Scotland is among the largest sea fishing nations in Europe with 60 per cent of the landings into the UK. Around 90 per cent of the UK fish farming industry is based in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. Scotland has over 50,000 km of rivers, many of which have wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout, and also more than 30,000 lochs and ponds.
Commercial sea fishing is a devolved function of Scottish Ministers out to 200 nautical miles from the Scottish shore. The Scottish Government is responsible for regulating all aspects of commercial fishing across this vast area. It is also active in Europe, negotiating in the interests of Scottish fishermen in the setting of annual quotas and in the development of EU-wide fisheries policies, including the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Closer to home, the Scottish Government is liaising with inshore fishermen to establish Inshore Fisheries Groups, and more widely with fishing interests and other stakeholders through the Scottish Fisheries Council.
As well as action on sea fisheries, the Scottish Government works with key stakeholders to provide the working environment for a successful and sustainable aquaculture industry which coexists alongside successful and sustainable freshwater fisheries and healthy stocks of wild fish.
The Scottish Government is also responsible for the delivery of European funding to the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors through the European Fisheries Fund (previously the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)). It seeks to maximise the availability and value of these resources in order to support the sustainable and strategic development of the Scottish fisheries, processing and aquaculture sectors and their dependent communities.
In particular, information on the following is available:
- Sea Fisheries, which includes quota management; the management of fishing opportunities in the United Kingdom; the registration of buyers and sellers of first sale fish and designation of auction sites; the trade and marketing of fish and fishery products in Scotland; and the development of EU and domestic policy on sustainable fisheries and their management including enforcement and control arrangements.
- Fish and Shellfish Farming, which includes sustaining the health of farmed fish; what to do in the event of an escape from a fish farm and statistics on confirmed reported escapes from Fish Farms in Scotland; the Tripartite Working Group; what consents are required for the development of marine and shellfish farms; a schedule of projects for fish cultivation research and the work of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum. There is also information on the Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture, including the exercise currently underway to renew this.
- Salmon, trout and coarse fishing, which includes freshwater fish species; various fishing methods; fishing rights and access to fishing; the Scottish Freshwater Fisheries Forum and its role in involving stakeholders in policy development, and the research and development programme for Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries.
- Grants and Subsidies available for the development of fisheries and fish farming, as well as the processing and marketing sectors of the industry; including subsequent awards detailing the name of each beneficiary, their location, a brief project description and the amount of financial assistance provided.
Where the information within this class can be located
This class of information can be located within the ' Fisheries' section of the Scottish Government website or through one of the alternative routes described under section 5 of this scheme.