Pictured: fresh mussels from the Isle of Mull, Scotland.
Photo: Richard Kellett / Adobe Stock.
Scotland's shellfish farming sector achieved another record year for mussel production in 2025, while the overall value of the sector also increased, according to the latest Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey.
The annual survey, published by the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate, covers trends across Scotland’s main farmed shellfish species, including common mussels, Pacific oysters, native oysters and king scallops, and gives detailed statistics on employment, production and economic value across the country’s shellfish farming sector.
The survey showed that the total first sale value of the Scottish shellfish farming sector was estimated at £15.1 million in 2025, representing an 8% increase compared with 2024.
Common mussels and Pacific oysters continued to be the main species produced by Scotland’s shellfish farming sector, both in terms of production and value.
The survey revealed a new landmark year for Scotland’s mussel farmers, with 12,303 tonnes of common mussels produced for the table market in 2025. This represents the highest level of common mussel production ever recorded in Scotland, and an increase of 5% compared with 2024.
The number of common mussel production sites with sufficient spat settlement also increased during the year, rising by 15% from 97 sites to 112 sites in 2025, the survey found.
Pacific oyster production also increased in 2025, with 2.5 million shells produced for the table market. This represented a 5% increase compared with the previous year.
Native oyster production, however, declined by 7%, falling from 170,000 shells in 2024 to 158,000 shells in 2025.
Meanwhile, king scallop production increased slightly, rising by 4% from 23,000 shells in 2024 to reach 24,000 shells in 2025. Production of queen scallops was not reported due to low levels of production and the small number of producers.
However, the survey also registered a decrease in employment across the Scottish shellfish farming sector.
A total of 227 full-time, part-time and casual staff were employed within the sector during 2025, representing a 6% decrease compared with the previous year.
