Scotland

Scotland is almost surrounded by the sea and has a long history of fishing with small boats.

Now there are over 2,000 active Scottish fishing vessels and three quarters of them fish primarily in inshore waters. Typically these are smaller boats of 8-10 metres in length with one or two crew members, fishing daily from local ports.

The total fish caught is over 283,00 T per year of which 51% are pelagic fish, mainly herring and mackerel.

The top three districts in Scotland by total tonnage landed were Peterhead (east coast) with approximately 50% of the total catch,  Shetland (northern island) and Scrabster (north-east coast). Peterhead is the single largest fishing port in the UK by tonnage and value of landing.