Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2025
An Accredited Official Statistics publication that provides detailed information on the tonnage and value of landings, fishing vessel characteristics and employment.
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In 2025, Scottish vessels landed 479 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish with a value of £885 million (Table 8). Compared to 2024 the value of landings adjusted to 2025 prices increased by 16 per cent and the tonnage landed has decreased by 10 per cent. The value adjusted to 2025 prices of all three sectors increased. There was an increase in landed tonnage for demersal and shellfish sectors, and a decrease for the pelagic sector.
The number of voyages made by Scottish vessels was one percent fewer than 2024 and 13 per cent fewer than in 2021 (Table 22). This has not resulted in a decrease in the total tonnage landed, with nine per cent more landed than in 2021.
Changes to the overall tonnage and value of Scottish fishing industry tend to be driven by the pelagic sector. This sector is the largest by tonnage and by value, accounting for 68 percent of the tonnage landed by Scottish vessels in 2025 and 55 per cent of the value. This sector is seasonal and generally operates with larger vessels. Large pelagic boats make a small number of long voyages resulting in large landings by weight and value.
Pelagic species, such as herring and mackerel, are found mainly in shoals in midwater or near the surface of the sea. Annual changes in quota allocation for pelagic species have a big impact on the tonnage and value landed. In 2025, the tonnage of pelagic fish landed decreased by 17 per cent compared to 2024, however the value adjusted to 2025 prices increased by 26 per cent between 2024 and 2025. This increase in value is largely due to a 75 per cent increase in the price per tonne of mackerel between 2024 and 2025.
Shellfish landed by Scottish vessels and included in this publication are crustaceans, molluscs and cephalopods. This includes species such as lobsters and crabs, which are commonly eaten in restaurants. In 2025, the tonnage of shellfish landed increased by 11 per cent compared to 2024. The value adjusted to 2025 prices increased by seven per cent between 2024 and 2025.
Demersal fish are those which live close to the seabed such as cod, haddock and monkfish. In 2025, the tonnage of demersal fish landed increased by three per cent compared to 2024. The value adjusted to 2025 prices increased by five per cent between 2024 and 2025.
Chart 1. The real value of the fish landed by Scottish vessels reached a high of £885 million in 2025, from a low of £602 million in 2020 due to the impacts of Covid-19.
Total tonnage and value (adjusted to 2025 prices) of landings by Scottish vessels, 2016 to 2025.
Data source: Table 3.
As can be seen in Chart 1, between 2016 and 2022 the tonnage of fish landed by Scottish vessels was generally stable at around 450 thousand. In 2023 and 2024 the tonnage landed increased, reaching a high of 535 thousand tonnes in 2024 before decreasing to 479 thousand tonnes in 2025.
Key species landed
There was a 16 per cent change in the real terms value (values for previous years adjusted to 2025 prices) of landings by Scottish vessels between 2024 and 2025. This reflects an increase in the value of landings across all three sectors.
The tonnage landed by Scottish vessels decreased by 10 per cent between 2024 and 2025. This was driven by a decrease of 17 per cent in the tonnage of pelagic landings compared to 2024. Demersal tonnage increased by three per cent and shellfish tonnage increased by 11 per cent compared to 2024.
Table 1. The value adjusted to 2025 prices of Mackerel landings increased by 37 per cent whilst tonnage decreased by 21 percent between 2024 and 2025.
Change in total tonnage and value of landings by Scottish vessels between 2024 and 2025, by key species.[1],[2],[3]
|
Species |
Tonnage 2025 |
Tonnage change from 2024 (percent) |
Value (thousands of pounds) 2025 |
Value change from 2024 (percent) |
|
Haddock |
38,337 |
8 |
48,077 |
10 |
|
Monkfish |
10,161 |
7 |
40,518 |
15 |
|
Cod |
9,509 |
-20 |
42,046 |
-1 |
|
Whiting |
8,900 |
7 |
11,296 |
14 |
|
Other demersal |
30,016 |
4 |
64,493 |
0 |
|
Total demersal |
96,923 |
3 |
206,430 |
5 |
|
Mackerel |
150,652 |
-21 |
405,476 |
37 |
|
Herring |
63,418 |
-24 |
44,823 |
-24 |
|
Other pelagic |
109,649 |
-3 |
34,216 |
16 |
|
Total pelagic |
323,538 |
-17 |
484,514 |
26 |
|
Nephrops |
20,840 |
12 |
90,172 |
7 |
|
Scallops |
16,915 |
7 |
35,951 |
7 |
|
Edible crabs |
7,051 |
-3 |
17,370 |
-2 |
|
Lobsters |
1,474 |
10 |
21,155 |
3 |
|
Other shellfish |
11,977 |
23 |
28,997 |
16 |
|
Total shellfish |
58,257 |
11 |
193,645 |
7 |
|
Total |
478,718 |
-10 |
884,590 |
16 |
By weight and value, pelagic species account for the majority of landings by Scottish vessels. Mackerel remained the most valuable species with £405 million landed, accounting for 46 per cent of the total value of Scottish landings.
Scottish vessels commonly catch a wide variety of demersal species, including more than a dozen species with landings that are worth over £2 million annually (Table 8). Haddock was the most valuable demersal species and represented five per cent of the total value of Scottish vessels’ landings and 23 per cent of the value of demersal landings in 2025.
Nephrops are the most valuable shellfish stock and the only shellfish species currently subject to quota. Scottish vessels fish for Nephrops by creeling and by trawling. Creeled Nephrops are often caught and exported live. Creeled Nephrops represent a smaller tonnage of landings, but attract an average price per tonne three times that of trawled Nephrops. Some trawled Nephrops are sold whole but the majority are sold as tails for turning into scampi. In 2025, 1,628 tonnes of creeled Nephrops were landed by Scottish vessels with a value of £18 million [4]. 19 thousand tonnes of trawled Nephrops were landed worth £72 million. These data are presented in Table 27.
Chart 2. Mackerel is the most common fish species landed by Scottish vessels by weight. 151 thousand tonnes of mackerel were landed in 2025, 39 per cent more than the next most common species by weight, Blue whiting.
Scottish vessel’s most commonly landed fish species by tonnes landed in the UK and abroad, 2025.
Data source: Table 8.
Chart 3. Mackerel is the most common fish species landed by Scottish vessels by value. £405 million of mackerel were landed in 2025, over four times the next most common species by value, Nephrops.
Scottish vessel’s highest value landed fish species by thousands of pounds landed in the UK and abroad, 2025.
Data source: Table 8.
Long term sector trends
Over the past 10 years, 2016 to 2025, the tonnage of pelagic landings has increased by 10 per cent with the real terms value (value adjusted to 2025 prices) increasing by 61 per cent. Pelagic landing tonnage is largely driven by the available quota (Tables 33 to 36).
Compared to 2016, the tonnage of demersal landings increased by two per cent with the value adjusted to 2025 prices decreasing by 10 per cent. Demersal landing tonnage is affected by available quotas, affecting some species, such as cod, more than others (Tables 33 to 36).
Over the period 2016 to 2025, the tonnage of shellfish landings fell by eight per cent with the value adjusted to 2025 prices falling by 14 per cent.
Chart 4. Landings of pelagic species by Scottish vessels increased from 234 thousand tonnes in 2019 to 388 thousand tonnes in 2024 before decreasing to 324 thousand tonnes in 2025.
Tonnage of landings by Scottish vessels by species type, 2016 to 2025.
Data source: Table 3.
Chart 5. The value adjusted to 2025 prices of pelagic species landed by Scottish vessels increased from £251 million in 2019 to £485 million in 2025.
Value (adjusted to 2025 prices) of landings by Scottish vessels by species type, 2016 to 2025
Data source: Table 3.
Fish prices
Scottish vessels land a vast range of different species throughout the year and they all achieve different prices at auction. The price achieved will vary by species, individual market, supply, demand, seasonality and the condition of the fish. Table 2 shows the average price per tonne for a selection of species landed by Scottish vessels.
Mackerel is the highest value species for Scottish vessels yet has a much lower price per tonne than many other species. It is the vast tonnage of mackerel caught that leads to the value being so high. In 2025, the price per tonne of mackerel increased by 75 per cent compared to 2024, resulting in an increase in the overall value despite a decrease in the overall tonnage.
Lobsters have a high price per tonne yet a fairly low value compared to other main species. This is due to seasonality, lobster is not in season during several months of the year resulting in a lower tonnage landed throughout the year compared to other species. They are also considered a luxury food and tend to be purchased mainly by the hospitality sector.
Table 2. There is great variation in the prices achieved across the different species. Lobsters have a high price, at £14,353 per tonne in 2025, whereas blue whiting has a low price, at £311 per tonne in 2025.
Change in price per tonne of selected species landed by Scottish vessels between 2024 and 2025 [5] [6]
|
Species |
Price per tonne 2025 (pounds) |
Price per tonne 2024 at 2025 prices (pounds) |
Price per tonne change from 2024 (percent) |
|
Mackerel |
2,691 |
1,541 |
75 |
|
Nephrops |
4,327 |
4,541 |
-5 |
|
Haddock |
1,254 |
1,231 |
2 |
|
Herring |
707 |
705 |
0 |
|
Cod |
4,422 |
3,563 |
24 |
|
Monkfish |
3,988 |
3,728 |
7 |
|
Scallops |
2,125 |
2,141 |
-1 |
|
Blue whiting |
311 |
261 |
19 |
|
Lobsters |
14,353 |
15,282 |
-6 |
|
Edible crabs |
2,463 |
2,451 |
1 |
Total Allowable Catches quota and uptake
Total Allowable Catches (TAC) are limits set at annual international negotiations for individual fish stocks and represent the maximum of each fish stock that can be caught. Up until 2020, while the UK was still a member of the European Union (EU) the majority of stocks were managed and fished only by EU member states. Member States’ access to management and fishing of stocks were based on a number of factors, including historic track record. The TACs for these stocks were set by the European Commission through internal negotiations between EU member states with an interest and based on independent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
The remaining stocks were managed and shared with other Coastal States: Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Russia, with TACs for these set at separate negotiations. The amounts corresponding to this share, known as quotas, are shown at the UK and at the Scottish Producers Organisations’ (POs) level in tables 33 to 36. Some Scottish vessels are not within Scottish Producer Organisations and Scottish Producer Organisations can contain some UK but non-Scottish vessels. This means that the totals in table 37, which relate to Scottish vessels may not agree with the totals from tables 33 to 36, which relate to Scottish Producer Organisations.
Uptake of key commercial quota stocks by all Scottish vessels by tonnage and value landed are presented in table 37.
In general, Scottish POs had high quota uptake in 2025 for key demersal and pelagic species. Uptake of mackerel stocks in the North Sea was 91 per cent and uptake of mackerel stocks in the West of Scotland was 99 per cent [7].
For demersal stocks, uptake in the North Sea was mixed, with high uptake for cod quota at 93 per cent and saithe at 99 per cent. Uptake was lower in the North Sea with haddock quota uptake at 53 per cent, Monkfish at 37 per cent and Whiting at 14 per cent. West of Scotland cod has a nil quota and is managed as a bycatch.
The only shellfish species subject to quota is Nephrops. In 2025, Scottish PO quota uptake for North Sea Nephrops was 92 per cent and for West Coast Nephrops it was 72 per cent.
The Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator
The aim of the Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator is to provide a single measure per year to indicate the assessed confidence that the relevant commercial fish and shellfish stocks in Scottish waters are being fished sustainably.
In 2024 the estimate of the Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator was 69%.
Chart 6. Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator decreased from 53% in 1983 to 41% in 1999, before increasing to a high of 76% in 2023.
Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator, 1983 to 2024.
The Sustainable Fishing Indicator is based on scientific estimates about different fish and shellfish stocks. The estimates are also used by international fishing authorities to agree how much of key species can be caught each year. The aim of this is to prevent over fishing and maintain sustainable fisheries. In the UK, this amount is known as Quota and information on this is reported in this publication (section 2.4).
Stocks are included in the indicator analysis if they are present within Scottish waters and if sufficient information is available about the stock. The indicator has been calculated for the years 1983 to 2024 and covers 37 stocks, although not all stocks were included in the some of the earlier years due to lack of stock information.
The indicator is calculated for each stock and a simple mean is taken to provide a single Scottish Sustainstable Fishing Indicator.
It is derived by comparing the following different sustainability estimates about each stock:
- The fishing mortality indicator estimates whether the rate of fishing is at a level that is low enough to enable the stocks to replenish, or to recover to similar or greater levels within one year.
- The spawning stock biomass indicator estimates whether the number of mature fish or shellfish is suficient to replenish the stock so that it has a stable or increasing population.
The list of selected fish stocks, technical definitions and methodology for calculating the sustainable fishing indicator are available in the Scottish Sustainable Fishing Indicator technical report in supporting files of this publication.
Where Scottish vessels land their fish
Scottish vessels land their catches into Scotland, the rest of the UK and several countries abroad. In 2025, Scottish vessels landed 148 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish worth £210 million abroad.
Chart 7. Scottish vessels landed 73 per cent of their catch by value, worth £646 million in 2025, into Scotland. A further 17 per cent by value, worth £147 million in 2025, was landed into Norway.
Top countries Scottish vessels landed their catch into by value (millions of pounds), in 2025.
Data source: Table 4, Table 5, Table 8, Table 23.
Landings abroad accounted for 31 per cent of all landings by Scottish vessels by tonnage and 24 per cent by value. Of this, 95 per cent of the tonnage landed abroad was pelagic.
The main species landed abroad was mackerel, representing 72 per cent of the total value of fish landed abroad in 2025. There were 50 thousand tonnes of mackerel worth £151 million landed abroad, which is 33 per cent of the total tonnage and 37 per cent of the value of mackerel landed by Scottish vessels.
Norway is by far the largest destination for Scottish vessels’ landings abroad, accounting for 17 per cent by value of all Scottish vessels’ landings and 70 per cent by value of all landings abroad by Scottish vessels. In 2025, 90 per cent of the value of landings into Norway was for mackerel, amounting to 44 thousand tonnes with a value of £132 million.
Area of capture
Scottish vessels are most active in two main ICES areas [8] : the Northern North Sea (ICES Area 4a) and the West Coast of Scotland (ICES Area 6a).
In 2025, 280 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish with a value of £623 million were landed from the Northern North Sea (4a), representing 58 per cent of the tonnage and 70 per cent of the value of all landings by Scottish vessels (Table 28). 25 per cent of landings by Scottish vessels, by tonnage were caught in the West Coast of Scotland (6a), providing 17 per cent of the total value of all Scottish landings. Area 7 accounted for 10 per cent of the tonnage of all landings and five per cent of value.
[1] Values are based on 2025 prices and percentage changes reflect real changes after adjusting for inflation. The deflator applied can be found here: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP June 2026 (Quarterly National Accounts) - GOV.UK
[2] Percentages are based on unrounded data and may differ from calculations using rounded data in tables.
[3] Values may not sum to their respective totals due to rounding.
[4] The values in Table 27. Scottish vessels’ landings by gear type are slightly lower than Table 8, because some Nephrops are also caught by demersal gear types. Other species may also be affected by this.
[5] Values are based on 2025 prices and percentage changes reflect real changes after adjusting for inflation. The deflator applied can be found here: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP June 2026 (Quarterly National Accounts) - GOV.UK
[6] Percentages are based on unrounded data and may differ from calculations using rounded data in tables.
[7] Landings can exceed quota if POs or vessels ‘carry over’ some quota from a previous year into the next year, within agreed limits. There is also an allowance so that a country can exceed up to ten per cent of its quota on a particular stock and the excess is deducted from the following year’s quota allocation.
[8] ICES is the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.