Since it was established in 1967, the Museum Trust has collected artefacts connected to the history of fishing from all around the coast of Scotland, as well as from the Western and Northern Isles. The entire collection cared for by the Scottish Fisheries Museum is a Recognised Collection of National Significance, awarded by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The Collections are developed, documented, made accessible, cared for and conserved in accordance with the SFM Collections Management Policy Framework 2023.