FISH LANDING FEES WAIVED AT MACDUFF FOR A WHOLE YEAR
Aberdeenshire Council's Harbours Service has formally announced the waiving of all fish landing fees at Macduff Harbour for one year from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.
As part of our regeneration strategy for Macduff, the service hopes this will provide stimulus into the local fishing fleet and assist fishing vessel owners by reducing overheads - particularly with regards to the cost of transportation of produce to market.
Should there be sufficient support from fishermen via berthing and fish landing totals during this coming year, the council will evaluate opportunities to reopen the Macduff Fishmarket with an online digital fish auction to access UK, European and world markets directly.
This will further enhance the experience and reduce overheads for a Macduff fishing fleet by selling direct. Via this process the harbour authority will recoup some of the lost income from waiving fish landing fees by applying it to fish sales.
Any vessels permanently berthing in Macduff Harbour will also receive an incentive via priority slipping when space and availability allows.
Macduff continues to run a 24/7 staffed service with a 3m depth throughout the outer and middle basins, and benefits from a re-engineered and working ice plant delivering seven tonnes of flaked ice per day and two recently installed fish chillers.
A 5-tonne forklift for receiving and moving cargo is also available and hire of a fish landing table with four main ship service points providing shore power on the South Quay.
Ship design, maintenance and engineering is on-site through Macduff Shipyards and other specialist contractors, and our 4-berth 350-tonne slipway has recently been upgraded to allow 10m+ beamed vessels.
For details please contact our Area Harbour Master North, Duncan Mackie on 07747 020496.
The council hopes the waiver will provide stimulus into the Macduff fishing fleet and assist local fishing vessel owners by reducing overheads
Macduff slipway has recently been upgraded to allow 10m+ beamed vessels to be worked on
Link to cradle upgrade media release: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Apps/News/release.aspx?newsID=9248