Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, said up to a third of Jersey’s fleet is for sale as the industry has been crippled by low stocks, bad weather and now a halt on exports due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fisherman and father-of-three Gibby Gordon (31) says he fears for his family’s financial future as all of their income hinges on the impact of the coronavirus. His wife is a home-visit hairdresser.
‘The situation might not have been so bad but since September we have had gale after gale so have struggled getting out and when we have the catch has been so poor and now we have this situation on top of that just as the weather has turned good.
‘I need to go out and make sure all my gear is safe and maybe I’ll fish two days a week but I need another income, I’ve got kids to feed and a mortgage to pay.
‘Going to work for someone else I might not even make enough money to cover the bills. I still have insurance to pay and other bills.’
The RNLI volunteer added: ‘I’ll post on Facebook and sell what I can on there but there is not enough demand to sustain everyone on the Island. There is a whole fleet in my situation.
‘My wife is a hairdresser so if it gets to the point where she cannot go to people’s houses because of this virus it’s another problem. And if the schools close, someone has to look after the kids.
‘People in finance can work from home but we can’t. What are we supposed to do?’
Mr Gordon’s appeal on Facebook said he was happy to carry out labouring or other ad hoc work and has a pick-up truck available for use.
Export firm Aqua-Mar said it was not buying any more local fish for the foreseeable future as major European markets in Italy, Spain and France had banned imports or placed heavy restrictions on them in light of the pandemic. The firm bought almost 398,000kg of shellfish last year.
There are 132 registered fishing vessels in Jersey – 57 of which operate on a full-time basis. For each vessel there is often more than one person invested, either as crew or owner.
Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham said at the weekend that financial bailouts were being planned for businesses – particularly those in the fishing industry.
Mr Thompson said during meetings with fishermen at the weekend several proposals were drawn up.
‘It’s difficult to know what you can do to keep the fleets going in this situation,’ he said.
‘I know some of the guys are offering whatever services they can just to survive. We are not blind to the fact there is a local market but it is very small. There is a big market for hospitality and restaurants – in normal times – but we don’t have a processing point capable of dealing with the requirements these days.
‘There is a long-term strategy to equip ourselves better to deal with the local market. We know the European market is very volatile even aside from situations like now. These are difficult times but hopefully it can spur something good.’
