Whitefish Landings Double
The quantity of whitefish landed in Shetland has more than doubled, and their value had quadrupled, since the selling of fish by electronic auction was introduced in 2003.
That is one of the main findings of a new report from the NAFC Marine Centre UHI which has reviewed statistics on landings of whitefish in Shetland over the last 40 years. ('Whitefish' includes species such as haddock, cod, whiting, ling, hake, monks, plaice and other flatfish.)
The report, by the Centre's Senior Policy Adviser, Dr Ian Napier, found that 2003 marked a turning point for whitefish landings in the islands. Dr Napier explained that: "After peaking in the mid 1980s whitefish landings fell steadily and by 2003 were only about one-third of what they had been in 1987. After 2003 - the year that the electronic auction was introduced - landings increased rapidly and had more than doubled by 2016." A total of 18,762 tonnes of whitefish, worth £32.9 million, were landed in Shetland in 2016 compared to 7,432 tonnes, worth £7.0 million in 2003.
Amongst other findings in the report are:
- the average unit price (£/kg) of whitefish landed in Shetland increased rapidly after 2003, after having stagnated through the 1990s.
- the proportion of Scottish whitefish landings made in Shetland more than doubled after 2003 (from 6% to 14%). Over the same period landings in Peterhead increased by less than one-third.
- the quantity of whitefish landed in Shetland by non-Shetland fishing boats has more than doubled since 2003.
Dr Napier commented that: "These results suggest that the introduction of the electronic auction in 2003, and the associated efforts to promote Shetland's fish markets, had a substantial positive effect on whitefish landings in the islands."
The ‘electronic auction’ is a computerised ‘Dutch Auction’ which is used to sell all whitefish landed for sale through Shetland’s whitefish markets in Scalloway and Lerwick. The electronic auction, which is operated by Shetland Seafood Auctions Ltd., was introduced in 2003, replacing the traditional 'shout' auctions held on the market floors. The system also allows buyers to bid online from elsewhere in the country, or in the world. The introduction of the electronic auction was accompanied by significant efforts by various organisations, including Lerwick Port Authority and Shetland Islands Council to promote the Shetland's fish markets to fishing boats from other parts of Scotland and to fish buyers outside Shetland.
The full report is available online from the NAFC website at: www.nafc.uhi.ac.uk/whitefish-landings