a fall in the average value per tonne of about -9%, which must be a serious concern for the industry.

11. Only three ports have had increases in the total value so far in 2024: Lerwick (+24%), Peterhead (+18%) and Kinlochbervie (+14%). The others have had declines, the worst being Cullivoe (-35%) and Ullapool (-32%).
12. Five ports have recorded increases in tonnage and four declines. Some of the tonnage changes have been surprising, notably the +15% rise in Fraserburgh, where the value is -4% lower.
13. Peterhead continues to dominate both the value and tonnage, accounting for 44% and 59% respectively of the Scottish totals.
14. I shall write a more detailed report on the 2023 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.