Marine economy

20 Mar 2015 12:31 PM

Industry contributes £4.5 billion to Scottish economy.

The marine industry was worth £4.5 billion to the economy and employed 45,700 workers in 2012, according to latest report published by Marine Scotland recently.

The report by Marine Scotland also shows the continued success of the fishing and aquaculture industries. Fishing, aquaculture and processing generated £690 million to the economy and employed 14,300 people across Scotland in 2012, the latest year for which data is available. Ongoing support for these sectors helped to generate over seven times more economic value per person in Scotland than they do across the UK as a whole.

Commenting on the report Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“Scotland’s rich seas are of huge economic importance and the marine sector plays a vital role in supporting employment, local services and tourism in some of the most remote parts of the country.

“Our seas bring a vast array of economic gains through industry, the contribution to food and energy security and the provision of a wide range of goods and services. Taken together, our marine industry generates over £4.5 billion each year for the Scottish economy and is the backbone of many rural communities around Scotland.

“These figures show an industry producing high yields in difficult times back in 2012. We will continue to do all we can to promote sustainable development and use from marine and maritime industries through integrated planning and regulatory frameworks.”

The full publication is available fromhttp://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Publications/TopicSheets/tslist/economy