Our activities fall into two main categories:

Fisheries Management

We manage a significant proportion of the fishing opportunities allocated by the EU to the Scottish fishing industry under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). More than 40% of the entire Scottish demersal quota is managed within the SFO, including key species such as nephrops (62% of national quota), North Sea cod (30%) and North Sea haddock (33%). One third of the Scottish pelagic quota is also managed within the SFO, primarily consisting of mackerel (34% of national quota) and herring (41%).

Catches are kept within quota limits that are agreed by the EU and based on up-to-date scientific advice. Quota uptake and landings are monitored and managed throughout the year by POs and by Marine Scotland. The latest quota management figures are available to download from the Scottish Government website. The SFO plays a key role in ensuring that fishing opportunities are available for members at appropriate times, allowing them to respond to market demand.

Processing and marketing

The SFO's own marketing activities are carried out through our wholly-owned subsidiary Braehead (SFO Enterprises) Ltd. We have two dedicated shellfish processing facilities located in Scotland which currently focus on the production of high quality langoustine destined for domestic and export markets in Europe and the Far East.

SFO members’ whitefish and shellfish catches are either sold at auction in ports around Scotland, sold in other European ports, or supplied to buyers, including the SFO, which has pre-arranged agreements with individual vessels. Pelagic species are landed in to a small number of factories located in Scotland and other ports in Europe.