Poor levels of prawn catches causing ‘hardship’ for skippers
THE North East Fishing Collective has described how the declining numbers in prawn catches have sparked an
“indescribable hardship” for skippers.
Recent winters have been “extremely challenging” for fishermen in the North East and Yorkshire, with the NEFC saying some are being forced to travel anywhere between 10-20 miles north of Hartlepool for prawns.
The group argues that many are “struggling to make ends meet” – with reportedly around a third of the prawn boats up for sale or already sold.
Half of the Hartlepool potting fleet is also the same, according to the group.
The issue with prawns was raised by fisherman Stan Rennie in the House of Commons in October when the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs select committee heard from witnesses about the crustacean deaths. This week, the NEFC released a statement including a number of quotes from skippers regarding the impact of the lack of catches.
In January, Darren Greenwood described how the last couple of winters were challenging because the prawns they would normally rely on from inshore grounds failed to materialise. “This proved to be very difficult due to the adverse weather we were encountering and due to it being the winter months,” he said.
Skipper Anthony Greenwood sent an image to The Gazette showing a “total lack of prawns” in Hartlepool on inside grounds, which was taken back in February. He said that every time they tried, they got nothing, and had to travel further north when weather permitted to “try and make a living”.
The NEFC statement was released after Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer stated in a Facebook post that prawners “have experienced a temporary but significant reduction in their catches due to prawns burrowing into sands and moving away from usual catch areas”.
Ms Mortimer added that prawn catches then returned – but that fishermen “lost some valuable weeks of fishing”.
The NEFC said in a statement that it is
“with utter dismay and bewilderment” that they find themselves having to clarify the current situation surrounding the prawn fleet.
It said that – while she may have spoken to some – she has not spoken to the “majority of skippers” in the fleet who are suffering “indescribable hardship” due to the lack of catches. The group said that Ms Mortimer’s statement on the “temporary loss of prawns” is “nothing short of an insult to the real-life situation.” They have called on the MP to consider the detrimental effect of these words on fishermen when releasing statements in the future.
The Gazette Live has contacted Jill Mortimer for comment.