Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024
An Accredited Official Statistics publication that provides detailed information on the tonnage and value of landings, fishing vessel characteristics and employment.
Part of
Corrections
After the release of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024 publication, it was discovered that some landings had been double counted. This was the result of some manual additions for 2023 and 2024, which were previously excluded from our dataset, being unexpected fixed shortly before our publication data was extracted. So, when we added in these landings we introduced double counting.
This publication and associated supplementary tables were corrected in February 2026 by removing the double counting from the 2023 and 2024 data. Some changes, typically very minor may also have occurred in 2020-2022 data as a result of the information being extracted from a live system that is subject to change.
This correction resulted in a reduction of the overall landings for Scottish vessels anywhere in 2024, from 561 thousand tonnes worth £756 million to 532 thousand tonnes worth £734 million. The overall trend is unchanged, with the tonnage and value of the landings by Scottish vessels in 2024 remaining the greatest tonnage and highest value of the last ten years.
All tables and text which include landing weight and value of landings by Scottish vessels or into Scotland have been corrected. The key changes to the 2024 data as a result of the corrections are:
- A 5% decrease in the tonnage of all landings by Scottish vessels anywhere in 2024 and a 3% decrease in the value.
- A 3% decrease in the tonnage of all landings by Scottish vessels into Scotland in 2024 and a 1% decrease in the value.
- A 12% decrease in the tonnage of Nephrops landings by Scottish vessels into Scotland in 2024 and a 2% decrease in the value.
- A 9 % decrease in the tonnage of all landings by Scottish vessels abroad in 2024 and a 9% decrease in the value.
- The large decrease in the landings of Scottish vessels abroad is due to the double counting of large blue whiting landings.
- A 19% decrease in the tonnage of Blue whiting landed abroad by Scottish vessels in 2024 and a 45% decrease in the value.
The information on total allowable catches quota and uptake (section 2.4), the Scottish sustainable fishing indicator (section 2.5), the size of the Scottish fleet (section 4.1) and employment (section 5) remain unchanged.
Sea fish and shellfish landings in 2024
The Scottish fishing industry value in 2024 was £734 million. This is the highest value (adjusted to 2024 prices) of the last ten years. Scottish fishing vessels landed 532 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish, the greatest tonnage of the last ten years. A summary of the headline numbers are:
- Scottish vessels landed 532 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish in 2024. An increase of eight per cent compared to 2023 and an increase of 33 per cent compared to 2020.
- Scottish vessels landed £734 million of sea fish and shellfish in 2024. Adjusted to 2024 prices, this is an increase of three per cent compared to 2023, and of 27 percent compared to 2020.
- Scottish vessels landed 191 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish worth £189 million abroad in 2024. Landings abroad make up 36 per cent of tonnage and 26 per cent by value.
Performance of each sector
The value of the pelagic sector increased between 2023 and 2024, whereas the value of the shellfish and demersal sectors decreased. The changes for each sector were:
- The value of pelagic landings, adjusted to 2024 prices, increased by 12 per cent.
- The value of demersal landings, adjusted to 2024 prices, decreased by three per cent.
- The value of shellfish landings, adjusted to 2024 prices, decreased by eight per cent.
The eight per cent increase in tonnage landed by Scottish vessels between 2023 and 2024 results from an increase in landings for the pelagic and shellfish sectors:
- Pelagic landings increased by 11 per cent.
- Shellfish landings increased by one per cent.
- Demersal landings decreased by three per cent.
Key species
- Mackerel remained the most valuable species in 2024 worth £285 million, making up 39 per cent of the total value of Scottish vessels’ landings.
- Haddock was the most valuable demersal species and represented six per cent of the total value of Scottish vessels’ landings.
- In 2024, 1,485 tonnes of creeled Nephrops were landed by Scottish vessels with a value of £17 million. 17 thousand tonnes of trawled Nephrops were landed worth £64 million.
The Scottish fishing fleet
The number of active Scottish vessels was 1,998 in 2024, a decrease of one per cent compared to 2015:
- The Scottish fleet is dominated by vessels that are 10 metres and under in length with a total of 1,525 vessels falling into this category in 2024. There are 473 over 10 metres vessels.
- Compared to 2015, the 10 metres and under fleet has increased by five per cent while the over 10 metres fleet has decreased by 16 per cent.
- The 26 over 40 metres Scottish vessels make up just one per cent of the number of vessels but landed 52 per cent of the value of all landings and 99 per cent of the value of pelagic landings.
Employment on Scottish fishing vessels
- In 2024, 3,735 fishers were working on Scottish vessels, down 48 fishers compared to 2023.
- Since 2015, employment on Scottish vessels has fallen 15 per cent.