LUKE POLLARD WARNS OF PERFECT STORM FOR FISHERS AS COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS MOUNTS

Luke Pollard warns of perfect storm for fishers as cost-of-living crisis mounts. Mounting pressures on fishers means many are thinking about leaving the industry. Luke Pollard has warned that higher and higher fuel prices are meaning many trips to sea are now unprofitable and this is causing real mental health problems for fishers as they balance the huge extra demands of home-grown post-Brexit paperwork, rising costs and little sign of the promised extra fish.

In a Parliamentary debate on 14 June, Mr Pollard stated that fishers can no longer navigate the pressures mounting up against them, as he called for CatchApp to be replaced, the i-VMS system to be made more affordable, and more to be done to get British-caught fish into UK supermarkets.

Catch reporting for under 10m vessels in England was introduced as a licence requirement in 2019. Despite the mandatory CatchApp and i-VMS vessel monitoring system technologies having been beset by problems since their introductions, fishers are still facing heavy financial penalties for failing to comply with the new regulations.

Luke Pollard, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: 

“British fishers are facing a perfect storm of rising costs and squeezed margins. Whether it’s the cost-of-living crisis, being forced to use inadequate technologies or the general lack of support for the industry, the cumulative pressures on our inshore fishing fleet is having a worrying mental health impact on our fishers.

“I’m worried that many people who are the backbone of our industry are questioning their future in fishing. Many see no end in sight and the government is not doing enough to recognise that.

“I want to see more support so that fishing can be sustainable both economically and environmentally.”