Seafood prices set to rise as cost of diesel keeps trawlers in port Business

Ms Macdonald told Today: “Anyone involved in a fishing business, where fuel is essentially your biggest cost of operation, is really feeling the impact of this increase in fuel prices.

“People are resorting to some of the kinds of things they did when the Covid pandemic first hit – and we’ve had a real impact on the demand for seafood – to the extent that people, with their vessels, maybe moving forward with scheduled maintenance, trying to get some work done.

“We are certainly hearing that some vessels are making the decision not to fish at this time due to the impact on profitability. And this is particularly true for shrimp, scallops and part of the whitefish fleet.

She called on the government to step in and provide support, adding: “We are all feeling the pressures of the rising cost of living, but we want to make sure we still have a viable industry once the crisis passes.”

Fishermen in Shetland have also been sounding the alarm, with the local fishing association recently warning that crews had been ‘forced to consider laying up, taking pay cuts or being made redundant until until the ships become viable again”.

They argued that low cod quotas despite plenty of fish are also forcing crews to “fish less efficiently” and use more fuel, worsening the crisis.

Elsewhere, a Kent fisherman became so frustrated with the rise in the price of red diesel last month that he pulled his boat ashore and transported it to a petrol station on the back of a lorry, so that he can fill up with “white” diesel.

Chris Attenborough, from Herne Bay, claimed he was able to save up to 70p per liter by doing so, once he had reclaimed road charges and VAT, instead of waiting deliveries of red diesel to the Port of Whitstable.