Landings of Mackerel during the last two weeks have consisted of larger class of mackerel averaging between 300-460g compared with fish taken last month (September) when the mackerel fishery opened.
The quality of fish, which have been landed have a high fat content level of around 27 per cent and is described as excellent.
These highly favourable characteristics, which acre traditionally associated with mackerel caught at this time of the year, are proving attractive to buyers from Japan so the prices have risen by about £300 a tonne over the past two weeks.
Last week processors in Fraserburgh, and Peterhread were paying around £2.25 per gram average weight, the equivaltent to £960 per tonne for 430 g fish. At the start of September the generally smaller run of fish was selling at £1,85 per gram in making £630-£700 per tonne.
Depending on the size and quality of fish available, prices continue to fluctuate daily depending on the demand from processors.
Over 5,000 tonne of mackerel were landed in to Peterhead market last week by a combination of nine Danish, Norwegian and Scottish boats. These included the Peterhead Pelagic trawler Quantus PD 379 and the Danish trawler Gitta Henning L349
Some skippers were staggering their fishing patterns, and some Scottish trawlers stopped fishing for mackerel towards the end of last week having taken their 2010 quota, and at the same as other others trawlers left harbour to start fishing.
