Squid Fishing in UK Waters

Summary

During the past decade, total squid landings from the NE Atlantic ranged from 10,000– 18,000 t. The bulk of European catches were landed by French, Portuguese, Spanish and UK fleets. Loligo forbesi is the most frequently caught species in UK waters, and forms the basis of significant by-catch fisheries, with annual landings as high as 3,500 t. A significant proportion (5–70%) of the total Scottish squid landings are caught in the Moray Firth, where a seasonal, directed fishery operates during summer-autumn. The size of the fleet directly involved in this fishery has ranged from 20–65 vessels in recent years. Many of the fishing crews target squid for several weeks, when large numbers of small squid recruit to the fishery.

Author

• Lee Hastie,
• Graham Pierce,
• Cristina Pita,
• Mafalda Viana,
• Jennifer Smith,
• Sansanee Wangvoralak

Publication date

28 May 2009

Category

• Technical Report