Holy Island all at sea as fishing ban looms
Defra’s proposal threatens to ‘rip the heart out’ of a community where one in 10 works on the ocean
FOR centuries, fishermen have been the lifeblood of the tiny island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland.
But a ban on fishing proposed by Whitehall officials as part of a drive to rewild the sea now threatens to kill off the profession on the island – and possibly the entire community.
The Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) is consulting on designating the seas to the north of the island a Highly Protected Marine Area, which would outlaw the crab and lobster potters who set sail in the early hours of the morning.
If the fishermen are put out of work and forced to move to the mainland with their families, restaurants, hotels, school and even emergency services would struggle to run, residents warn.
The island, also known as Holy Island and one of the most important centres of early English Christianity dating back to the 6th century AD, would have its heart “ripped out” , they say.
The island has a population of only around 180 and is linked to the north Northumberland mainland by a causeway only accessible for around 14 hours a day. It is not possible to live on the island and work a job with regular hours on the mainland.
Fishing is the best-paid job on the island, and fishermen make up around 10 per cent of the population. If they were forced to move for work, they would take their families with them.
At least three of these families include first responders who make up 50 per cent of the Coastguard team.
John Bevan, the clerk of Holy Island Parish Council, and the Rev Canon Dr Sarah Hills, the vicar of St Mary’s Holy Island, say Defra’s proposal is “both misguided and inequitable”.
They say the situation “shouldn’t be positioned as ‘fishing against environment’” as they are “allies not enemies” in protecting the oceans upon which they and their families depend.
Mr Bevan added that there is “shock and dismay” that the consultation, which the fisherman found out about in a newspaper article last month, will only allow them until next month to make their case against the ban.
The waters north of the island are one of five areas across the UK proposed to the Government for an HPMA, areas of the sea that are designated to allow the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems. But the skippers believe their sustainable methods of crab and lobster potting have already paid off and the area is thriving.
One said measures over the years included pot limitations, a ban on catching animals with eggs and tagging systems and they have “benefited 100 per cent through better catches”.
Academic research has also backed the low impact of potting fisheries on marine habitat and studies have found it is “compatible” with conservation, residents point out.
One islander asked: “This will rip the heart out of the community and leave it seriously depleted, and for what gain?”
The decision would also damage tourism, the second biggest industry on the island, where the 16th-century castle is run by the National Trust.
The owner of a local restaurant said: “My staff are families of the fishermen. If the fishery closes, my business will suffer because I cannot get staff from the mainland due to the tides.”
Locals believe that the agency has misunderstood activity in the area and point out the consultation document refers to practices such as netting posts which have not been used for decades.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard added that “for the last 200 years” they have run a response service made up of volunteers from the island “employed in the mainstay island economies such as fishing, farming and tourism”.
A Defra spokesman said: “This consultation will inform decisions on future highly marine protected areas and their final boundaries.
“The public and stakeholders will have the opportunity to share their views and provide additional evidence of the potential impact of proposed pilot sites.
“Highly protected marine areas will protect the marine environment and help a wide range of valuable habitats and species to fully recover whilst ensuring we can continue to meet the sustainable needs of those who rely on our seas.”