Marine / Fishermen seeking compensation for days lost to space launches
NO COMPENSATION has been agreed for fishermen who lose days at sea due to space launches at SaxaVord Spaceport, a fishing official has said.
Concerns have also been raised by the fishing industry about debris from launches landing in the sea, which could then be dragged up by fishermen and potentially damage their gear.
Fishermen in Yell and Unst cannot fish on days when launches are carried out at SaxaVord, or on days around launches.
But with as many as 30 launches a year possible, the fishing industry is seeking talks about how fishermen will be compensated for staying at home.
Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) executive officer Daniel Lawson also said fishermen in Florida have been besieged by issues following launches from Cape Canaveral.
Lawson said they foresaw the same problems, caused by so-called “space bruck” dropping into the sea, affecting the fleet in Shetland when launches begin.
It comes after fellow SFA executive officer Sheila Keith said the spaceport would have a “considerable impact” on fishing at a meeting of Shetland Islands Council’s fisheries and aquaculture working group early last year.
In minutes from the 26 January 2024 meeting, released by the council through freedom of information (FOI) request, Keith said it was important to find out “the consequences of these launches” to the fishing industry.
Ruth Henderson, from Seafood Shetland, also said they had highlighted concerns from the sector with SaxaVord Spaceport – with the effects only likely to become apparent “when the launches get underway”.
The first Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) launch from SaxaVord could still take place this year, with the first Orbex launch due now in 2026.
Councillor Robert Thomson questioned whether a compensation payment would be available, in cases of significant ongoing disruption, at the January 2024 work group meeting.
More than 20 months later, Lawson said there was still no agreement in place for compensation for fishermen with the SaxaVord Spaceport.
He said that “space bruck” and compensation for exclusion zones “is something we’d like to discuss again with spaceport and their clients”.
In September, Lawson said they hoped a date would be fixed soon. However today (Friday), he said nothing was yet in place.
Rocket company HyImpulse was previously given a marine licence to deposit debris in the sea during launches from SaxaVord.
The Marine Scotland licence applies for the period between 1 August and 30 November and relates to an area of sea around 18 to 55 nautical miles north of Unst.
It allows for the permanent deposits of rocket nose cone weighting up to 140kg, a manacle ring and steel hatch, both weighing a maximum of 1.5kg, to be permanently deposited.These items are expected to sink to the seabed.
Temporary deposits include a rocket booster plus parachute, weighing up to 800kg, and a drogue parachute with structural attachments.
These are expected to be recovered from the sea.
A Fishing News article from earlier this year found that fishermen working from Port Canaveral were calling on Space X to pay compensation for the disruption launches were causing to business.
One fishermen said that the large amounts of debris from the launches was “causing significant lost fishing time” to fishermen, who were forced to untangle the debris and mend nets regularly “torn to hell”.
SaxaVord Spaceport did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding compensation for fishermen.
Representatives from the spaceport are expected to attend the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation quarterly meeting later this month, however.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
