Scottish fish farm production survey 2016
Report based on returns of annual survey questionnaire sent to all active authorised fish farming businesses in Scotland.
Executive Summary
The tables below summarise the results from the 2016 fish farms annual production survey.
Rainbow Trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss)
| 2015 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total production | (tonnes) | 8,588 | 8,096 |
| Production for the table | (tonnes) | 8,033 | 7,437 |
| Production for restocking | (tonnes) | 555 | 659 |
| Number of staff employed | 126 | 121 | |
| Mean productivity | (tonnes/person) | 68.2 | 66.9 |
| Number of ova laid down to hatch | (millions) | 12.1 | 9.9 |
| Number of ova imported | (millions) | 11.2 | 9.6 |
In 2016, the production of rainbow trout decreased by 492 tonnes. Employment decreased by five staff and mean productivity decreased to 66.9 tonnes per person. The number of ova laid down to hatch decreased by 2.2 million and the number of ova imported decreased by 1.6 million.
Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar)
Smolts
| 2015 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of ova produced | (millions) | 11.6 | 13.7 |
| Number of ova laid down to hatch | (millions) | 68.2 | 64.3 |
| Number of ova exported | (millions) | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Number of ova imported | (millions) | 59.7 | 49.4 |
| Number of smolts produced | (millions) | 44.6 | 42.9 |
| Number of smolts put to sea | (millions) | 45.5 | 43.0 |
| Number of staff employed | 294 | 294 | |
| Mean productivity (000's smolts/person) | 151.6 | 145.9 | |
The production of ova increased by 2.1 million in 2016 and the number of ova laid down to hatch decreased by 3.9 million. A very small amount of ova were exported in 2016 (0.4 million) and the number of ova imported decreased by 10.3 million from the 2015 figure. The number of smolts produced decreased by 1.7 million. In 2016 the number of staff remained the same and mean productivity decreased by 5,700 smolts per person.
Production fish
| 2015 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total production | (tonnes) | 171,722 | 162,817 |
| Production of 0-year fish | (tonnes) | 626 | 333 |
| Production of grilse | (tonnes) | 53,930 | 59,853 |
| Production of pre-salmon | (tonnes) | 60,182 | 51,310 |
| Production of salmon | (tonnes) | 56,984 | 51,321 |
| Mean fish weight 0-year | (kg) | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| Mean fish weight grilse | (kg) | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| Mean fish weight pre-salmon | (kg) | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| Mean fish weight salmon | (kg) | 5.2 | 4.7 |
| Number of staff employed | 1,363 | 1,486 | |
| Mean productivity | tonnes/person | 126.0 | 109.6 |
Production tonnage decreased by 8,905 tonnes with an increase in the mean weight of 0-year fish but a decrease in the mean harvest weights of grilse, pre-salmon and salmon. Staff numbers increased by 123 and mean productivity decreased to 109.6 tonnes per person.
Smolt survival (percentage harvested)
| Survival (%) | Years 0+1 | Year 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 input year class | 49.6 | 26.7 | 76.3 |
| 2014 input year class | 50.6 | 22.7 | 73.3 |
The smolt survival rate for the 2014 input year class decreased to 73.3%.
Other Species
Including Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus); brown/sea trout ( Salmo trutta) ; halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus) ; lumpsucker ( Cyclopterus lumpus) and several species of wrasse (Labridae)
| 2015 | 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total production | (tonnes) | 107 a | 122 |
| Number of staff employed | (full-time) | 35 | 43 |
| (part-time) | 15 | 20 | |
| Number of ova laid down to hatch | (millions) | 14.8 | 16.9 |
| Number of ova imported | (millions) | 0.6 | 3.2 |
Some figures are excluded from this report as providing them would reveal production information from individual companies.
a Excluding Arctic charr production.
In 2016, the production of other species increased by 15 tonnes from the 2015 total. Overall, employment increased by 13 people in 2016. There was an increase in the number of ova laid down to hatch.
Number of Confirmed Escape Incidents from Fish Farms Notified to the Scottish Government
| Species | Number of reported incidents which could have led to an escape of farmed fish | Number of reported incidents which did lead to an escape of farmed fish | Number of fish escaped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow trout | 0 | 1 | 200 |
| Atlantic salmon (freshwater stages) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Atlantic salmon (seawater stages) | 3 | 5 | 311,496 |
Contact
Email: Lorna Munro, lorna.munro@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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