Trawler numbers fall to record low
Demand for action as fishing income plummets
SCOTLAND’S fishing fleet has fallen to a record low, as skippers retired more boats l ast year due to dwindling stocks and a slump i n the value of landings.
New figures show there are now only 2,020 boats, with many smaller ones taken out of service in the past year.
The total value of fish and shellfish landed by Scots trawlers has also dropped by 9 per cent to £430million.
The lucrative shellfish sector recorded a dramatic 14 per cent fall in landings, which took the overall fishing catch down.
There was also a fall of 5 per cent in the value of the country’s most valuable catch – mackerel – to £126million.
Fishing leaders warned of the impact of continuing rising costs and falling prices and demanded Government action.
According to Scottish Government statistics, Scotland’s fish- ing fleet landed 367,000 tons in 2013. But dwindling North Sea stocks of langoustines meant only 62,100 tons were landed, with the total shellfish catch down to £137million.
Langoustines are no longer the most valuable species to the fleet and the catch was worth 11 per cent less than in 2012.
Mackerel was the most valuable fish, with 134,000 tons landed, accounting for 29 per cent of the total catch.
Bertie Armstrong, Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive, said: ‘This startling drop in the quayside value of seafood landed highlights the huge pressures faced by our fishing fleet.
‘The decrease in value of landings comes as no surprise and reflects the market, while the small but significant drop in vessel numbers is a worrying sign of the difficulties that lie ahead.
‘ These problems are bad enough but the biggest threat to the fishing i ndustry and i ts communities is the forthcoming discard ban.
‘The rules as they presently stand will not work without significant damage to the fleet. It is now time for this issue to be addressed at a political level.’
The falls come after research last year warned that fishermen
‘Huge pressures
faced by fleet’
are now so dependent on prawns that a collapse in stocks would devastate the industry.
According to researchers at the University of York, the removal of natural predators from the sea has meant catches of prawns, scallops and lobsters have rocketed around the world.
Scottish Conservative fisheries spokesman Jamie McGrigor said: ‘The reduction in the value of fish landings is significant and concerning and Scottish fisher- men will be hoping that the market price of key stocks such as mackerel – which has been affected by the overfishing of stocks by Iceland and the Faroes – recovers this year.
‘The fact that Scotland now has the smallest-ever recorded fishing fleet is disturbing news.
‘This should act as a wake-up call to the Scottish Government to do more to support Scotland’s fishermen who still contribute so much to the Scottish economy.’
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said that given the backdrop of difficult trading conditions, the overall volume of landings had held up reasonably well, though any fall in value hit businesses.
He added: ‘The Scottish Government continues to promote Scotland’s priorities on the i nternational stage and is focused on getting the best possible deal in fisheries negotiations, while working hard to get support from across Europe to fight off new burdens.’