Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024
This report is based on the returns of an annual survey questionnaire sent to all active authorised fish farming businesses in Scotland during 2024. Statistics on employment, production and value are presented.
4. Other Species
The Scottish aquaculture sector has continued to farm other species of fish during 2024. The production of brown/sea trout (Salmo trutta) showed an increase, with the majority of production being for the angling restocking market. In 2024 there was production of halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) but the figure cannot be published without revealing the production from an individual company. Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) and several species of wrasse (Labridae) were also produced in 2024. The production of lumpsucker and wrasse are targeted at the marine Atlantic salmon sector where they are used as a biological control for parasites. Lumpsucker and wrasse figures were amalgamated into a single cleaner fish category as separate publication of lumpsucker data would reveal the production of an individual company.However since 2024 all cleanerfish production has been wrasse only.
Company, Site and Production Data
| Species | No. of companies | No. of sites | 2023 production (tonnes) | 2024 production (tonnes) | 2025 Estimated production (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown/sea trout | 6 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 17 |
| Halibut | 1 | 1 | Data excluded | Data excluded | Data excluded |
| Cleaner fish | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
Note: The 2025 production values are sector estimates based on stocks currently being on-grown. Halibut production and estimated production figures cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company. Cleaner fish represents amalgamated lumpsucker and wrasse figures (this figure excluded any larval stage fish).
Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 40.
Staffing
Chart 30: Total number of staff employed in other species production 2015-2024.
Chart 30 shows total number of staff employed in Other species production over the ten-year period from 2015 to 2024. The data are represented by a dark blue line which shows the combined total of full-time and part-time staff each year.
Chart 31: Number of full-time and part-time staff employed in Other species production during 2024, by gender.
Chart 31 displays the number of staff employed in Other species production by gender and employment status (full-time and part-time). The data are represented using dark blue bars for each category.
Note: FT = Full-time and PT = Part-time
In 2024, the overall number of staff employed in the production of other species decreased by nine employees (24%), to 28. Out of 28 staff, 24 were male (86%) and four were female (14%).
Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 41.
Production of Cleaner fish
Chart 32: Number of cleaner fish (lumpsucker and wrasse) produced during 2015-2024.
Chart 32 shows total number of cleaner fish produced (dark blue line) over the ten-year period, 2015 to 2024.
Note: Cleaner fish represents amalgamated lumpsucker and wrasse figures (this figure excluded any larval stage fish).
In recent years lumpsucker and wrasse species. have been produced for use as a biological control for parasites in the marine Atlantic salmon sector. Data on the number of fish produced has only been collected since 2015. These figures were for adult fish and did not include production of larval stage cleaner fish which may have been traded for on-growing at facilities outside of Scotland, shortly after hatching.
Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 42.
Ova Laid Down to Hatch
| Species | Own broodstock laid down to hatch (in 000s) | Other GB broodstock laid down to hatch (in 000s) | Imported ova laid down to hatch (in 000s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown/sea trout | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Halibut | Data excluded | 0 | 0 |
| Cleaner fish | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: Halibut own broodstock ova was laid down to hatch but this cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company. Cleaner fish represents amalgamated lumpsucker and wrasse figures.
Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 43.
Trade in Small Fish
| Species | Bought (in 000s) | Sold (in 000s) |
|---|---|---|
| Brown/sea trout | 25 | 2 |
| Halibut | 0 | 0 |
| Cleaner fish | 0 | 21,825 |
Note: Cleaner fish represents amalgamated lumpsucker and wrasse figures.
The number of cleaner fish sold increased from 19.8 million in 2023 to 21.8 million in 2024. Many of these fish were larval stage fish which were traded for on-growing at facilities outside of Scotland.
There was also a small amount of production of brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis), tiger trout (Salmo trutta crossed with Salvelinus fontinalis) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla). However, due to the small number of companies in production, it is not possible to summarise these data without revealing the production of individual companies.
Data Source: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 44.
Organic Production
Of the 10 sites recorded as producing other species in 2024, no organic production was reported.
Escapes
There were no reported escapes from sites rearing other species during 2024.
Escapes data from previous annual survey reports are available: Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024, Supplementary Tables, Table 46.
Contact
Email: MD.Productionsurvey@gov.scot