The government is allocating 30 million euros to the fishing industry. That money is intended for, among other things, adjustments and innovations by companies, but also for communities ashore. With this, Minister of Agriculture Pieter Ademade wants to ease the pain of the drastic changes in North Sea fisheries, he writes in a letter to the House of Representatives.
Dutch fishermen have been struggling for years due to high fuel costs, European rules and Brexit, among other things. Last year closed the fish auction in Den Helder already. The remaining fishermen see their future poorly: only four percent think their company will still exist in four years’ time.
With the disappearance of part of the sector, the socio-cultural life that belongs to such fishing towns as Den Oever, Oudeschild and IJmuiden also disappears. For example, a fishermen’s choir in Den Helder once flourished with 120 members. In 2023, only one member still works as a fisherman, reports the NOS.
Tipping point
The sector has now reached a tipping point and the fishing villages and towns are under pressure, says researcher Marloes Kraan of Wageningen University: “The fleet is organized in a certain way and needs a certain infrastructure.”
She believes that the cabinet should pay more attention to the social consequences of the shrinking fleet.
The port of Den Oever is also becoming a bit emptier now that fisherman Arie has also opted for a remediation scheme:
Minister Pieter Adema (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) now seems to be responding to this. In a letter to the House of Representatives, he writes that working in the fishery is not just a profession, but a way of life: “In which families in close-knit communities have been closely involved for generations.”
To relieve the pain, 30 million euros have now been released. That money should go to adjustments and innovations by companies, but is also for communities ashore: “Communities on shore that have been connected to fishing and the water for so long. You also have to give them something. A new revenue model that fits their identity,” says Adema at television program Nieuwsuur.
Together with municipalities and provinces, the sector can make plans on how to spend the money. The minister ultimately decides how to use the money.