To what extent the fishing fleet has reduced in si'e in each of the last four years, broken down by sector.

The table below shows the numbers of fishing vessels based in Scotland between 1 January 2001 and 1 January 2004 and the year-on-year changes in vessel numbers. The fleet has been segmented in the table by length group and, for vessels over 10metres in overall length, the vessels’ main reported fishing method.
Number of Scottish Based Vessels at 1 January, 2001-04
Length Group/Main Vessel Fishing Method
| Number of Scottish-Based Fishing Vessels
| Annual Change in Vessel Numbers
| Total Change in Vessel Numbers, 2001-04

2001
| 2002
| 2003
| 2004
| 2001-02
| 2002-03
| 2003-04

Vessels over 10m in overall length, of which:
| 954
| 950
| 834
| 758
| -4
| -116
| -76
| -196

Demersal trawl, seines, lines and gill-nets
| 471
| 475
| 385
| 330
| 4
| -90
| -55
| -141

Pelagic trawl and seine
| 37
| 35
| 32
| 27
| -2
| -3
| -5
| -10

Nephrops trawl
| 222
| 222
| 206
| 193
| 0
| -16
| -13
| -29

Other shellfish methods
| 224
| 218
| 211
| 208
| -6
| -7
| -3
| -16

Vessels 10m or under in overall length
| 1,616
| 1,631
| 1,649
| 1,632
| 15
| 18
| -17
| 16

Total
| 2,570
| 2,581
| 2,483
| 2,390
| 11
| -98
| -93
| -180


Of the 196 vessels over 10 metres in length that left the fleet between 2001 and 2004, 165 were removed as a result of the 2001-02 and 2003 decommissioning schemes. These schemes have reduced Scottish fishing effort, using gears most associated with cod mortality, by 31.3% compared to 2001 levels.