---
title: "Charter for Mackerel Egg Survey in North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and Scotland"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT"
published: "2025-05-12"
---

# Charter for Mackerel Egg Survey in North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and Scotland

Buyer: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778

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## Summary

The Scottish Government has completed a public procurement process for a Charter for Mackerel Egg Survey in regions including North Biscay, the Celtic Sea, and the West of Ireland and Scotland. This tender, conducted under an open procedure, centred around general public services within the services category. The survey will commence on the 7th of July 2025, lasting for 23 days, with operations beginning and ending in Ullapool. The contracting process, initiated in February 2025, reached the award stage by May 2025. Notably, the contract, valued at £780,850, was signed on the 9th of May 2025, and subsequently awarded to Interfish Limited, a SME based in Plymouth.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses in the marine and fisheries sectors, particularly those with large pelagic vessels capable of undertaking scientific surveys. Firms with a strategic interest in the sustainable fishing industry could benefit by aligning themselves with government research initiatives such as this. Additionally, having sufficient mackerel quota to match the charter requirements would be beneficial. The opportunity invites engagement not only from well-established marine operators but also SMEs capable of offering specialised ichthyoplankton survey services, fostering potential long-term relationships with government bodies like the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate.

## Notice

The Marine Directorate invites a tender from pelagic vessels of overall length greater than 60m to undertake an icthyoplankton survey for mackerel eggs in the region of North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and West of Scotland. The charter will be of 23 days duration and start on the 7th July 2025, departing from Ullapool. Offloading, upon completion of the survey will be undertaken from the same port. Transit time to the survey start point/end point is approximately 12 hours

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Marine Directorate invites a tender from pelagic vessels of overall length greater than 60m to undertake an icthyoplankton survey for mackerel eggs in the region of North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and West of Scotland. The charter will be of 23 days duration and start on the 7th July 2025, departing from Ullapool. Offloading, upon completion of the survey will be undertaken from the same port. Transit time to the survey start point/end point is approximately 12 hours. Scientific quota is being offered in exchange for a number of days survey time (maximum 23 days depending on the daily rate of charter). Mackerel quota is to be allocated on the value of the catch at the time of landing. The catch is to be taken as western mackerel quota. This quota must be taken at the first opportunity of the mackerel fishery opening in September 2025. If the vessel lands more than the monetary value agreed, the excess must be covered by the vessels own quota allocation. Bidding vessels must therefore have sufficient quota in the relevant area. If the vessel lands less than the value agreed no additional compensation will be offered.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY530042 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Mar 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 9 May 2025 |
| Contract period | 7 Jul 2025 - 29 Jul 2025 |
| Recurrence | February 2027 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £700,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £780,850 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Aberdeen |
| Postcode | N/A |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM5 North Eastern Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire |
| Local authority | Aberdeen City |
| Electoral ward | Torry/Ferryhill |
| Westminster constituency | Aberdeen South |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | INTERFISH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 63726400 - Ship chartering services
- 73112000 - Marine research services

## Release History

- 12 May 2025 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY530042
- 17 Feb 2025 at 00:00 - Tender - PCS Notice - Website Contract Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB524002

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=FEB524002&idx=1
  17th February 2025 - Charter Specification
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=FEB524002&idx=2
  17th February 2025 - Charter terms and conditions
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB524002
  Charter for Mackerel Egg Survey in North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and Scotland - The Marine Directorate invites a tender from pelagic vessels of overall length greater than 60m to undertake an icthyoplankton survey for mackerel eggs in the region of North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and West of Scotland. The charter will be of 23 days duration and start on the 7th July 2025, departing from Ullapool. Offloading, upon completion of the survey will be undertaken from the same port. Transit time to the survey start point/end point is approximately 12 hours
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY530042
  Charter for Mackerel Egg Survey in North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and Scotland - The Marine Directorate invites a tender from pelagic vessels of overall length greater than 60m to undertake an icthyoplankton survey for mackerel eggs in the region of North Biscay, Celtic Sea, West of Ireland and West of Scotland. The charter will be of 23 days duration and start on the 7th July 2025, departing from Ullapool. Offloading, upon completion of the survey will be undertaken from the same port. Transit time to the survey start point/end point is approximately 12 hours

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
- http://www.scotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000790778.json.