Value of salmon exports rise by one third

THE VALUE of salmon exports from Shetland rose to £173 million in 2024 – an increase of around one third from the previous year.

A regional breakdown of annual figures by trade body Salmon Scotland shows that 20,734 tonnes were exported from Shetland in 2024, representing around 20 per cent of Scotland’s total exports.

Sales were up 34 per cent year-on-year from £129 million.

The increase in weight of exports was up by 46 per cent on the previous year.

Salmon Scotland said the sector directly supports 410 jobs across Shetland.

Overall, Scottish salmon exports increased by 45 per cent to a record £844 million in 2024 – equivalent to £2.31 million per day – confirming its status as the UK’s largest food export.

Salmon Scotland said France once again led global demand, while the US and Asian markets saw sharp growth.

The trade body added that new figures follow a rise in survival rates on Scottish salmon farms, where fish spend up to two years at sea.

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In 2024, survival rates hit a four-year high of 82.3 per cent after multi-million-pound tech investments to enhance animal welfare.

Salmon Scotland chief executive Tavish Scott said: “The demand for nutritious, low-carbon Scottish salmon continues to grow at home and abroad.

“It’s a testament to the hard work of farmers in Shetland and across rural Scotland that our fish is once again the UK’s largest food export in 2024.

“I pay tribute to the farmers in Shetland and throughout Scotland who work in harsh conditions to raise fish to the highest standards.

“The Scottish salmon sector is ready to invest and create more jobs, generating healthy meals and extra revenue for vital public services.

“Producers have invested millions to boost welfare standards, and here at home, nutritious salmon is the UK’s most popular fish.

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“We need better, not less, regulation to drive economic growth and job creation. That is the task for government.”

However, it comes against a backdrop of concern from the Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs and islands committee over topics like fish welfare and the impact on the marine environment.

In January it said the “slow rate of progress in improving the regulation and enforcement of the Scottish salmon farming industry needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency to future-proof the industry and to enable it to grow sustainably”.

It called for a “clear timetable” to be provided setting out how outstanding recommendations from its predecessor committee in 2018 will be implemented.

The committee said that “it ‘seriously considered’ whether a moratorium, or pause, on new sites, or the expansion at existing sites, would be appropriate – especially given the view held by some about the lack of progress in addressing high mortality rates since 2018”.

“However, given the lack of certainty around the impact a moratorium on production would have, especially on those directly employed on farms or living in local communities, the committee is not currently in support of a moratorium or pause on production.”