SCOTTISH fishing industry jobs could be at risk if the Calais migrant crisis continues because truckloads of fresh seafood are being blocked from getting to markets on the continent.
Major disruption to the Channel Tunnel and industrial action by farmers who have been blockading roads is causing chaos for fishermen.
They fear that tonnes of fresh lobster, crabs and other shellfish could be ruined by the massive queues that have been forming around Channel ports as the migrant problem escalates.
Scottish Seafood Association chairman Will Clark, who runs his own firm in Peterhead, said the truckloads of fish are struggling to get through and warned cold-storage space was beginning to run out.
Trucks trying to get into France have been parked up on the M20 in Kent until the situation improves.
The Orkney Fisheries Association said live crab and lobster are shipped to Spain and Portugal by special lorries circulating sea water around in large holding tanks to keep them alive.
However, they warned that if the shellfish begin to die they release ammonia into the water, which can set off a chain reaction killing the rest of the load.
The islands ship out thousands of tonnes of lobster, crab and other shellfish to the continent every year and the vast majority is transported by road.
Fishermen in Orkney have warned that the continuing disruption to trade at the Channel ports could have a damaging effect on their business.
Orkney Fisheries Association secretary Fiona Mathieson said: “From Orkney we ship a huge amount of live shellfish to the continent, that is where the markets are. The practice is to load up lorries and they have to get from Orkney to Spain to the markets as quickly as possible to keep the catches in good condition, so any delays run the risk of mortality of the shellfish.
“Once they start to die onboard the trucks, it sets off a trigger reaction because ammonia gets released into the water and poisons the rest of the shellfish, so it is quite a concern.
“The fishermen only get paid for what arrives at the market alive so if lorries are stuck on this side or queuing in any way and stuff is dying that is financial loss to the fishermen.
“This could be catastrophic for Orkney producers. It doesn’t look like the issue is going to get resolved very quickl. Even if the trucks were to use ferries it adds travel time on.
“If they are going to lose a lot of their money on catches that are going to die then there is no point in them going to sea.
“It shows that wherever you are you cannot escape the global politics that is going on elsewhere. Africa may seem a very far and distant place but people there are desperate and if I was one of them I would probably do the same thing.
“Those in power need to get around the table and do something to sort out this problem.”
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