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ABERDEEN FISH MARKET REVIEW IDENTIFIES KEY ISSUES AND STRATEGY

The Aberdeen Fish Market Review, undertaken earlier this year, identified a strategy to support both the continued landing of fish at the port and local service providers.

The strategy suggested includes:

• Maintenance of core, competitively-priced services to vessels and merchants, including the continued provision of adequate berthage, market facilities of acceptable standard and the supply of fuel oil, water, ice and box services

• A programme of consolidation and cost savings, including a review of Commercial Quay West market

• The implementation of changes in practices both in the catching and processing sectors to reflect the requirements of a modern food supply industry

• Improved communications between fish industry sectors and the Harbour Board

The strategy outlined is based on conclusions reached by a fisheries consultant, Mike Myers.

He said that the significant reduction in landings to Aberdeen in recent years is a result of decommissioning, quota cuts, effort limitation, fuel-oil price increases and rationalisation, rather than the provision or standard of infrastructures in the port.

Factors affecting the choice of harbour by owners/skippers, either as a base or for landing and sale, are the port’s proximity to fishing grounds, the availability and costs of services and prices achieved at sale.

Aberdeen has suffered particularly by the introduction of days at sea and fuel-oil price increases as vessels fishing to the north have sought to maximise their fishing time and minimise their fuel costs by landing to the most convenient port relative to fishing grounds.

Aberdeen is also disadvantaged by the fact that it is no longer a social hub in terms of supporting a fishing community. In other respects, it is competitive in the supply of services and in the prices it achieves at sale.

Although North Sea stocks are now showing encouraging signs of recovery - particularly haddock - over the next five years, the precautionary approach to fisheries management is likely to continue, with little opportunity for any significant increases in quota for the major commercial species.

In the short term, it is difficult to envisage any significant increase in landings to Aberdeen due simply from refrigeration of the market because of the strategic geographical advantages of other competing ports and the continuing constraints of fisheries management controls, the Review states.

Harbour Board Chief Executive, Colin Parker, said: “Having carefully considered the Review and taking into account our direct experience of working with the industry, we agree with the findings and proposed strategy.”