Tag Archives: Westfleet Seafoods
Infamous sandbar so high some boats forced to wait hours at sea
A lack of rainfall has left fishing boats unable to cross the notoriously dangerous Grey River mouth, except at high tide. The Grey River’s infamous sandbar, a hot spot for boating tragedies, is now so high some boats have had to wait at sea for hours to berth during the lucrative hoki season. Port manager Franco Horridge said the last sounding recorded the depth of water at 2.7m at the mean low tide level. “It’s shallower than it has been for the last few years. The bar had caused similar issues for boats in 2017. “We recommend that boats only cross it at or around high tide. It’s an inconvenience to the fishing boats but skippers know it very well. We’re a long way away from being unnavigable at high tide,” he said. Westfleet Seafoods general manager fishing Colin Smith said the high bar was having an effect on boats. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:07
Fish and chips may ‘double’ in price without fuel help
A major figure in New Zealand’s fishing industry warns more boats could be tied up and the price of fish and chips will double unless the sector gets the same fuel assistance given to others. Already Westfleet Seafoods’ 400 tonne trawler Tasman Viking has been tied up at Nelson’s port for a fortnight because of the spiraling cost of fuel. The company’s chief executive, Craig Boote, said that if the government did not play fair and apply fuel discounts to all New Zealand businesses the fishing industry could be on its knees in weeks. “Fuel is a huge component of our commercial operations and without a reduction the price of fish will unfortunately skyrocket,” he said. “The only other option is to tie boats up, which of course has a snowball effect, with onshore jobs in the factory, engineering and more, being negatively affected.” >click to read< 09:02
