Salmon accounted for more than half of Scottish fish and seafood exports last year

Scottish salmon made up more than half of all fish and seafood exports from Scotland last year, new data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show.

The statistics on national and regional trade also show that fresh and chilled Scottish salmon made up 33% of the UK-wide fish and seafood total.

With smoked and processed salmon included, that figure rises to 41% – or £705 million.

£1.04 bn export value

Scottish exports of all fish and seafood were valued at £1.04 billion in 2022, which is 2% higher than 2021.

Fresh, whole Scottish salmon export sales of £578 m were down by 6% on 2021, when they were worth £614 million.

The EU accounted for almost 64% of sales, with the US and Chinese markets also strong.

The volume of fish transported overseas fell by 26%, reflecting tight supplies domestically and globally and more Scottish salmon being sold in the UK domestic market, which is valued at around £1.2 bn annually.