From Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 published today:

The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2025 was published today. This Official Statistics publication details statistics on the employment, production and value of shellfish from Scottish Shellfish Farms. It is structured to follow trends within the common mussel, Pacific oyster, native oyster and king scallop species sectors. Some statistics are given for the 10-year period 2016-2025. 

Some key figures from this publication are:

• table production tonnage of common mussel increased by 5% from 11,690 tonnes in 2024 to 12,303 tonnes in 2025. This is the highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland
• during 2025, 2.5 million Pacific oyster shells were produced for the table market, a 5% increase from the 2024 total
• employment decreased by 6% compared with the previous year, with 227 full-time, part-time and casual staff employed within the sector during 2025
• the first sale value of the Scottish shellfish farming sector was estimated at £15.1 million, representing an 8% increase if compared with 2024

Source: https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2025/

This achievement was mainly driven by Scotland’s shellfish farming industry, but the Scottish Government has played a major supporting roles because aquaculture and fisheries management are largely devolved matters in Scotland. Through its Scottish Government Marine Directorate, it:

• regulates and licenses shellfish farms,
• carries out fish and shellfish health inspections,
• funds marine research and monitoring,
• publishes annual production surveys,
• and supports coastal and island economies where mussel farming is important. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The surveys show production rising year after year:

• 9,092 tonnes in 2022,
• 10,311 tonnes in 2023,
• 11,690 tonnes in 2024,
• and 12,303 tonnes in 2025 — each a new record at the time. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2022/pages/9/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The Scottish Government has also overseen disease-control programmes and environmental management, which help maintain healthy shellfish stocks and export standards. https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2024/06/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2023/documents/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2023/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2023/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-shellfish-farm-production-survey-2023.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com