The UK Fishing Industry in 2011: Landings report provides a comprehensive overview of the quantity and value of species landed by UK and foreign vessels into the UK and by UK vessels landing abroad in 2011.
The statistics show that during 2011, UK vessels landed 600,000 tonnes of sea fish (including shellfish) into the UK and abroad with a value of 828 million. This represents a one per cent fall in quantity but a 15 per cent increase in value compared with 2010. The rise in value is primarily due to an increase of more than 40 per cent in the average price of pelagic fish.
The report is published in advance of the full UK Sea Fisheries Statistics in September, in a drive to provide data to the public as soon as statistics are available. A separate report on the structure and activity of the UK fleet was published in July.
In 2011:
- 67 per cent of the quantity and 75 per cent of the value of landings by the UK fleet were made into the UK;
- Nearly half of all landings of pelagic fish by UK vessels were abroad. In contrast, only four per cent of shellfish landings by the UK fleet were made abroad.
- The UK fleet accounted for 86 per cent of all fish landed into the UK.
- Landings into the UK by foreign vessels fell by 39 per cent to 67,000 tonnes (largely a result of a fall in landings of blue whiting).
- Shellfish formed the majority of landings by the UK fleet into England, Wales and Northern Ireland while pelagic fish had the highest share of landings into Scotland.
- Scottish vessels accounted for 60 per cent of the quantity and value of landings by UK vessels whilst English vessels accounted for 28 per cent of the quantity and 30 per cent of the value of the landings. Peterhead remained the port with the highest landings in 2011, although these were down by 13 per cent from 2010 levels to 107,000 tonnes.
- 99 per cent of the pelagic fish and 95 per cent of the demersal fish landed by the UK fleet were caught by vessels in a producer organisation. Almost half of all shellfish were landed by vessels in the non-sector and the 10m and under pool.
The full report, and more detailed supplementary tables, can be seen at http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/fisheries/statistics/annual.htm
