Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2014

Key Points

Landings by Scottish vessels

The total value of fish landed by Scottish vessels in 2014 was £514 million, an increase of 18 per cent in real terms compared with 2013. This increase in the overall value of landings was driven predominantly by an increase in value of pelagic species, although the other two species types also had an increase in value. The real terms value of pelagic landings increased by 42 per cent to £220 million. Demersal landings had a value of £143 million, a rise of one per cent from 2013, and the value of shellfish landings increased by eight per cent to £151 million. There was also an increase in the quantity of catch landed. A total of 481 thousand tonnes of fish was landed in 2014, an increase of 31 per cent from 2013 and the highest level since 2005. In terms of species types, the quantity of pelagic landings increased
63 per cent, while demersal and shellfish landings decreased by 13 per cent and one per cent, respectively.

Mackerel is the most valuable stock to the Scottish fleet, accounting for 38 per cent (£195 million) of the total value of Scottish landings. In 2014 mackerel landings increased in value in real terms by 52 per cent, driven by the quantity of mackerel landed increasing 79 per cent from 2013. Despite the value of mackerel rising, the average price of mackerel fell by 15 per cent, from £956 per tonne in 2013 to £813 per tonne in 2014. The value of herring, despite an increase of six per cent in quantity landed in 2014, fell in real terms by 20 per cent to £18 million. The overall value of demersal species reduced because of price reductions in the majority of key species since 2013. Demersal species that saw increases in price in real terms were cod (up two per cent), haddock (up seven per cent), hake (up one per cent) and monkfish (up 19 per cent). The rise in value of shellfish landed is mainly due to the increase in value for Nephrops, which represents 15 per cent of the total value of Scottish landings in 2014. The value of Nephrops increased in real terms by 14 per cent to £75 million.

Quota uptake by vessels in Scottish Producer Organisations

Quota uptake for important demersal stocks was high in 2014. Landings of North Sea cod, North Sea monkfish and West of Scotland monkfish were close to 100 per cent uptake of the quota available. Uptake for both North Sea haddock and West of Scotland haddock exceeded 100 per cent. In 2014 North Sea Nephrops quota uptake reached 78 per cent and was higher than the 2013 uptake. This is due to both a lower quota being set in 2014 as well as an increase in quantity landed. Quota uptake for North Sea herring and West of Scotland mackerel exceeded 100 per cent, similar to 2013.

Scottish fishing fleet

The number of active fishing vessels based in Scotland was 2,030 at the end of 2014, representing an increase of ten vessels (0.5 per cent) on the previous year.

In 2014, the number of over ten metre vessels was 583, a decrease of 11 vessels from 2013. The over ten metre demersal sector consisted of 194 vessels, a decrease of ten vessels, while the pelagic sector decreased by two to 21 vessels. The number of vessels in the shellfish sector increased by one to 368 vessels. There were 1,447 vessels in the ten metre and under fleet, an increase of 21 vessels compared to 2013.

Fishermen employed

The number of fishermen employed on Scottish based vessels was 4,796 at the end of 2014. Compared to 2013, there were 196 fewer people employed on Scottish based vessels, representing a four per cent decrease.