News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Fishing harbour, United Kingdom

Peterhead

The largest fishing port in the United Kingdom by value, on Scotland's north-east coast.

Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire on the easternmost point of mainland Scotland, is the busiest fishing port in the United Kingdom by value of landings. Large pelagic trawlers land mackerel and herring, and white-fish boats land haddock, cod, monkfish and saithe from the North Sea. A new fish market building opened in 2018. Nearby Fraserburgh is another major fishing port.

Mackerel and white fish

North-east Atlantic mackerel is Scotland's most valuable catch, taken by a fleet of large pelagic trawlers that often land at Peterhead and in Norway. Herring, once the base of Scotland's great herring boom, is still landed. The white-fish fleet targets haddock, cod, monkfish, whiting and saithe. Quotas are set each year between the UK, the European Union, Norway and other coastal states.

A changing industry

After the UK left the European Union, fishing communities in north-east Scotland had hoped for larger quotas; the deal agreed in 2020 shifted some quota to UK boats over several years, which many in the industry said fell short. Disputes between coastal states over the sharing of the mackerel stock have meant that total catches set by countries have run above scientific advice for years.

Still to be written: Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic herring, Haddock, Atlantic cod, Lophius piscatorius, Pollachius virens.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.