A total of 367,000t of fish and shellfish, valued at £430M, was landed last year, while volumes remained flat for the seventh consecutive year, boat numbers fell but employment rose.
SFF boss Bernie Armstrong warned: “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 yet significant drop in vessel numbers is a worrying sign of the difficulties that lie ahead.”
‘Significant damage to the fleet’
But the biggest threat to the Scottish fish industry and the communities it supports was the forthcoming discard ban, he added. “Nobody wants to throw fish away, but the rules as they presently stand will not work without significant damage to the fleet,” said Armstrong. “It is now time for this issue to be addressed at a political level.”
Scottish fisheries secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Given the backdrop of the difficult economic trading conditions these statistics show that overall the volume of landings from the Scottish fleet held up reasonably well in 2013.
“I am encouraged to see there has been a 5% increase in the number of fishermen employed on Scottish based vessels.”
The number of active fishing vessels at Scottish ports was 2,020 at the end of 2013, down by 26% on the previous year.
Sinking value of fish
The sinking value of fish landings was attributed to price reductions for key species. Mackerel was the most valuable stock to the Scottish fleet, accounting for 29%, or £126M, of the total value of Scottish landings.
Mackerel landings in 2013 fell in value by 5% in real terms, compared with the previous year.
The most valuable shellfish species to the Scottish fishing industry was nephrops – also known as Dublin Bay prawns – which accounted for 15% of the total value of all Scottish landings, valued at £65M.
Nephrops landings by Scottish vessels fell by 23% in real terms from 2012, driven by a 13% fall in the quantity landed and an 11% drop in the price.
Read the statistician’s report – which updates figures produced in April – here.
Meanwhile, last month fears focused how Russia’s food import ban would impact the Scottish fishing industry. Chair of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association Alex Wiseman told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “We are very worried. Russia is the biggest importer of our nation’s fish – mainly mackerel. We are talking about £17M worth of seafood and fish.
“Also, several thousand jobs in fish processing plants could be affected.”
Fish facts 2013
• Pelagic landings fell by 9% to £153M
• Demersal (bottom feeding fish) landings fell by 4% to £140M
• Shellfish landings fell by 4% to £137M