Wild Wrasse Fishery – 2021/22 Report

1. Summary

Wrasse are an important cleaner fish for many aquaculture companies in Scotland. The fishery for wrasse has developed since the late 1980’s and the Scottish Government and Salmon Scotland introduced voluntary controls in 2018. Following consultation in 2020, mandatory controls and data collection for the fishery were introduced in 2021. Sixty-one derogations were issued for the 2021 wrasse fishery and sixty-three derogations for the 2022 wrasse fishery. Total landings were 68.0 tonnes in 2021 and 78.6 tonnes in 2022. Ballan wrasse is typically the most common species of wrasse landed and accounted for 73.0% of the reported landings (by weight) in 2021 and 80.6% in 2022. The control measures are regarded as a first step to improve management of the wrasse fishery in Scotland. The Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government intends that the measures for the Scottish wrasse fishery will be kept under review and subject to refinement as more evidence becomes available.