Collafirth pier
Pier · Salt water · in Shetland
A deep-water pier and small marina at Saltoo in Collafirth, Northmavine, built in 1988 on the site of a Norwegian whaling station and standing in about nine metres at low water.
Safety: cliffs and rock platforms — can cause serious injury or death. 2 more points apply here.
Particular to this water: The pier is an operational council facility with a marina manager. Whether angling is permitted from it, and from where, is the operator's decision rather than anything this page can state.
FishingHQ describes what this place is, not whether you may fish it. Access, permits and who to ask.
Fish documented nearby, not here
Nothing below has been documented at Collafirth pier itself. Each one has been documented at a named place on the same ground, and the places are listed with it. Treat this as what the water around here holds rather than as a catch list for this mark.
Also documented at neighbouring places
One or two accounts each, on the ground around here. Enough to know the fish is caught in these waters; not enough to say anything about this place.
From the shore
- Brown trout — documented at The Loch of Strom; Weisdale Voe; Bixter Voe (+13 more)
Fly fishing
- Brown trout — documented at The Loch of Strom; Weisdale Voe; Bixter Voe (+13 more)
How people fish it
Practised here: Sea fishing.
The ground and the water
- The ground
- A deep-water pier and small marina at Saltoo in Collafirth, Northmavine, built in 1988 on the site of a Norwegian whaling station and standing in about nine metres at low water.
- Depth
- About nine metres alongside at low water, so the depth is off the pier itself rather than a cast away from it.
Not to be confused with The Brig of Collafirth, which is a separate record for different ground.
Getting there
What public sources describe, last checked 2026-08-24. Car parks fill, services change and a path existing is not a path anybody may use — none of this is a guarantee of availability and none of it is permission to be anywhere.
- Getting to it
- A minor road off the A970 down the east side of Collafirth to the pier and marina at Saltoo. The council's own description records that the approach poses no problems at any state of the tide.
- Public transport
- The council records telephone, bus and taxi services as serving the location. Which routes run and when is the operator's timetable rather than a fixed fact.
Where this access information comes from
- Collafirth Marina and Pier — facilities and approach — Shetland Islands Council and Promote Shetland (Local authority, harbour or protected-area body)Relied on for: The facilities, depth at low water, tidal independence of the approach and public transport at Collafirth pier.States this directlyPassage read and verified
What is there
Slipway or launch
A slip is recorded at the marina, alongside fresh water and waste disposal. Electricity can be arranged with the marina.
Harbour facilities
One visitor berth suitable for craft up to twenty-five feet, with larger vessels using the pier's inside berth. Harbour dues follow the council's schedule.
Safety
Cliffs and rock platforms — Can cause serious injury or death
Shore fishing here happens on cliff and rock ledges above deep water on a coast exposed to Atlantic swell with no shelter. Long-period ground swell arrives independently of local wind, and being swept from a ledge into cold deep water below a cliff is the characteristic serious accident.
What reduces it: Read swell height, period and direction rather than wind, watch a full set before committing to a ledge, stand higher than feels necessary, wear a buoyancy aid, never fish exposed cliff alone, and know the exit before you need it.
Worse when:
- With any Atlantic ground swell running, including on a calm day.
- In winter, when daylight is very short and conditions change fast.
- On unfamiliar ground, where which ledges are workable is entirely local knowledge.
Boat safety — Can cause serious injury or death
The roosts around Shetland are among the strongest tidal races in Britain, producing overfalls and standing waves capable of overwhelming a small boat in otherwise calm conditions. Wind against tide makes them dramatically worse, and the archipelago is among the windiest places in Britain.
What reduces it: Plan passages around slack water and neap tides, never enter a roost with wind against stream, know the tidal streams before leaving, and treat a decision not to go as the normal outcome rather than a failure.
Cold water shock — Can cause serious injury or death
Sea temperature at this latitude is cold year-round. Immersion triggers the involuntary gasp and hyperventilation response and swimming ability is lost within the first minute — which below a cliff with deep moving water is the minute that decides the outcome.
What reduces it: Wear a buoyancy aid on cliff and in a boat, and if immersed, float and control breathing before attempting to swim. Do not assume summer water is warm enough to remove this risk.
Rules and access
FishingHQ does not know the current access position here. Sea angling in Scotland is not rod-licensed, but access rights under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code carry responsibilities, and harbour, local authority, marine conservation and fisheries measures all apply and all change. Check the current position with the Marine Directorate, the harbour or local authority and the land manager before going.
Particular to this water: The pier is an operational council facility with a marina manager. Whether angling is permitted from it, and from where, is the operator's decision rather than anything this page can state.
Who holds the answer:
- The Scottish Government Marine Directorate, for sea fisheries measures in Scottish waters.
- The harbour authority or land manager, for access to the structure or the ground.
- The local authority, for shellfish harvesting classification.
- The Scottish marine directorate, for sea fisheries, minimum sizes, prohibited species and gear.
- The local body holding the inshore shellfish regulating order, which manages the shellfish fishery within the defined area.
- The local angling association, which administers most of the islands' trout loch fishing.
- The national conservation and fisheries bodies for salmon and sea trout, and for marine protected area management.
- The harbour authority and maritime bodies for port operations and small-craft safety.
Nearby fishing
Other publicly documented places within about 40 km, by distance. Positions are approximate public geography and are never exact marks.
- The Brig of Collafirth — under 2 km · Tidal channel
- Ronas Voe — 5–10 km · Sea loch
- Eela Water — 5–10 km · Loch
- Yell Sound — 5–10 km · Sound or strait
- Sullom Voe — 5–10 km · Sea loch
- Mavis Grind — 5–10 km · Tidal channel
- Punds Water — 5–10 km · Loch
- Dales Voe, Delting — 10–25 km · Sea loch
Sources for this place
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Description, designation and habitat characterisation of the named coastal and marine features of the United Kingdom, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Marine environmental science for UK shelf seas: sediment characterisation, estuarine process, shellfish bed distribution, tidal range and the monitoring that describes them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Collafirth Marina and Pier — facilities and approach — Shetland Islands Council and Promote Shetland (Local authority, harbour or protected-area body)Relied on for: The facilities, depth at low water, tidal independence of the approach and public transport at Collafirth pier.States this directlyPassage read and verified
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.