Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2019

6. Scottish sea fisheries in comparison to other countries

6.1. Scottish registered vessels compared to the whole of the UK

Landings by Scottish vessels accounted for 62 per cent of the tonnage and 60 per cent of the value of all landings by UK vessels in 2019 (Table 22a). Compared to 2018, this Scottish share of the total UK value has increased by two percentage points and tonnage has decreased by one percentage point.

The Scottish fleet lands 59 per cent both by tonnage and by value of the UK’s demersal fish. Across the top three demersal species by value, Scottish vessels landed high proportions of UK total landings. Scottish vessels landed 50 per cent of UK landings by tonnage and 77 per cent by value of cod. For haddock, Scottish landings accounted for 81 per cent by tonnage and 82 per cent by value. For monkfish, Scottish landings were 61 per cent by tonnage and 64 per cent by value. By comparison, the rest of the UK fleet landed the majority of species such as bass, brill, sole and turbot, showing that the Scottish fleet and rest of the UK fleet mostly fish for different species

Scottish vessels’ landings account for 74 per cent by tonnage and 76 per cent by value of pelagic fish landings into the UK. This included four fifths of UK mackerel landings by tonnage and 83 per cent by value, and 66 per cent of herring landings and value.

Scottish vessels landed 42 per cent of the UK total tonnage and 50 per cent of the UK total value of shellfish. For key species, Nephrops landings by Scottish vessels were 74 per cent of the UK landings by value and 70 per cent by tonnage. Scallops landings were 59 per cent by tonnage and 61 per cent by value of UK landings. The proportions for crabs and lobsters are lower: for edible crabs, Scottish landings were 35 per cent by tonnage and 34 per cent by value of UK landings and for lobsters it was 37 per cent by tonnage and 38 per cent by value.

6.2. Landings into Scotland compared to all landings into the UK

Landings into Scotland were 68 per cent by tonnage and 64 per cent by value of all landings into the UK. This high percentage landed into Scotland applies to all fish landings into the UK across species groups. For demersal species, landings into Scotland represented 81 per cent of the tonnage and 74 per cent of the value. For pelagic landings it was 84 per cent of tonnage and 89 per cent of value and for shellfish landings it was 36 per cent of tonnage and 46 per cent of value.

The Marine Management Organisation produces a comparison of the UK fishing fleet (vessels) by home nation in UK Sea Fisheries Statistics (see Annex 3: Further Information.

6.3. Landings by Scottish vessels compared to landings by other European countries

Data on landings for the European Union^[10] are published by Eurostat and include all EU member states with sea fishing fleets as well as Iceland, Norway and Turkey. Data are available for 2018 for all but four member states^[11]. The EU fishing fleet in 2018 landed 5.4 million tonnes live weight equivalent, of which the UK fleet landed 697 thousand tonnes^[12] (13 per cent). The UK landed the third-highest tonnage of fish, with Denmark and Spain first and second respectively. The Scottish fleet landed 445 thousand tonnes or eight per cent of the EU total, in 2018. If the Scottish fleet was counted separately from the rest of the UK fleet, it would be the fourth-highest tonnage of landings in the EU.

6.4. Scottish vessels compared to UK and European Union vessels

The total EU fishing fleet in 2018 was 81,860 vessels, of which 6,046^[13] vessels (7.4 per cent of the total) were registered in the UK. The Scottish fleet numbered 2,089 vessels or 2.6 per cent of the EU total. Compared to 2009, the EU fishing fleet decreased by 2.8 per cent, the UK fleet decreased by 7.7 per cent and the Scottish fleet decreased by 4 per cent.