Inshore sector a key strength of Shetland fleet. A key strength of the Shetland fishing industry is the broad mix of boats working different fisheries – and no more so than the vitally important inshore fleet.
The inshore component comprises around 200 full and part-time vessels, working work for both fish and shellfish. About half these vessels are licence holders in the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation, catching lobster, crab and scallops.
Sheila Keith, executive officer of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association, told Fish Focus:
“The small-scale inshore sector provides a vital role in supporting local communities, and neatly complements the offshore whitefish and pelagic fisheries carried out by larger vessels.
“There is plenty of haddock and cod on the inshore grounds at the moment, which is great news for this sector,” she says.
This is borne out by an independent survey of commercial fish species 2023 carried out by UHI Shetland. The annual Shetland Inshore Fish Survey, aboard the research vessel Atlantia II, measured over 10,000 fish, providing vital data on relative abundance and population structure that can be compared to results from previous years.
For the second year, the team completed a fish survey around Fair Isle to improve the knowledge in the Fair Isle marine protect area. Fish market sampling covered 36 trips, where 17,393 fish were measured and 2,345 otoliths taken.
The 2023 survey found that haddock was the main component of catches, and cod was at its highest level since 2018, with the highest catches to the west of the islands. Squid was also abundant.
As well as whitefish, some inshore vessels target mackerel with jigging lines in the summer and autumn, which forms an important fishery, with the catches sold fresh at Shetland Seafood Auctions.