Razor clam trial: annual report 2023-2024
A progress update report on the electrofishing for razor clams scientific trial from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024.
5. Vessel Activity, Landings and Employment
2023 represented the start of the razor clam trial’s sixth year, which ran from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024. However, due to 2024 data being pre-statistical release which has yet to be fully quality assured, January 2024 data has been omitted from the analysis. Instead, analysis has been conducted on the 2023 calendar year (1/1/23 to 31/12/23), with January 2023 data being from the fifth year of the trial. This is in keeping with the approach taken to the trial update published in February 2024 but is different from earlier trial update publications.
In 2023, 25 vessels had derogations allowing them to participate on the trial, down from 27 in 2022. However, during 2023, only 22 trial vessels were active[1], down from 23 in 2022. It is worth noting that not all vessels involved in the electrofishing for razor clam trial are Scottish-registered.
In 2023, active trial vessels landed 647 tonnes of razor clams, at a value of just under £5.5 million. This represents a 13% and 16% decrease in tonnage and landed value, respectively, compared to 2022’s annual figures of 743 tonnes and £6.5 million in landed value. The average tonnage caught per active vessel was 29t in 2023, slightly down from 32t per active vessel in 2022. The nominal average landed value per active vessel saw a greater decrease, down from £280,000 in 2022 to £250,000 in 2023. A decrease in the number of active vessels, as well as reduced landings July to December, are primary causes of the reductions in tonnage and landed value seen in 2023 compared to previous years.
The previous four years of the trial indicate a pattern of higher landings in spring and summer, before falling in autumn; some years also saw higher landings in January and December. As evidenced in Figure 1, 2023’s tonnage figures follow a similar pattern for the first half of the year, with landings peaking in June. However, the summer of 2023 saw lower tonnages and landed values compared to previous years, with July, August and September representing the lowest months for tonnage in past four years. October and November figures were more in keeping with the trend, although December 2023 saw a marked decrease in tonnage landed. This contrasts with previous years, which either saw tonnages plateau or increase.
Figure 2 shows the monthly landed value figures since 2020, with 2023’s monthly landed value figures closely following the trend of monthly tonnages.
The average price per kilogram (£/Kg) for 2023 was £8.49 (Figure 3), down 3% from 2022’s £8.77. The price per kilogram remained constant throughout 2023, apart from a brief spike to over £9.00 / Kg from April until June. The price rise of April – June corresponds with an increase in tonnage, suggesting that there is ample demand to fully accommodate any increases in supply. In the second half of 2023, prices did not follow the usual trend of increasing towards the end of the year. The average nominal price per Kg for November and December 2023 was £8.03 / Kg, compared to nominal values of £9.60 / Kg in 2021 and £9.57 / Kg in 2022.
Throughout 2023, around 90 people were employed by vessels enrolled and active, at any point, in the trial. Of which, the majority were regularly employed (regularly employed being those whose fishing was their primary occupation). This is down from 97 in 2022, due to two vessels leaving the trial as well as other vessels being replaced by vessels with different crewing figures. Employment levels will differ at various times during the year due to vessels leaving the trial or being replaced by other vessels. The trial also supports further economic activity and employment for people in the wider supply chain supporting these vessels in Scotland, and in the transportation of the product to market.