Choppy seas ahead for Scotland's largest fishing port

The Herald Scotland

25-05-2025

It's a trade which can be lucrative — the industry brought in £265 million to the port last year.
Yet, it's one which is increasingly under threat.
The news that the UK had agreed to a new trade deal with the European Union on Monday has been met with mixed reactions.
The wide-ranging deal will eliminate the majority of border checks on agricultural exports, allow British holiday makers to use European e-passport gates, and link the EU and UK's carbon markets.
Yet, it will also extend the status quo — allowing EU fishing boats to operate in Scottish waters for the next 12 years.
That's a decision which has proven controversial among the fish catchers and processors of the 'Blue Toon'.
Peterhead Port landed more than 200,000 tonnes of fish last year. (Image: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco) Peterhead is the closest thing I have to home in Scotland. It's where my mum and family live. So, on a warm Wednesday afternoon, I set out to have a look myself.
Parking my car along the harbour wall, I'm reminded of my first visit to the town four years ago. I particularly remember the fishy smell, a visceral reminder of how important the industry is to the people of the region.
I walk across the Queenie Bridge to Peterhead's North Harbour.
Lunar Fishing, Freezing, and Cold Storage; Jackson Trawls Marine Store; GT Seafoods — evidence of the fishing industry is immediately evident.
The port hosts hundreds, if not thousands, of workers; from the iconic Peterhead Fish Market to the scores of small boats which bob in the blue water behind me.
Peterhead has a bit of a reputation in North East circles, one which is completely undeserved in my opinion. It is a rough and tumble place, to be sure, but is also home to some of the kindest (and yes, brutally honest) people in Scotland.
The Queenie Bridge in Peterhead. (Image: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco) I speak to a few in the town centre.
'I've seen the headlines, but I haven't looked at the proposals in much detail', a kindly older man, rucksack, in tow, tells me. 'You should go down to the Fishermen's Mission', he adds.
'Definitely go down to Wetherspoons, there are always lots of retired fishermen around there', another pensioner advises.
I speak to Jimmy Buchan, a fisherman of forty years who now owns and operates the Amity Fish Company.
He's the closest you get to a celebrity in this close-knit town of 20,000, appearing in the BAFTA-winning series Trawlerman, which aired on BBC One between 2006 and 2010.
'It's a bittersweet feeling', he says as his broad Doric brogue crackles through my mobile.
'I now work on the fish processing side of things, but for years, I was involved in catching fish in the North Sea.
'Sure, this deal will make things easier for fish processors, but it will be incredibly damaging to our fishermen.'
Jimmy Buchan is the 'skipper' at Amity Fish Company (Image: Amity Fish Company).Buchan tells me that fishermen and women in the region feel betrayed, by one government after another.
'This was the one part of Brexit which was going to benefit us', he notes. 'Scottish fishermen were supposed to have control over their own waters. But now, that is being taken away.
'I was with John Swinney the other day and he told me that the Scottish Government hadn't been consulted at all before the decision was taken.'
Buchan says the length of the deal was also a surprise.
'Twelve years is such a long time. I'll be retired by then. I'd understand a deal for two or three years, but twelve is incredibly long.'
However, not all local business owners have taken such a dismal view of the deal.
Sinclair Banks, the boss over at Lunar, tells me over email: 'You could quote the comment of the French Fishing Chief; 'We couldn't have hoped for better'.
'That's all that needs to be said.'
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Indeed, for fish processors, the deal is a boon. It will allow seafood to be exported to the continent with greater ease and less cost.
Buchan says this still isn't enough.
'Any advantages gained by the fish processing industry will be greatly outweighed by the damage it will do to our fishermen.'
'It feels like Peterhead is being sold out once again.'
Conservative Matthew James represents the town on Aberdeenshire Council.
He echoed Buchan's comments, telling me: 'Needless to say it was bitterly disappointing to hear the Prime Minister trade away 12 years of our fishing industry.
'This government is persistently letting down our region, I hear of concerns on what the future holds for Peterhead.
'The continued attack on oil and gas jobs, reluctance to commit to future plans for carbon capture & storage and now this news for our fishermen. I too worry what will be left for our town.'
Crates laden with tackle for fishing boats at Peterhead Harbour. (Image: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco) The UK government has defended the trade deal.
A statement read: '[This] new 12-year agreement protects Britain's fishing access, fishing rights and fishing areas with no increase in the amount of fish EU vessels can catch in British waters, providing stability and certainty for the sector.'
The government has also pledged to invest £360m into the fishing industry, which they say will pay for 'new technology and equipment to modernise the fleet, training to help upskill the workforce, and funding to help revitalise coastal communities, support tourism and boost seafood exports'.
Back in Peterhead, I continue my walk through the town centre, a route I've grown to know well. I pass Zanre's Fish and Chips, Ewan Morrice Quality Butcher, and Hame Bakery.
I pause at the Fisher Jessie statue, across from the Royal Bank of Scotland at the top of Queen Street.
The life-size bronze statue, which depicts a 'fish-wife' holding a basket laden with seafood, celebrates the important role of women in the industry.
Even now, amidst the changing tides, it remains a poignant symbol of the importance of fishing to this community.
Indeed, the sea has sustained Peterhead through the long march of time, weathering tempests, wars, and deindustrialisation.
One can only hope it continues to do so.