Records tumbled at Shetland’s white-fish market yesterday as the highest yearly landings and most boxes in a single week in modern times were recorded.
Healthier North Sea stocks have allowed boats to put down 307,870 boxes on quaysides in Lerwick and Scalloway this year.
The total was boosted by bumper landings of 11,725 this week, the biggest five-day tally since the electronic auction was established in 2003.
It is the third year in a row that more than 300,000 boxes of white-fish have been landed in Shetland.
Previously, the last time more than 300,000 boxes were landed was in the late 1980s.
The figures cement Lerwick’s place as the second biggest port in the UK for white-fish landings after Peterhead.
In all, more fish is landed in Shetland than in England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.
Shetland Seafood Auctions manager Martin Leyland said: “It’s very pleasing to see these records being broken as we achieve the third successive year of strong landings in Shetland.
“I think it’s a reflection of the fact that buyers are seeing the quality of fish that they require on a weekly basis and skippers are getting good prices.
“Consistency is obviously important in any market and, hopefully, we will see a continuation of this positive trend.”
Shetland Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Brian Isbister said the figures showed an encouraging consolidation of landings.
“Confidence is returning to the whitefish fleet and skippers are investing in the future once again,” he added.