Volume of fish landed rises but quayside prices drop

Mackerel most valuable catch but imports devalue other species

Scotland’s fishing catch was worth £429million to the economy in 2013 but the figure was down by 8% on the year before, official figures show.

Increased imports of cod and other key species contributed to poorer prices on the quayside, the Scottish Government said yesterday.

The total value of last year’s haul was down from £466million in 2012, although volumes increased slightly to 366,400 tonnes.

Mackerel retained its position as the country’s most valuable species, and it accounted for 29% of all landings last year.

The 134,000 tonnes of mackerel landed by Scottish boats were worth a total of £126million, compared with a value of £131million for a haul of the same size in 2012.

White-fish landings in 2013 were worth £139million, down by 3% despite a 7% increase in volumes to 102,000 tonnes.

The government’s provisional figures also showed the industry in Scotland employed 4,992 people last year, a 5% increase on 2012 and the first rise in the workforce since 2008.

There were 2,026 Scottish boats fishing in 2013, down from 2,046 the year before.

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong said the “alarming” drop in the value of seafood landed underlined the pressures faced by the fleet.

He added: “Scottish seafood is renowned around the world for its high quality, provenance and sustainability, yet despite signs of global economic recovery it would seem that the market for our fish and shellfish is showing little sign of improving.

“This is causing a double whammy of hardship for our fishermen as the poor market situation is set against the background of ever- increasing operational costs for the fishing fleet.”

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “These figures show a strong performance by the Scottish fishing industry, with a slight increase in landings in what was a challenging year and a welcome increase in the number of fishermen for the first time since 2008.

“Strong international supplies of some of our more popular species, like cod, put pressure on prices for white-fish.

“Our prawn fleet had a challenging year, with unusually poor catches, although the signs for the 2014 fishery are more encouraging.

“Our pelagic fleet can of course look forward to substantially increased quotas for mackerel in 2014 following the recent international agreement.”

Mr Lochhead added: “The natural and commercial variations that our fishermen contend with each year underline why it is so important for industry and government to work together to achieve the greatest value from each box of fish landed.”