Scottish shellfish production fell last year
Scotland’s table production tonnage of mussels decreased by 15% from 6,699 tonnes in 2019 to 5,661 tonnes last year, figures from the newly published Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2020 show.
Table production of Pacific oyster shells decreased by 33% from the 2019 total. Additionally, more than 1.6 million shells were produced for on-growing in other waters, according to the survey by Marine Scotland Science.
Employment increased by 8% from 2019, with 300 full, part-time and casual staff employed in 2020.
Overall estimated first sale value of the industry was calculated to be approximately £6.1 million in 2020, a 23% decrease on the 2019 figure. Many businesses reported lost trade while the hospitality sector was in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The full report can be downloaded here.
