Marine Scotland Science has published the Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2021. The publication details statistics on the employment, production and value of shellfish from Scottish Shellfish Farms. It is structured to follow industry trends within the mussel, Pacific oyster, native oyster, queen scallop and scallop species sectors.
© Judith Brown, Isle of Skye Mussels
Some key figures from this publication include:
- Table production tonnage of mussels increased by 52 percent from 5,661 tonnes in 2020 to 8,590 tonnes in 2021. This is the highest level of mussel production ever recorded in Scotland.
-Table production of Pacific oyster shells increased by 70 percent from the 2020 total. Additionally, over 3.5 million shells were produced for on-growing in other waters.
- Employment increased by 1 percent from 2020, with 303 full, part-time and casual staff employed in 2021.
- Overall estimated first sale value of the industry was calculated to be approximately £9.8 million in 2021, a 61 percent increase on the 2020 figure.
The full statistical publication can be accessed at: Scottish Shellfish Farm Survey 2021
