Fish landings down at Scrabster
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The value of fish landings at Scrabster was the third highest for ports across Scotland for the month of January – but overall value, as well as tonnage, were both still down compared to the same month last year.
Figures published by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for January 2024 record fish landings by all UK and foreign vessels in UK ports.
Scrabster landed 1233 tonnes of fish last month, compared to 1634 tonnes in January 2023.
The value of the landings at the port was £3.4 million compared to £4.2 million for the same month last year.
Overall, there was a 19 per cent increase in the value of fish landings in Scotland – to just over £93 million – compared with January 2023.
There was a one per cent increase in tonnage to 55,398 comparing the two months.
That is better than the UK-wide totals, which saw a 13 per cent increase in value and a two per cent fall in tonnage.
Scotland as a whole accounted for 84.6 per cent of the UK value and 86.8 per cent of the tonnage of fish landed in the month.
Value increases were recorded in Kinlochbervie (+ 46 per cent), Peterhead (+ 43 per cent) and Lerwick (+ 12 per cent).
The biggest declines were in Cullivoe (- 80 per cent) and Ullapool (- 58 per cent).
The tonnage changes between January 2023 and 2024 were geographically similar.
Peterhead is by far the busiest fishing port in the UK.
It accounts for a massive 67 per cent of the total Scottish value and 57 per cent of the total UK value of fish landings in January.
Lerwick is the second busiest port.
