A Key Industry
Fishing in rural areas of Scotland can mean anything from hand gatherers collecting cockles from the beaches, through creelers harvesting lobsters in inshore waters, to large trawlers fishing in international waters for cod. Fishing can be a lucrative business - prices range from nearly £10,000 a tonne for lobsters, to over £1,000 a tonne for well-known whitefish species like haddock and plaice. Within 6 miles from the Scottish shoreline only UK vessels are allowed to fish; and there are also strict controls on access to the 6-12 mile zone by fishermen from other European Union countries. These restrictions protect the local interests of Scottish fishermen.
Fishing is a key industry in the rural economies of the North-East and the Highlands & Islands. Scotland' s fishing industry handled 71% of all UK fish landings in the UK in 1994, with a market value of some £280 million. Scotland's major fishmarket, Peterhead, is the largest in Europe. Exports are booming - the value of Scottish fish landed directly into other EU countries has risen from £6 million in 1989 to nearly £30 million in 1994; but this is only a small part of the total market for fish products, where the value of UK exports approaches £450 million.
The industry is also a vital source of employment in Scotland. There are over 8,500 people directly employed as fishermen, with a further 13,000 employed onshore in fishing-related activities.
Sustainable fishing
However, there is an acute European-wide problem of over-capacity as too many boats are catching limited stocks of fish too fast. The industry expanded during the 1980s on the basis of buoyant fish stocks and increasing technical efficiency. Fish stocks are now being exploited at or above their level of capacity. To achieve sustainable fishing, the United Kingdom and other European Community Member States are taking joint action within the Common Fisheries Policy to ensure that a secure and profitable fishing industry thrives into the next century.
The Government have sought to protect the long-term interests of the Scottish industry by helping fishermen to take their boats out of production through the fishing vessel decommissioning scheme. By March 1995, Scotland had decommissioned 95 vessels and total grants paid out to Scottish fishermen amounted to nearly £5.5 million. A further £12 million was made available to decommission UK boats in the period to March 1996.
The Government recognise that the reduction in fishing opportunities has a direct impact on coastal communities. As in other sectors, retraining and income support measures are available to help those who need to seek other employment. In addition to these measures, Scotland will receive some £14 million in EC grant aid under the 1994-99 PESCA Programme, which is designed to encourage fishermen to develop other activities and create job opportunities in local areas.
Fish Farming
Salmon farming is one of the most significant new industries to emerge in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland over the past 25 years. It is now an international food commodity which is widely available to the public. In 1994 the aquaculture industry was worth around £220 million to the Scottish economy and provides direct and indirect employment to some 6,000 people. Salmon and shellfish farming is mainly concentrated in the sea-lochs of the west coast, the Western Isles and the sheltered voes and inlets of the Shetland and Orkney Islands. Further expansion in salmon farming in Scotland will depend on it remaining competitive with other producing countries and maintaining the disease-free status of stocks. The shortage of suitable near-shore sites could constrain further development but the development of the technology may enable expansion at more exposed offshore locations.
Trout farming is confined principally to inland waters of central and lowland Scotland. Although much smaller in scale, it also makes a significant contribution to the rural economy. The farmed shellfish industry is on a relatively small scale but produces high quality, high value products. Trout production for the table as well as for recreational use has potential to expand further in Scotland. The farmed shellfish industry is on a relaitvely small scale but produces high quality, high value products and aslo has considerable potential to meet European demand, and to increase domestic consumption. There is also potential for diversification into other forms of finfish, such as halibut, production. Technological problems are being tackled which may enable other species of finfish to emerge as viable farmed alternatives to salmon and trout over the next 5 to 10 years.
Our Strategy for Salmon
