Scotland’s fishing industry endured a difficult February 2026, with poor weather driving major declines in both the value and volume of fish landed. According to economist Tony Mackay, analysing newly released Marine Management Organisation (MMO) figures, the total value of Scottish landings fell 18%, while tonnage dropped 25% compared with February 2025.
The Scottish downturn outpaced the UK-wide trend, where landings fell 13% in value and 21% in tonnage. Scotland still accounted for 57% of UK landing value and 62% of total tonnage, underscoring its central role in the sector.
Weather Drives Steep Declines
Mackay notes that poor February weather was the principal cause of the contraction, hampering activity across most major ports. Only Kinlochbervie and Kirkcudbright recorded increases (+19% each), while the largest declines were observed in Peterhead (-26% value) and Ullapool (-34% value).
Price Variations Across Scotland
The average value per tonne landed reached £1,920, up 9.5% on last year but still 8% below the UK average. Prices varied widely by district—from £3,347 in Scalloway to just £1,233 in Peterhead and £1,108 in Kirkcudbright.
Scotland’s February 2026 Fish Landings
Below is the full table of February 2026 Scottish landing statistics, as provided by Tony Mackay:
| Port/District | Value Feb 25 (£000) | Value Feb 26 (£000) | % Change | Tonnage Feb 25 | Tonnage Feb 26 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland Total | 30,452 | 24,971 | -18% | 17,371 | 13,005 | -25% |
| Fraserburgh | 1,868 | 1,555 | -17% | 928 | 883 | -5% |
| Kinlochbervie | 1,419 | 1,696 | +19% | 504 | 550 | +9% |
| Kirkcudbright | 217 | 257 | +19% | 209 | 232 | +11% |
| Lerwick | 2,085 | 1,907 | -9% | 842 | 731 | -13% |
| Peterhead | 11,820 | 8,763 | -26% | 10,817 | 7,107 | -34% |
| Scalloway & Isles | 677 | 579 | -14% | 234 | 173 | -26% |
| Scrabster | 2,825 | 2,638 | -7% | 1,256 | 946 | -25% |
| Ullapool | 1,624 | 1,075 | -34% | 462 | 402 | -13% |
| Other Scotland | 7,918 | 6,502 | -18% | 2,119 | 1,978 | -7% |
Port-by-Port Highlights
Peterhead remained the UK’s busiest fishing port, accounting for 35% of Scotland’s total value and 55% of its tonnage, although it experienced one of its sharpest monthly declines because of the weather.
Scrabster ranked second (£2.6m), followed by Lerwick (£1.9m), both posting year‑on‑year decreases. Kinlochbervie delivered one of the month’s strongest performances (+19% value), while Fraserburgh fell 17% in value and 5% in tonnage. Ullapool recorded the steepest fall in value at 34%.
