Fishermen are calling for greater government support to cope with rising fuel costs.
The cost of red diesel has spiralled since the start of the US-Iran war, and many European fishing boats receive subsidies for fuel.
Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, told Parliament this week it was “putting our fleets at a significant competitive disadvantage and all too often rendering it uneconomical to leave port.”
Fishing minister Stephen Morgan said he recognised “the genuine hardship” high fuel prices were causing and the concerns about competition from EU fishing boats benefiting from subsidies.
In Newlyn, fisherman Paul Corin, a mate on the Enterprise, said the latest trip had cost £22,000 in fuel.
“Everybody’s wages go down because you get a share of the profit so everyone in the crew loses money,” he said.
When it came to European fishing boats, he said it was “not a level playing field”.
“They have better quota, more quota in our areas and cheaper fuel to fish the same grounds,” he added.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
