PETERHEAD, Europe's premier white fish port, has seen landings drop by more than 16% because of the crisis in the industry.
Landings last year were less than half of the weight five years previously.
John Paterson, the chief executive of Peterhead harbour trustees, said it was bad news but there was some good news.
''The white fish is the sector which makes all the news but the good news is we are less dependent on it than we were and have a very good mackerel and shellfish trade.''
He said the drop in white fish landings to one of the lowest years on record was a consequence of the reduction in quotas, but more significantly the reduction in the white-fish fleet as a result of decommissioning.
The white fish landings totalled 36,991 tonnes, down 7380 tonnes on 2002 and compared with 79,878 tonnes in 1998. The value of the fish also fell to an average of (pounds) 952 per tonne from (pounds) 1026.
The figures released by the harbour trustees showed that the port dealt with 108,944 tonnes of fish in 2003, compared with 112,944 tonnes the previous year. The value of the total catch was down almost (pounds) 10m at (pounds) 64.988m.
Mr Paterson said (pounds) 35m had been invested in the harbour in the last 15 years and he believed it had a promising future. John Swinney, the opposition SNP leader, will force a vote next week in Holyrood on the new EU fishing rules which Scottish skippers have sworn to defy.
The SNP move, which could attract qualified Tory backing, is intended to embarrass the Labour and Liberal Democrat MSPs by requiring them publicly to defend the hated new arrangements.
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