Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2021

This report is based on the returns of an annual survey questionnaire sent to all active authorised fish farming businesses in Scotland during 2021. Statistics on employment, production and value are presented.


1. Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Production survey information was collected from all 22 companies actively involved in rainbow trout production, farming 48 active sites. This figure represents the entire industry operating in Scotland.

Production

Table 1a: Annual production (tonnes) of rainbow trout during 2007-2021 and projected production in 2022
Year Tonnes Percentage difference Year Tonnes Percentage difference
2007 7,414 -1 2015 8,588 46
2008 7,670 3 2016 8,096 -6
2009 6,766 -12 2017 7,637 -6
2010 5,139 -24 2018 6,413 -16
2011 4,619 -10 2019 7,405 15
2012 5,670 23 2020 7,576 2
2013 5,611 -1 2021 8,156 8
2014 5,882 5 2022 10,631*

* Industry estimate based on stocks currently being on-grown.

Production increased in 2021 by 580 tonnes, an increase of 8%, to 8,156 tonnes.

Table 1b: Production (tonnes) for the table trade during 2012-2021 according to weight category
Year <450 g 450-900 g >900 g Total
<1 lb 1-2 lbs >2 lbs Tonnes
2012 1,195 1,655 2,209 5,059
2013 1,908 825 2,268 5,001
2014 2,334 290 2,704 5,328
2015 2,299 258 5,476 8,033
2016 2,393 234 4,810 7,437
2017 2,000 544 4,453 6,997
2018 803 223 4,848 5,874
2019 343 228 6,335 6,906
2020 403 164 6,465 7,032
2021 384 154 7,117 7,655

Production for the table in 2021 was 7,655 tonnes, an increase of 623 tonnes (9%) on the 2020 total. This accounted for 94% of the total rainbow trout production, an increase on the proportion to that produced in 2020. Also, an increase in the number of fish in the large size range and a decrease in the number of fish in the small and medium size ranges were observed.

Table 1c: Production (tonnes) for the restocking trade during 2012-2021 according to weight category
Year <450 g 450-900 g >900 g Total
<1 lb 1-2 lbs >2 lbs Tonnes
2012 22 266 323 611
2013 24 221 365 610
2014 28 256 270 554
2015 15 158 382 555
2016 35 183 441 659
2017 10 150 480 640
2018 14 143 382 539
2019 16 113 370 499
2020 46 130 368 544
2021 14 128 359 501

In 2021, production for the restocking of angling waters decreased to 501 tonnes representing a decrease of 43 tonnes (8%) on the 2020 total. This accounted for 6% of total rainbow trout production in 2021. These figures represent the tonnage of fish supplied to angling waters for restocking purposes; they do not account for the catch taken by anglers. There was a decrease in production of fish from all the size categories.

Production by Site

Table 2: Number of sites grouped by tonnage produced during 2012-2021
Year Number of sites per production tonnage Total number of sites
<1-25 26-100 101-200 >200
2012 10 10 6 8 34
2013 6 11 5 8 30
2014 6 11 5 9 31
2015 4 10 5 11 30
2016 6 10 3 13 32
2017 4 8 5 11 28
2018 5 10 3 11 29
2019 5 9 4 10 28
2020 6 13 2 11 32
2021 4 10 3 10 27

Production was reported from 27 of the 48 active sites. The number of producers in the 101-200 tonnes size bracket increased while those in the <1-25, 26-100 and >200 tonnes size brackets decreased. These figures do not include those sites specialising in the production of ova or young fish for on-growing.

Production by Method

Table 3: Grouping of rainbow trout sites by production tonnages, main methods of production in 2021 and comparison with production in 2020
Production method Production grouping (tonnes) in 2021 Total tonnage and (%) by method Number of sites
<10 10-25 26-50 51-100 >100 2020 2021 2020 2021
FW cages 0 0 0 0 5 2,279 (30%) 1,976 (24%) 6 5
FW ponds and raceways 1 1 6 2 3 1,022 (14%) 968 (12%) 14 13
FW tanks and hatcheries 2 0 0 1 0 86 (1%) 68 (1%) 3 3
SW cages 0 0 1 0 5 4,189 (55%) 5,144 (63%) 9 6
SW tanks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 3 1 7 3 13 7,576 8,156 32 27

Seawater production accounted for 5,144 tonnes (63%) and freshwater production the remaining 3,012 tonnes (37%). Production from all freshwater facilities decreased while production from seawater cage facilities increased during 2021.

Company and Site Data

Table 4: Number of companies and sites in production during 2012-2021
Year No. of companies No. of sites
2012 25 48
2013 24 46
2014 24 46
2015 24 45
2016 24 44
2017 23 44
2018 23 53
2019 22 52
2020 21 50
2021 22 48

In 2021, the number of companies authorised by the Scottish Government and actively engaged in rainbow trout production was 22. The number of sites registered and in production was 48.

Staffing and Productivity

Table 5: Number of staff employed and productivity per person during 2012-2021
Year Full-time Male Full-time Female Total Full-time Part-time Male Part-time Female Total Part-time Total Staff Productivity (tonnes/person)
2012 74 5 79 23 5 28 107 53.0
2013 85 4 89 16 5 21 110 51.0
2014 86 7 93 13 7 20 113 52.1
2015 100 10 110 10 6 16 126 68.2
2016 90 10 100 15 6 21 121 66.9
2017 98 12 110 15 7 22 132 57.9
2018 103 8 111 17 8 25 136 47.2
2019 103 11 114 21 9 30 144 51.4
2020 97 13 110 20 4 24 134 56.5
2021 107 16 123 19 4 23 146 55.9

The overall number of staff employed in 2021 increased by 12 to 146. The number of full-time staff increased by 13 while the number of part-time staff decreased by one. Productivity, measured as tonnes produced per person, decreased by 1% in 2021 with no distinction between full and part-time employees being made for this calculation.

Production by Area

Table 6: Production and staffing by area in 2021
Area No. of sites Table production (tonnes) Restocking production (tonnes) Total production (tonnes) Mean tonnes per site Staffing Productivity (tonnes/person)
F/T P/T Total
North* 10 454 33 486 48.6 13 4 17 28.6
East 11 515 266 781 71.0 33 11 44 17.6
West 17 6,290 8 6,298 370.5 53 3 56 112.5
South 10 396 194 591 59.1 24 5 29 20.4
All 48 7,655 501 8,156 169.9 123 23 146 55.9

*From 2018, the North area also included production and staff from the Western Isles and from 2021 production and staff from Orkney was also included

Productivity was greatest in the West at 370.5 tonnes per site and 112.5 tonnes per person.

Figure 1: The regional distribution of active rainbow trout sites in 2021
This is a map showing the distribution of active rainbow trout sites in Scotland in 2021. The map is split into 4 areas: North, East, West and South and has black dots showing where each site is on the map.

© Crown copyright and database rights 2020 OS (100024655)

Type of Ova Laid Down

Table 7: Number (000’s) and proportions (%) of eyed ova types laid down to hatch during 2012-2021
Year All female diploid no. (%) Triploid no. (%) Mixed sex diploid no. (%) Total ova
2012 10,967 (85) 2,005 (15) 7 (<1) 12,979
2013 7,857 (80) 1,955 (20) 77 (<1) 9,889
2014 8,321 (75) 2,710 (25) 9 (<1) 11,040
2015 10,245 (85) 1,800 (15) 76 (<1) 12,121
2016 7,986 (80) 1,943 (20) 5 (<1) 9,934
2017 2,366 (34) 4,670 (66) 5 (<1) 7,041
2018 1,460 (23) 4,843 (77) 15 (<1) 6,318
2019 1,077 (16) 5,369 (82) 105 (2) 6,551
2020 286 (5) 5,943 (95) 15 (<1) 6,244
2021 2 (<1) 4,877 (<100) 15 (<1) 4,894

Source of Ova Laid Down

Table 8: Number (000’s) and sources of eyed ova laid down to hatch in 2012-2021
Year Ova produced in Great Britain (GB) Imported ova Total Ova Laid Down
Own stock Other stock Total Northern hemisphere Southern hemisphere Total
2012 14 230 244 12,735 0 12,735 12,979
2013 77 537 614 9,275 0 9,275 9,889
2014 9 655 664 10,376 0 10,376 11,040
2015 6 888 894 11,227 0 11,227 12,121
2016 35 349 384 9,550 0 9,550 9,934
2017 20 547 567 6,474 0 6,474 7,041
2018 15 495 510 5,808 0 5,808 6,318
2019 10 22 32 6,519 0 6,519 6,551
2020 15 1,552 1,567 3,712 965 4,677 6,244
2021 181 1,068 1,249 3,645 0 3,645 4,894

In 2021, the total number of eyed ova laid down to hatch decreased by 1.4 million (22%) on the 2020 figure. Imported ova came from only the Northern hemisphere during 2021. The proportion of ova from GB broodstock increased (26% of the total) and the rainbow trout industry remained reliant on imported ova. Data on the importation of ova into Scotland are also available from the health certificates and are shown in Table 9a. Any discrepancy between the figures in Tables 8 and 9a is due to data being obtained from two independent sources.

Imports from Official Import Health Certificates

Table 9a: Number (000’s) and sources of ova imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2012-2021
Source 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Denmark 1,950 1,315 2,500 2,330 5,535 3,518 3,728 5,567 3,703 1,861
Isle of Man 300 800 1,000 175 20 300 0 0 0 0
N. Ireland 8,332 5,125 4,780 6,535 3,040 1,240 1,085 380 150 0
Norway 300 175 710 670 500 774 0 0 0 0
South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,225 0
Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 180 828
USA 1,800 2,350 1,700 1,675 750 0 855 430 0 950
Totals 12,682 9,765 10,690 11,385 9,845 5,832 5,668 6,437 5,258 3,639
Table 9b: Seasonal variation in numbers (000’s) and sources of ova imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2021
Month Denmark Spain USA
January 310 0 0
February 0 0 0
March 896 0 0
April 640 0 0
May 15 0 0
June 0 0 0
July 0 0 0
August 0 0 0
September 0 348 550
October 0 0 0
November 0 480 400
December 0 0 0
Totals 1,861 828 950
Table 9c: Number (000’s) and sources of fish imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2012-2021
Source 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
N. Ireland 155 537 674 746 592 486 391 935 787 463

Suppliers within the European Union (EU) accounted for 74% of ova imported into Scotland during 2021 with the USA accounting for the remaining 26%. In recent years there has been a trend for producers to import part grown rainbow trout into Scotland from Northern Ireland.

Trade in Fry and Fingerlings

Table 10: Number (000’s) of fry and fingerlings traded during 2012-2021
Year Fry and fingerlings bought Total number bought Total number sold
All female diploid no. (%) Triploid no. (%) Mixed sex diploid no. (%)
2012 12,543 (91) 1,226 (9) 0 13,769 12,088
2013 6,734 (84) 1,239 (16) 0 7,973 6,749
2014 5,911 (81) 1,423 (19) 0 7,334 6,719
2015 6,104 (87) 598 (9) 290 (4) 6,992 6,971
2016 6,452 (85) 1,125 (15) 0 7,577 6,779
2017 3,989 (73) 1,446 (27) 0 5,435 4,145
2018 979 (42) 1,361 (58) 0 2,340 2,383
2019 861 (25) 2,532 (75) 0 3,393 2,832
2020 937 (33) 1,916 (67) 0 2,853 2,544
2021 417 (13) 2,711 (87) 2 (<1) 3,130 3,389

The established trade between hatcheries and on-growing farms continued in 2021. Some companies specialised in fry and fingerling production. The total number of fry and fingerlings bought increased by 10% while the number sold increased by 33%. The disparity between supply and demand is due to trade with England and Wales.

Use of Vaccines

Table 11: Number of sites rearing fish vaccinated against enteric redmouth disease ( ERM) and number of fish vaccinated (millions) during 2012-2021
Year 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
No. of sites 24 19 21 17 18 18 17 21 18 19
No. of fish 20.4 9.9 10.0 8.3 7.3 5.4 3.4 3.4 2.8 3.1

Vaccines continued to be used as a preventative treatment against enteric redmouth disease (ERM), a potentially serious bacterial infection, caused by Yersinia ruckeri. Vaccination is generally carried out as a bath treatment at the fingerling stage, although some vaccines are administered by intra-peritoneal injection. A total of 3.1 million fish were vaccinated on 19 sites.

Organic Production

Of the 48 sites recorded as being active in rainbow trout production in 2021, none were certified as organic.

Escapes

There was one incident involving the loss of 52 fish from a rainbow trout site in 2021. There was one additional incident reported where the company confirmed there was no loss of fish.

Contact

Email: lorna.munro@gov.scot

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