Scottish salmon made up more than half of all fish and seafood exports from Scotland last year, according to the latest figures from HMRC.
The data on national and regional trade also shows that fresh and chilled Scottish salmon made up a third of the UK-wide fish and seafood total. With smoked and processed salmon included, that figure rises to 41% at a value of £705 million.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, paid tribute to Scottish salmon farmers, highlighting their achievements against a backdrop of economic challenges.
“This is a phenomenal success story that we can all be very proud of, supporting thousands of jobs in remote areas of the country and contributing hundreds of millions of pounds towards public services,” he said.
“With further responsible and sustainable growth, and with the support of both the Scottish and UK governments, we can continue to build on this success.”
Scottish exports of all fish and seafood were valued at £1.04 billion in 2022, 2% higher than in 2021. Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest single food export, outperforming bakery goods, chocolate, cheese, cereals and lamb.
The EU accounted for almost 64% of sales, with the US and Chinese markets remaining popular. The volume of fish transported overseas fell by 26%, reflecting tight supplies globally and more Scottish salmon being sold in the UK domestic market - which is valued at around £1.2 billion a year.
Farm-raised salmon directly employs 2,500 people in Scotland and a further 10,000 jobs are dependent on the sector.
