The chairman of Scottish Seafood Association has warned that the Forth Road Bridge closure will have a “huge” impact on the industry in the north and north-east of Scotland.
David Leiper said that delays were already impacting on processing time, with lorries having to leave an hour and a half earlier in a bid to beat the traffic.
Now the bridge has been fully closed he has warned the impact will be “even more significant”.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay has pledged to do all he can to help businesses affected by the closure – and hinted that haulage firms might be given priority once it is safe to reopen the bridge.
Mr Leiper said: “It will be huge.
“Lorries are already leaving an hour an half earlier than they would normally. That means there is less processing time.
“It is the busiest time of the year for us so it really could not have come at a worse time. It is just like the Eurotunnel closure earlier this year – there will be huge delays.
“We won’t know the full impact until Monday or Tuesday probably but it will be even more significant than the delays we have already seen.”
Mr Mackay said: “We will engage with the business community and if there are any measures we need to take we are all ears.
“We have already engaged with the Haulage Association and it is about supporting local businesses as well.
“Once the information is conveyed about the repair program we will look at transport prioritisation and be as helpful as we can to those people trying to transport goods across the country.”