Fleet fuel aid ruled out

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THE European Commission yesterday offered a lifeline to fishermen, but ruled out fuel subsidies or higher catch allowances to ease their current economic crisis.

Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said he understood the problems and would act.

The move came in response to fears that more and more fishermen will join port blockades across Europe in protest at high marine diesel costs and limited fish quotas. Scottish fishermen have already threatened to blockade Aberdeen harbour and the Grangemouth oil refinery as anger mounts over the high price of fuel.

Mr Borg said rapid cash aid was available for legitimate restructuring of the fisheries sector to make fleets more efficient, but added that fuel subsidies would be illegal and permitting higher fish catches would speed the decline of depleted fish stocks.

He insisted the difficulties faced by fishermen were rooted in a mismatch between the size of the fleet and the sustainable level of fishing possibilities – too many fishermen chasing too few fish.

But, he admitted the problems had been seriously compounded by a massive 240% increase in marine fuel prices since 2004.