Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan - Socio-Economic Baseline Review

8 Commercial Fisheries

8.1 Spatial Extent and Intensity of Activity and Interests

8.1.1 The waters surrounding Orkney and the Northern Highlands are ripe fishing grounds which help support local employment and aid social cohesion. The region is known for quality fishing grounds and is often marketed in relation to this. The local fisheries also provide an important service to local onshore businesses - many of whom are dependent on locally caught produce. Figure 6 shows ScotMap ^[27] data for fishing vessels active in the PFOW area.

8.1.2 230 fishing vessels were registered to the administrative areas ^[28] of Scrabster and Orkney in 2013, according to Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics. The Scottish fleet, as a whole, comprised of 2,020 vessels in 2013. Scrabster and Orkney vessels accounted for 11.4% of the fleet. The majority of vessels in Scrabster and Orkney are small in terms of size. In 2013, 77.0% of Scrabster and Orkney vessels were less than 10 metres in length. Only 13 vessels were greater than 15 metres in length.

Figure 6 Vessel Activity In PFOW Area ^[29]

Table 15 Length of Active Scottish Vessels by District, 2013 ^[30]

District	Vessel Length (metres)
	≤10	>10-12	>12-15	>15-24	>24-40	>40	Total
Scrabster	82	4	2	2	2	-	92
Orkney	95	25	9	5	4	-	138
Total	177	29	11	7	6	-	230

8.2 Economic value and employment

8.2.1 Scrabster and Orkney vessels employed 429 fishermen on a regular basis and 164 fishermen on an irregular (or part-time) basis in 2013. ^[30] Orkney administered vessels employed a significant amount of irregular workers compared to Scrabster. 36.4% of fishermen employed on Orkney vessels in 2013 were employed on an irregular basis. Only 2.0% of fishermen employed on Scrabster vessels were employed on an irregular basis.

Table 16 Employed Fishermen on Scottish Vessels by District, 2013 ^[30]

District	Regularly Employed	Irregularly Employed
Scrabster	148	3
Orkney	281	161
Total	429	164

8.2.2 Scrabster and Orkney port districts received landings from 5,500 voyages in 2013. The total value of landings by Scottish vessels into Scrabster and Orkney district ports was £27.1m in 2013. Although the number of voyages received into Scrabster and Orkney district ports was similar there was a significant divergence in terms of the value and quantity of the fish that was landed. In 2013, landings by Scottish vessels into Scrabster district ports were worth £19.9m, with a weight of 12,724 tonnes. Landings into Orkney were worth £7.2m, with a weight of 3,836 tonnes.

Table 17 Number of Voyages and the Quantity and Value of Landings by Scottish Vessels by District, 2013 ^[30]

District	Number of Voyages	Quantity (tonnes)	Value (£000)
Scrabster	2,800	12,724	19,952
Orkney	2,700	3,836	7,226
Total	5,500	16,560	27,178

8.2.3 Landings into Scrabster district ports in 2013 were predominantly made up of demersal species. By quantity, 74.8% of landings into Scrabster district ports were demersal species, 25.0% of landings were shellfish species. By value, 74.0% of landings into Scrabster district ports were demersal species, 25.8% were shellfish species. Landings into Orkney district ports in 2013 were predominantly made up of shellfish species. By quantity, 98.9% of landings into Orkney district ports were shellfish species. By value, 99.4% of landings into Orkney district ports were shellfish species. By species, the value per quantity of shellfish landed across both Scrabster and Orkney district ports was £1,822 per tonne in 2013. For demersal species the value per quantity was £1,660 per tonne. For pelagic species the value per quantity was £400 per tonne.

Table 18 Quantity of all Landings by District and Main Species, 2013 ^[30]

District	Quantity (tonnes)
	Demersal	Pelagic	Shellfish	Total
Scrabster	11,552	18	3,862	15,433
Orkney	33	7	3,806	3,847

Table 19 Value of all Landings by District and Main Species, 2013 ^[30]

District	Value (£000)
	Demersal	Pelagic	Shellfish	Total
Scrabster	19,196	6	6,708	25,911
Orkney	38	4	7,268	7,311

8.2.4 Figure 7 shows Vessel Monitoring System ( VMS) data in the PFOW area. VMS is a form of satellite tracking using transmitters on board fishing vessels. It is required for EU vessels over 12m as of 2012 and provides an estimate of fishing intensity. It can then be combined with landings data to provide monetary estimates. A further breakdown by gear type of VMS monetary value estimates is provided in the Appendix.

Figure 7 VMS Monetary Value Estimates for PFOW area (2009-14) ^[31]

8.2.5 While district level landings data gives an indication of fishing activity within the vicinity of a district it is necessary to look at actual catch data in order to gain a more focussed overview of the fishing activity taking place within the PFOW area. Vessels may land into the PFOW area but their fishing activity may take place further afield. It is important to distinguish between where fishing activity takes place and where that fish is landed. For the purposes of this baseline review the PFOW area is defined, by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ( ICES) rectangle, as: 46E5, 46E6, 46E7, 47E6 and 47E7. ^[32]

8.2.6 On average, between 2009 and 2013, £17.2m worth of fish was landed annually from within the PFOW defined rectangles. This is inclusive of all UK vessels ( i.e. Scottish and rest of UK vessels) regardless of where they landed and non- UK vessels who landed into UK ports. Shellfish species were the main component, by value, of the landings composition from within the PFOW rectangles, accounting for 50.1% of total landings. Pelagic species accounted for 26.0% of total landings by value. Demersal species accounted for 23.9% of total landings by value.

Table 20 Average Landings Value by Main Species and ICES Rectangle (2009-13) ^[33]

Species Type	Value (£000)
	46E5	46E6	46E7	47E6	47E7
Demersal	248	961	156	2,614	138
Pelagic	1,191	249	230	927	1,893
Shellfish	861	2,387	1,009	1,715	2,666
Total	2,300	3,597	1,395	5,257	4,697

8.2.7 On average, between 2009 and 2013, 16,378 tonnes of fish was landed from within the PFOW defined rectangles. Again, this is inclusive of all UK vessels ( i.e. Scottish and rest of UK vessels) regardless of where they landed and non- UK vessels who landed into UK ports. Pelagic species were the main component, by quantity, of the landings composition from within the PFOW rectangles, accounting for 60.7% of total landings. Shellfish species accounted for 24.7% of total landings by quantity. Demersal species accounted for 14.5% of total landings by quantity. The value per quantity of fish landed across the PFOW rectangles between 2009 and 2013 was, on average, £1,052 per tonne. By species, the value per quantity for shellfish was £2,131 per tonne. For demersal species the value per quantity was £1,728 per tonne. For pelagic species the value per quantity was £451 per tonne.

Table 21 Average Landings Quantity by Main Species and ICES Rectangle (2009-13) ^[30]

Species Type	Quantity (tonnes)
	46E5	46E6	46E7	47E6	47E7
Demersal	209	544	142	1,377	109
Pelagic	2,640	591	547	2,386	3,780
Shellfish	452	1,094	551	842	1,113
Total	3,301	2,230	1,240	4,605	5,002

8.2.8 The commercial fisheries sector within the PFOW area naturally supports onshore processing businesses, via the downstream supply chain, which are reliant on high-quality, locally-sourced catch. Recent Marine Scotland research ^[34] provides an overview of the dependency of processors on landings into the PFOW area. The research found that for the Orkney Islands, the bulk of landings (crustaceans) go into the Mainland (Stromness, Tingwall and Kirkwall) where a good road network allows the product to be transported to the main processing facility. The other bulk of landings (crustaceans) go directly to a processing facility on Westray. It is estimated that a significant proportion of value of landings into these onshore businesses comes from the PFOW area (35% of crustaceans come from inside the PFOW area). Using input-output analysis the report estimated that the initial £2.5m of raw material from PFOW Study Area contributes, directly and indirectly, to £10.4m in output at the local level and £18.4m at the Scottish level. This output supports £2.9m in income and 159 full time equivalent ( FTE) jobs at the local level. At the Scottish level output supports £5.7m in income and 244 FTE jobs. The research found that in the Northern Highlands the majority of landings going into processing facilities comes from out with the PFOW area.

8.3 Historic and future trends

8.3.1 Over the last nine years Scotland's commercial fishing fleet, in terms of active fishing vessels, has shrunk by 13.1% from 2,325 vessels to 2,020 vessels. Generally, over time, vessels have become bigger, more powerful and more efficient. Employment with the commercial fisheries sector has fallen by 5.3% since 2004 from 5,275 to 4,992. From 2004 to 2013 the value of landings by Scottish vessels, in real terms, increased by 15.3% between. This was driven largely by a rise in the value of pelagic species (44.6%). The value of shellfish and demersal species landed by Scottish vessels increased by 6.6% and 0.9% respectively, in real terms, over the same period. The volume of fish landed, overall, by Scottish vessels has decreased by 14.2% since 2004, though has remained broadly flat since 2007. From 2004 to 2013 the volume of pelagic species landed by Scottish vessels decreased by 25.4%. The volume of demersal and shellfish species increased by 0.8% and 13.6% over the same period.

8.4 Data Gaps and Limitations

8.4.1 In broad terms the availability of data which covers the commercial fisheries sector is good relative to other sectors where data are sparser. However there are a number of limitations which affect the ability to assess the location and intensity of fishing activity within the PFOW region. Value and effort data are available at the ICES rectangle level for UK over-10m vessels (effort) and all UK vessels landing into the UK and abroad, and foreign vessels landing into the UK (value). While these data gives an overview of fishing activity the spatial precision it offers lacks detail. For example, ICES level data assumes effort (and hence value) is distributed evenly across each rectangle. Clearly this assumption is too broad-brush for analysis that focusses on a specific area or region. For over 15m vessels VMS data offers precise spatial data on where vessels are presumed to be fishing. Though assumptions are made as to the definition of fishing activity (generally it is assumed that the speed of a vessel can be used as a proxy for when fishing is taking place). This effort data must also be linked to landings data in order to associate a value with each fishing ping. VMS estimates are just that - estimates. For under 15m vessels Scotmap data offers more spatial precision than ICES-rectangle-level data. Regarding limitations of the ScotMap data it should be noted that rasterised monetary value data and the monetary value maps are based on information provided during face-to-face interviews with individual vessel owners. Their estimates of average earnings for the preceding five years (not vessel earnings as recorded on the Fisheries Information Network) and the spatial information they provided, which was defined with variable precision. The data relate to the period 2007-2011. A proportion of skippers declined to be interviewed or to give earnings information. There also appears to be some regional bias in the refusal / no contact rate. The data coverage varies across regions - 72% of the vessels on the target list were interviewed, although the vessel coverage for Orkney was 100%.

8.4.2 Beyond the available data sources which cover the commercial fisheries sector the key data gap is the extent to which there is a dependency on specific fishing grounds. Recent research conducted for Marine Scotland provides an overview of the supply-chain links between the fish-catching sector and the onshore processing sector in Orkney and the Northern Highlands. Other than this little data or analysis is available, at an appropriate regional scale, covering the socio-economic linkages between fishing activity and onshore businesses and communities. Understanding such linkages is crucial in order to better contextualise available landings value and effort data.