SCOTLAND’S fishermen should receive long-term compensation when offshore wind development restricts fishing grounds, damages fishing businesses and threatens their ability to make a living.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has called for the Scottish Government to apply the same principle to fishing after Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy Stephen Gethins said those affected by major energy infrastructure should be “properly compensated”.
His comments came during an interview on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast discussing opposition to new pylons and other infrastructure required to connect renewable energy developments to the grid in the Highlands.
Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive of the SFF, said: “The principle the Minister has set out is an important one: where people are directly affected by major energy infrastructure, they should be properly compensated.
“That principle cannot stop at the shoreline. The Scottish Government’s own analysis confirms what we have been telling them for years – that fishing businesses will lose access to productive grounds and see areas they have depended on for generations squeezed by offshore development.
“Their own analysis shows that the impacts of their plans for offshore wind in Scottish waters will have significant, long-term negative impacts for our fishing fleet.
“If it is right to compensate somebody because major energy infrastructure changes the landscape around their home, it must also be right to compensate people and businesses when that infrastructure directly affects their ability to earn a living.
“This is not about opposing renewable energy. It is about making sure Scotland’s transition is fair, properly planned and does not sacrifice one established and sustainable industry in order to build another.”
The federation is calling for a moratorium on any further offshore wind consents until the impacts on the fishing sector are addressed in full and workable arrangements for financial compensation are agreed.
SFF says compensation must recognise genuine losses suffered by fishing businesses and ensure Scotland’s fleet can remain viable and profitable as increasing areas of sea are allocated or considered for energy development.
The call has strong backing from the Scottish public following a national poll conducted as part of research into perceptions of the fishing industry.
Almost two-thirds of respondents, 65%, agreed that the Scottish Government should temporarily pause approval of further offshore wind developments until impacts on fishermen have been fully assessed and compensation arrangements agreed.
The research also found overwhelming support for the principle that fishing businesses should receive compensation where offshore wind causes financial harm. Some 79% of respondents gave a positive response when asked whether energy companies should be required to pay fair compensation if developments restrict fishing grounds or cause financial loss.
Elspeth added: “There is a growing recognition among the public that fishing cannot simply be expected to absorb the cost of offshore development and the industrialisation of Scotland’s seas.
“We are asking the government and developers to recognise the very real financial and economic consequences when access to fishing grounds is lost or restricted, and to put comprehensive arrangements in place before further decisions are made.
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“Fishing supports coastal communities, provides highly nutritious, low-carbon renewable food and sustains businesses and jobs at sea and ashore around Scotland and beyond.
“Those benefits have to carry proper weight when decisions are taken about how our seas are used. Scotland’s fishing fleet, part of our food security infrastructure for the future, as well as part of our country’s culture and heritage, must not be the casualty of the energy transition.”
SFF says fishermen should not be left facing permanent economic losses from offshore developments while arrangements to recognise and compensate those losses remain unresolved.
