The serious storms off the U.K. coast at the beginning of the year cost inshore fishermen dearly, particularly those operating in the southwest of England. Not only was fishing gear lost, but the smaller vessels were marooned in port for days — sometimes weeks — at a time.
Various charitable organizations, such as the Fishermen’s Mission, have been helping fishermen and their families with immediate personal financial hardship. However, the Fishmongers’ Company, one of the ancient livery companies of London representing the U.K. fisheries industry, has donated GBP 100,000 (USD 170,400/EUR 125,998) to enable fishermen in the South West to replace lost gear and get back to sea and start fishing again.
The grant will be paid through the Fishermen’s Mission to three charitable Community Foundations in the West Country — Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. A letter from the mission sent to fishermen successful in obtaining some of this money explains that it is to be used to buy replacement gear in order to enable them to resume fishing, not for anything else.
Although other areas of the U.K. coast were also seriously affected by the storms, the Fishmonger’s Company decided to concentrate on the south west of England. “It was felt that by concentrating on one area would mean we could get the money quickly to where it was needed,” said Colin Boag, Fishmongers’ Company CEO.
“It is an area with a large inshore fishing industry, and it [the grant] was more likely to have an effect there than distributing the sum widely across the country. We realize that other areas of the coast were badly affected, but it seemed to be the best thing to do.
“We are hoping to strike a reasonable balance between helping as many fishermen as possible and having a practical effect. It’s not about taking people back to the position they were in before the storms, but about getting people back to sea and helping families get back on their feet.”
The Fishmongers’ Company has set a broad maximum of GBP 5,000 (USD 8,520/6,301) that an individual can apply for, but has allowed the Fishermen’s Mission to have the final say in how much is given. And it is up to the mission, in conjunction with the Community Foundations, to ensure that the money goes where it is needed, Boag said.
Towards the end of June it was reported that GBP 80,000 (USD 136,320/EUR 100,812) of the Fishmongers’ Company grant had been spent and 15 fishermen had been helped. It is estimated that all the money will have been spent by the end of this month.
The Fishmongers’ Company is one of the great Twelve Livery Companies of London — it is ranked fourth in order of precedence of 1515. It’s involvement with the fishing industry stretches back over 700 years and it remains closely involved in fishing to this day.
The company plays an active role in the management of Billingsgate Fish Market in London, the U.K.’s oldest fish market, and is a founding member of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, the Salmon and Trout Association, the Institute of Fisheries Management and the Billingsgate Seafood Training School.
