Tag Archives: Scotland’s fishing industry
Hook, Line, and Sinker: How Brexit betrayed the UK fishing industry
Retired fisherman Charlie Waddy, former first mate of the Kirkella, knows what’s at stake on the ocean. His close friend died while working on deck beside him; his father was lost at sea returning from Iceland and Norway when Waddy, the youngest of seven children, was just three years old. But for the desperate hand of a nearby crewmate, Waddy himself nearly went overboard, his chances of survival slim in the frigid and pulsating waters below. Believing evocative memories of trawlers departing for distant seas might be reclaimed, Waddy voted for Brexit. He said he now felt betrayed by politicians who extoled the benefits of leaving the EU but then failed to deliver. “I wish I never,” he sighed. “They told us everything that we wanted to hear.” Photos, > click to read< 08:30
Fishing industry at risk of being ‘put to the sword’ by offshore renewables and MPA’s
The fishing fleet is facing a “truly frightening” future with the prospect of more than half of Scottish waters being off-limits by 2050, a new study has warned. The industry is at risk of being “put to the sword” because of offshore renewable energy developments and the expansion of enhanced marine protected areas, according to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO). Their report, Spatial Squeeze in Fisheries, produced by the ABPmer consultancy, is described as the first attempt to assess the cumulative impact on commercial fishing of “hugely increased competition for space in the marine environment”. >click to read< 07:55
Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Destroying Scotland’s Fishing Industry
Britain’s trawlermen are tough, but not invincible. Giant industrial wind turbines and their associated infrastructure have wrecked once productive fishing grounds, including the scallop beds of the Moray Firth. Dodging turbines in rough seas is bad enough: Collision Course: Offshore Wind Turbines Present New (Unnecessary) Mortal Danger for Trawlermen, But having nets and fishing gear snagged on and destroyed by the turbines’ transmission cables is a bridge too far. >click to read< 11:26
Fiona MacInnes: Why it’s time to wake up, smell the fish, and really take back control
Fiona MacInnes looks at Scotland’s fishing industry and argues that, post-Brexit, the industry is either heading for total corporate domination that will exhaust our resources and impoverish fisherman, or a new collective model where fish are used for the good of Scotland as a whole.,, If the last time you saw a fishing boat was on a Captain Birdseye ad then fish is of more importance to you than just about anything else. It may be the last national asset that you can claim some ownership of. Count up the natural assets that you have lost, and realise why fish is the most important economic and political football of the day. It is the new oil. click here to read the story 10:02
Fishermen slap down Sturgeon over EU crusade and say she’s ignoring Brexit’s GRAND PRIZE
Ms Sturgeon and her SNP party have consistently warned leaving the EU would be devastating for Scotland’s fishing industry, with “thousands” of jobs at risk. However, the industry experts themselves have dismissed this and accused the First Minister of ignoring the huge benefit of Brexit – reclaiming Scottish fishing waters. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said the result of this summer’s EU referendum would end the Common Fisheries Policy, which imposes quotas and allows fishermen from other member states to access Scottish fishing water – which they described as the “best fishing grounds in the world”. Read the rest here 12:07
EU referendum: Would Scotland’s fishermen be better in or out?
The fishing industry plays a key role in the economy of the North East of Scotland. Ahead of the EU referendum on 23 June, I spoke to two different camps of opinion-Ken Banks. “I have not met a local fisherman yet who would not pack his bags and leave the EU.” The words of Jimmy Buchan – skipper of Peterhead’s Amity II who featured in the BBC’s Trawlermen series. He has worked at sea since leaving school in 1976. The 55-year-old’s feelings on the forthcoming referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU are clear – leave in a bid to secure a future for fishermen. The Aberdeenshire town of Peterhead is Europe’s largest white fish port, so the topic could hardly be more crucial. The Scottish government believes that EU membership is in the “best interests” of Scotland’s fishing industry. Read the rest here 19:21
