Scotland’s fishermen should receive long-term compensation where offshore wind developments restrict access to fishing grounds, damage businesses and threaten livelihoods, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation has said.
The federation has urged the Scottish Government to apply the same principle to fishing businesses after Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy Stephen Gethins said people affected by major energy infrastructure should be “properly compensated”.
Mr Gethins made the remarks during an interview on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, while discussing opposition to new pylons and other infrastructure needed to connect renewable energy projects to the grid in the Highlands.
Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said the principle should extend beyond communities affected on land.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Macdonald said the government’s analysis showed plans for offshore wind in Scottish waters could have “significant, long-term negative impacts” on the 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,” she added.
“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.”
Call for consent moratorium
The SFF is calling for a moratorium on further offshore wind consents until the full impact on the fishing industry has been addressed and workable financial-compensation arrangements have been agreed.
It said any scheme must recognise genuine losses suffered by fishing businesses and help ensure the fleet remains viable and profitable as more areas of sea are allocated, or considered, for energy development.
The federation argues that fishermen should not be left carrying permanent economic losses while compensation arrangements remain unresolved.
Public support
The call follows research into public perceptions of the fishing industry, which found support for pausing further offshore wind approvals until impacts on fishermen are fully assessed.
Almost two-thirds of respondents, 65%, agreed that the Scottish Government should temporarily halt approvals for further offshore wind developments until the consequences for fishermen had been examined and compensation arrangements were in place.
Meanwhile, 79% gave a positive response when asked whether energy companies should be required to provide fair compensation if projects restrict fishing grounds or result in financial losses for fishing businesses.
Macdonald said the findings reflected growing public recognition that the fishing sector should not simply be expected to absorb the costs associated with 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,” she said.
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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.”
She added that Scotland’s fishing fleet should be regarded as part of the country’s future food-security infrastructure, as well as an important element of its culture and heritage.
“Those benefits have to carry proper weight when decisions are taken about how our seas are used,” Macdonald said. “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.”
