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Publication - Statistics

Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023

Published
30 October 2024
From
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands
Directorate
Marine Directorate
Topic
Marine and fisheries
ISBN
9781836019213

This report is based on the returns of an annual survey questionnaire sent to all active authorised fish farming businesses in Scotland during 2023. Statistics on employment, production and value are presented.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

1. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Production survey information was collected from all 20 companies actively involved in rainbow trout production, farming 49 active sites. This figure represents the entire sector operating in Scotland.

Production

Table 1a: Annual production (tonnes) of rainbow trout during 2014-2023 and projected production in 2024.

Note: The 2024 production value is a sector estimate based on stocks currently being on-grown.

Year Tonnes Percentage difference
2014 5,882 5
2015 8,588 46
2016 8,096 -6
2017 7,637 -6
2018 6,413 -16
2019 7,405 15
2020 7,576 2
2021 8,156 8
2022 8,757 7
2023 9,258 6
2024 5,179

Production increased in 2023 by 501 tonnes, an increase of 6%, to 9,258 tonnes. This is the highest level of rainbow trout production recorded in Scotland.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 1a.

Table 1b: Production (tonnes) for the table trade during 2014-2023 according to weight category.
Year <450 g <1 lb 450-900 g 1-2 lb >900 g >2 lb Total Tonnes
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
2022 345 188 7,651 8,184
2023 165 199 8,429 8,793

Production for the table in 2023 was 8,793 tonnes, an increase of 609 tonnes (7%) on the 2022 total. This accounted for 95% of the total rainbow trout production, an increase on the proportion to that produced in 2022. Also, an increase in the number of fish in the medium and large size ranges and a decrease in the number of fish in the small size range were observed.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 1b.

Table 1c: Production (tonnes) for the restocking trade during 2014-2023 according to weight category.
Year <450 g <1 lb 450-900 g 1-2 lb >900g >2 lb Total tonnes
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
2022 25 207 341 573
2023 18 118 329 465

In 2023, production for the restocking of angling waters decreased to 465 tonnes representing a decrease of 108 tonnes (19%) on the 2022 total. This accounted for 5% of total rainbow trout production in 2023. 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 the number of fish in the small, medium and large size ranges during 2023.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 1c.

Production by Site

Table 2: Number of sites grouped by tonnage produced during 2014-2023.
Year <1-25 tonnes 26-100 tonnes 101-200 tonnes >200 Tonnes Total number of sites
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
2022 6 10 3 10 29
2023 6 12 2 10 30

Production was reported from 30 of the 49 active sites. The number of producers in the 26-100 tonnes size bracket increased by two while those in the 101-200 tonnes size bracket decreased by one. The number of sites in the <1-25 and >200 tonnes size brackets remained the same as in 2022. These figures do not include those sites specialising in the production of ova or young fish for on-growing.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 2.

Production by Method

Table 3a: Grouping of rainbow trout sites by production tonnages and main methods of production in 2023.
Production method <10 tonnes 10-25 tonnes 26-50 tonnes 51-100 tonnes >100 tonnes
FW pens 0 0 0 0 4
FW ponds and raceways 1 1 8 1 2
FW tanks and hatcheries 3 0 0 1 0
SW pens 0 1 0 2 6
SW tanks 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 2 8 4 12
Table 3b: Comparison of the main methods of production (total tonnage and %) and the number of sites in 2022 and 2023.
Production method Total tonnage and (%) by method 2022 Total tonnage and (%) by method 2023 Number of sites 2022 Number of sites 2023
FW pens 2,545 (28%) 1,878 (20%) 6 4
FW ponds and raceways 970 (11%) 741 (8%) 14 13
FW tanks and hatcheries 87 (1%) 91 (1%) 3 4
SW pens 5,246 (60%) 6,548 (71%) 6 9
SW tanks 0 0 0 0
Total 8,757 9,258 29 30

Seawater production accounted for 6,548 tonnes (71%) and freshwater production the remaining 2,710 tonnes (29%). Production from freshwater tanks and hatcheries and from seawater pens increased during 2023 while production from freshwater pens and freshwater ponds and raceways decreased.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 3.

Company and Site Data

Table 4: Number of companies and sites in production during 2014-2023.
Year No. of companies No. of sites
2014 24 46
2015 24 45
2016 24 44
2017 23 44
2018 23 53
2019 22 52
2020 21 50
2021 22 48
2022 20 46
2023 20 49

In 2023, the number of companies authorised by the Scottish Government and actively engaged in rainbow trout production was 20. The number of sites registered and in production was 49.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 4.

Staffing and Productivity

Table 5: Number of staff employed and productivity per person during 2014-2023.
Year Total Full-time Staff Total Part-time Staff Total Staff Productivity (tonnes/person)
2014 93 20 113 52.1
2015 110 16 126 68.2
2016 100 21 121 66.9
2017 110 22 132 57.9
2018 111 25 136 47.2
2019 114 30 144 51.4
2020 110 24 134 56.5
2021 123 23 146 55.9
2022 118 20 138 63.5
2023 116 20 136 68.1

The overall number of staff employed in 2023 decreased by two to 136. The number of full-time staff decreased by two, whilst the number of part-time staff remained the same. Productivity, measured as tonnes produced per person, increased by 7% in 2023 with no distinction between full and part-time employees being made for this calculation.

A full break down of staff numbers by gender can be found in the: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 5.

Production by Area

Table 6a: Production by area in 2023.

Note: 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.

Area No. of sites Table production (tonnes) Restocking production (tonnes) Total production (tonnes) Mean tonnes per sites
North 8 156 35 191 23.9
East 11 777 196 973 88.5
West 19 7,586 4 7,590 399.5
South 11 274 230 504 45.8
All 49 8,793 465 9,258 188.9
Table 6b: Staffing by area in 2023.
Area Full-time staff Part-time staff Total staff Productivity (tonnes/person)
North 9 3 12 15.9
East 40 9 49 19.9
West 45 1 46 165.0
South 22 7 29 17.4
All 116 20 136 68.1

Productivity was greatest in the West at 399.5 tonnes per site and 165.0 tonnes per person.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 6.

Figure 1: The regional distribution of active rainbow trout sites in 2023
Figure 1 showing a map of the regional distribution of active rainbow trout sites in Scotland in 2023. The map is split into 4 areas: North (red), East (brown), West (turquoise) and South (green) and has black dots showing where each site is on the map.

Type of Ova Laid Down

Table 7: Number (000’s) and proportions (%) of eyed ova types laid down to hatch during 2014-2023.
Year All female diploid no. (%) Triploid no. (%) Mixed sex diploid no. (%) Total ova
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
2022 8 (<1) 4,138 (<100) 5 (<1) 4,151
2023 218 (5) 3,936 (95) 10 (<1) 4,164

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 7.

Source of Ova Laid Down

Table 8: Number (000’s) and sources of eyed ova laid down to hatch in 2014-2023.

Note: GB = Ova produced in Great Britain (GB).

Year Own GB stock Other GB stock Total GB ova Northern hemisphere ova Southern hemisphere ova Total imported ova Total ova laid down
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
2022 740 774 1,514 2,637 0 2,637 4,151
2023 674 1,259 1,933 2,231 0 2,231 4,164

In 2023, the total number of eyed ova laid down to hatch was similar to that in 2022. Imported ova all came from the Northern hemisphere during 2023. The proportion of ova from GB broodstock increased (46% of the total). In addition to GB produced ova the sector has a reliance 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.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 8.

Imports from Official Import Health Certificates

Table 9a: Number (000’s) and sources of ova imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2014-2023.
Source 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Denmark 2,500 2,330 5,535 3,518 3,728 5,567 3,703 1,861 0 0
Isle of Man 1,000 175 20 300 0 0 0 0 0 0
N. Ireland 4,780 6,535 3,040 1,240 1,085 380 150 0 0 0
Norway 710 670 500 774 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,225 0 0 0
Spain 0 0 0 0 0 60 180 828 428 518
USA 1,700 1,675 750 0 855 430 0 950 2,330 1,690
Totals 10,690 11,385 9,845 5,832 5,668 6,437 5,258 3,639 2,758 2,208

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 9a.

Table 9b: Seasonal variation in numbers (000’s) and sources of ova imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2023.
Month Spain USA
January 0 320
February 140 380
March 0 300
April 0 0
May 218 0
June 0 110
July 0 0
August 0 380
September 0 0
October 160 0
November 0 100
December 0 100
Totals 518 1,690

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 9b.

Table 9c: Number (000’s) and sources of fish imported into Scotland from outwith GB during 2014-2023.
Source 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
N. Ireland 674 746 592 486 391 935 787 463 609 396

Suppliers from the USA accounted for 77% of ova imported into Scotland during 2023, with suppliers from within the European Union (EU) accounting for the remaining 23%. There was a continuing trend for producers to import part grown rainbow trout into Scotland from Northern Ireland.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 9c.

Trade in Fry and Fingerlings

Table 10: Number (000’s) of fry and fingerlings traded during 2014-2023.
Year All female diploid no. bought (%) Triploid no. bought (%) Mixed sex diploid no. bought (%) Total number bought Total number sold
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
2022 29 (1) 2,763 (99) 1 (<1) 2,793 2,975
2023 34 (1) 2,810 (99) 0 2,844 3,221

The established trade between hatcheries and on-growing farms continued in 2023. Some companies specialised in fry and fingerling production. The total number of fry and fingerlings bought increased by 2% and the number sold increased by 8%. The disparity between supply and demand is due to trade with England and Wales.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 10.

Use of Vaccines

Table 11: Number of sites rearing fish vaccinated against enteric redmouth disease (ERM) and number of fish vaccinated (millions) during 2014-2023.
Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
No. of sites 21 17 18 18 17 21 18 19 18 17
No. of fish 10.0 8.3 7.3 5.4 3.4 3.4 2.8 3.1 2.8 2.8

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 2.8 million fish were vaccinated on 17 sites.

Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023, Supplementary Tables, Table 11.

Organic Production

Of the 49 sites recorded as being active in rainbow trout production in 2023, none were certified as organic.

Escapes

There was one incident involving the loss of six fish from a rainbow trout site in 2023. There was one additional incident reported where the company confirmed there was no loss of fish.

Contact

Email: MD.Productionsurvey@gov.scot

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