Tag Archives: Shetland’s fishing fleet
Rising fuel costs could lead to job losses in fishing fleet
Shetland’s fishing fleet faces tie-ups and job losses as vessels are crippled by rising fuel costs, according to the local fisherman’s association. The organisation said that due to the conflict in Ukraine the cost of marine diesel in the isles has more than doubled compared to this time last year, making fishing trips “uneconomical and local businesses unviable”. Over one month on from the start of hostilities in Ukraine, governments elsewhere have been grappling with global supply chain concerns – with food and energy security on consumers’ minds as prices begin to rise. “It’s almost a forgotten fact that fishing crews help to feed the nation,” said SFA chair James Anderson, who is the skipper of Alison Kay, LK57. >click to read< 09:43
It’s hard to go green if you’re facing the red
It is a fact brought back into focus by the war in Ukraine. For decades, governments have promoted and promised a move away from oil and gas, getting ever greener, at least in their messaging, in response to the justified eco-concerns of modern-day voters, writes Daniel Lawson, newly appointed executive officer at the Shetland Fishermen’s Association. Now energy costs are rising even higher, our reliance on imports is being called into question – and our governments, who only a few months ago hosted the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow – are having to reconsider just how green our society can really afford to be in this moment. This sharp rise in fuel costs affects us all, every household, every industry. Such remains the scale of our reliance – still – on fossil fuels. The practical reality is that we can’t yet manage without oil and gas. It’s an example that highlights a wider point: it’s hard to go green if you’re facing the red. >click to read< 19:01
