Marine / Fishing industry calls on governments to radically rethink its approach towards sector
THE MASSIVE growth in offshore wind developments and the resetting of relationships with the EU could threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen according to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF).
In a New Year message, the industry body warned that the Scottish fishing industry was at risk of being crushed unless a “radical rethink” of governments’ approach towards the sector was taking place.
The SFF’s chief executive Elspeth Macdonald also warned of an “apparent determination of the EU to have it all in a new fisheries access agreement for UK waters”.
Her comments coincided with a warning from the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) that the local industry was now “in a battle for survival against the proliferation of offshore wind farms”.
In the local industry’s Yearbook 2025, the SFA said that fishing and floating offshore wind farms were “incompatible”.
“Both the Scottish and the UK governments have been making conciliatory noises towards the industry this year (2024), but fundamentally nothing has changed, and threat from these towering behemoths to local livelihoods is stark,” the SFA said.
“Some 160+ wind turbines, 30 metre taller than the Eiffel Tower, are set to loom over our fishing grounds to the east of Shetland un the near future.
“Industry research suggests that these enormous offshore wind farms and additional conservation measures – the spatial squeeze – could close more than half of Scottish waters to trawlers by 2050.
“Yet, as they approve developments in valuable fishing grounds, government officials continually downplay the impact on skippers, crews and the environment.
“The only conclusion you can draw from this is that they think these sacrifices are worth it.”
Macdonald said the industry understood the need for energy transition – but the ‘windrush’ under way was not proving to be a just transition for the fishing industry.
“At present, there are no proposals on the table to compensate our industry for the losses we will suffer, which are increasingly recognised by floating offshore wind developers as being significant,” the SFF chief executive said.
“Our long-standing industry must not be a casualty of this new one. We call on governments to step up to their responsibilities and live up to their commitments of a just transition – hollow words are not enough.”
On the EU relationship under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), she said the demands being heard from the EU were completely unreasonable.
“The EU seems to have forgotten what it signed up to back in 2020 – that from 2026, we move to a position where access to waters becomes part of annual negotiations,” she said.
“If the EU wants something different for the benefit of their fishing fleet, then they will need to offer something in return for the benefit of ours.
“The fishing industry paid a heavy price for the Brexit deal in the first place and should not pay the price of a wider arrangement yet again.
“Any re-set of relationships with the EU must not use access to UK fishing waters or quota as a bargaining chip for other issues and must deliver benefit for Scottish fishermen.
“If the EU wants revised arrangements on access to our waters after the adjustment period then that must be fully paid for in quota shares.”
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