The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) publishes its annual 'UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2012' report this week.
The report includes detailed figures on the UK fishing fleet, the number of fishermen, the quantity and value of landings, international trade and the state of key fishing stocks.
The quantity of fish has increased, while the value has decreased, primarily due to a reduction in the average price of pelagic fish, driven by a fall in the market prices of mackerel.
The report highlights that in 2012:
- UK vessels landed 627,000 tonnes of sea fish (including shellfish) into the UK and abroad with a value of £770 million – a 5 per cent increase in quantity but a 7 per cent decrease in value compared with 2011.
- Landings of demersal fish increased by 1 per cent between 2011 and 2012, although the quantity has fallen by 24 per cent since 2002. Haddock – the highest caught demersal species landed by UK vessels – rose by nearly a fifth from 2011 to 35,000 tonnes. Pelagic and shellfish landings both increased by 7 per cent since 2011.
- Shellfish accounted for the largest share in terms of value (39 per cent). Demersal fish accounted for 34 per cent (down from 47 per cent in 2002) and pelagic fish accounted for 27 per cent.
- Shellfish also had 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.
- The UK fishing fleet remained the sixth largest in the EU in terms of vessel numbers, with the second largest capacity and fourth largest power. 6,406 fishing vessels were registered with a total capacity of 201,000 GT and total power of 804,000 kilowatts.
- 69 per cent of the quantity landed by the UK fleet was caught by vessels over 24 metres in length – 4 per cent of the total number of UK vessels.
- Around 12,450 fishermen were reported as active in the UK. Of these, around 2,200 were part-time.
- Scottish vessels accounted for 58 per cent of the quantity of landings by UK vessels while English vessels accounted for 30 per cent. Peterhead remained the port with the highest landings – 106,000 tonnes.
- Imports of fish and processed fish rose to 754,000 tonnes, a 5 per cent increase from 2011. Over the same period, exports increased by 7 per cent to 466,000 tonnes.
- World figures for 2011 showed that China caught the largest amount of fish, 13.7 million tonnes. Peru had the second largest catch at 8.2 million tonnes. Indonesia, the United States and Russia each caught between 4.0 and 5.4 million tonnes.
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Demersal (white fish) landings for Plymouth, Brixham and Newlyn in 2012 |
Monkfish make up nearly 28% (£4.2 million) of the total white fish landing in Newlyn
Nelwyn lands £2.678 million pounds more demersal fish than Brixham.
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Plymouth, Brixaham and Newlyn shellfish landings include cuttlefish and squid 2012 |
Scallops make up 28% (£4.4 million) of Plymouth's total landings
Cuttlefish make 22% (£6 million) of the total landings for Brixham
Landings by value of all species - in £millions:
Plymouth -£16,141
Brixham - £26,978
Newlyn - £20,267
West fishing industry's boost to the economy
The Westcountry fishing industry – vital to the region’s economy – enjoyed another successful year with the value of landings increasing at both large and small ports in 2012, according to official figures.
Brixham saw the largest value catch landed by the UK fleet compared to other ports in England with 15,600 tonnes of fish worth £26.9 million in 2012 – up from £26.1 million in 2011.
fishing
Latest figures released by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) also showed Plymouth saw the largest quantity of fish landed out of all ports in England.
In all, 15,748 tonnes of fish were put ashore in the city last year worth £16.1 million – £1.9 million more than in 2011.
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Newlyn, the busiest UK administration port for fishing vessels with 610 boats, however saw the value of its fish fall from £22 million in 2011 to £20.2 million last year, even though tonnage rose from 10,309 to 10,741. It’s thought the change could be down to a number of vessels switching from landing at Newlyn to Plymouth and Brixham during the year.
Jim Portus, the chief executive of the South Western Fish Producers’ Organisation, said the rise in business combined with an increase in fish populations boded well for the future.
He said: “2012 was a good year, 2013 has already been pretty good and I am optimistic for next year.
“The prize quota fish for everyone is Dover sole because of the high price per kilo it fetches.
“But turbot and brill, which are not on quotas, command a similar price and that has been good for our three major ports.”
Overall, UK vessels landed 627,000 tonnes of sea fish, including shellfish, into the UK and abroad with a value of £770 million – a 5% increase in quantity but a 7% decrease in value compared with 2011.
The region’s smaller fishing communities bucked that trend with fish worth a total of £11.6 million landed at Teignmouth, Salcombe, Ilfracombe, Looe, Mevagissey and Weymouth.
Looe recorded landings rise by £200,000 to £2.4 million, Ilfracombe by £200,00 to £1.8 million and Salcombe £100,000 to £2.1 million.
Figures for the other ports – Mevagissey (£2.2 million), Teignmouth (£0.6 million) and Weymouth (£2.5 million) – remained the same.
Dave Bond has fished out of Looe, on Cornwall’s south coast, for more than 30 years and is chairman of the South West Handline Association.
He said last year had been “exceptional” for lemon sole and “very good” for cuttlefish and squid.
“Looe is a high quality market with day-caught fish and people have responded to that,” he said yesterday.
“The number of restaurants has taken off because of television and they have recognised where they want to source their fish.”
Story courtesy of the Western Mornig News:
