Kinlochbervie sees 36% increase in fish landed in last seven months compared to last year
The value and tonnage of fish landed at a port in north-west Sutherland from January to July 2024 has increased compared to the same period last year.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) publishes monthly fish landings statistics for the UK. The Scottish ports covered are Cullivoe, Fraserburgh, Kinlochbervie, Lerwick, Peterhead, Scalloway and Isles, Scrabster, and Ullapool.
The statistics show a 36 per cent increase in landings at Kinlochbervie with 5,225 tonnes of fish unloaded on the quay from January to July this year compared to 3,841 tonnes in the same period last year.
The value of the Kinlochbervie catch so far this year is £9,814,000, an increase of 24 per cent on the £7,891,000 value for the same period last year.
Kinlochbervie was one of only three of the Scottish ports/districts monitored by the MMO to record an increase in the value of landings over the seven months - the others being Peterhead (21 per cent) and Lerwick (13 per cent).
The biggest falls were recorded at Ullapool where the value of fish landed from January to July fell by 34 per cent from £17,085,000 in 2023 to £11,325,000 in 2024; Cullivoe by 31 per cent from £5,666,000 to £3,886,000; and Scrabster by 24 per cent from £19,740,000 to £14,951,000.
Highland economist Tony Mackay analyses the data presented by the MMO.
He said: “The increases in Kinlochbervie are very good - they are the best in Scotland.
“The total Scottish value of £276.2 million was 0.8 per cent less than the same period in 2023. The total tonnage of 176,613 was 3.3 per cent higher. There has therefore been a fall in the value per tonne.”
Mr Mackay said that some of the changes in tonnage were surprising, particularly the 16 per cent increase in Fraserburgh, where the value of the fish landed was five per cent lower than in the first seven months of 2023.
But he said that Peterhead continued to dominate both the value and tonnage, accounting for 45 per cent and 61 per cent of the Scottish totals respectively.
