FISHERMEN are counting the cost of the prolonged spell of rough weather. ‘No fishing, no income,’ was the stark assessment of the situation by Peter Munro, president of the Guernsey Fishermen’s Association.
Most of the fleet was tied up to the Fish Quay yesterday waiting for the weather to improve.
‘One or two days of wind you can handle, but 10 days of it stops everybody from fishing and getting a wage. We did have fine weather up until this spell so I suppose it’s part and parcel of it,’ he said.
Fishermen managed to go to sea on Tuesday, but that was it for almost all of them.
‘It’s a poor spell. We are waiting for next week and a break in the weather,’ he said.
‘The whole fleet has been affected. The boats are predominantly small boats and can’t work.
‘You have not got any income when the weather is like this, but you still have your mooring fees and associated costs.’
One potential positive is that the lack of fishing for the Guernsey fleet is also affecting those from the south-west of England and France which could help prices on the Continent when fish and crab can be landed.
‘The market has not got the amount of crab it has been expecting,’ said Mr Munro.
There is often a good market at Christmas, but it has not really lived up to expectations in recent years.
Most Guernsey fishermen will be at home rather than at sea for Christmas Day lunch.
‘The majority of the fleet stop for Christmas and sit down with their families like the rest of the world,’ said Mr Munro.
Article posted on 8th December, 2007 - 12.00am
Loading ...
Most Commented: