Not only farmers on tractors, but also fishermen on cutters are taking action. Fishermen in the province fear for their future. The biggest threats are skyrocketing fuel prices and new nitrogen measures. NH Nieuws will dive into the port of Den Oever in the coming days to map out the problems.
Pim Visser, director of the Fish Auction in Den Helder and Den Oever, sees the developments with concern. “It all depends on fuel prices. If you use more fuel, the future looks less favourable,” says Visser. Fuel prices have risen sharply in recent months: until last year a fisherman paid an average of 60 cents per litre, which was actually too expensive. Now the price fluctuates between 95 cents and one euro.
Erik Rotgans from Den Oever fishes for shrimps with his cutter the WR54. “Where I used to spend about 1,200 euros a week on fuel costs, it is now about four thousand euros.” Despite this large increase, fishermen like Erik do not have to count on government support.
Cleaner engines
In addition, the fishing sector is also affected by the cabinet’s new nitrogen plans. For example, the shrimp fleet has to renew parts of the engine in order to stay below a nitrogen emission of 0.005. That is an investment that costs at least around 70,000 euros and is possibly only half subsidized. That is 35,000 euros out of pocket.
“They don’t earn that back,” says Visser. And shrimp fisherman Rotgans agrees: “That’s my pension, you know”. Erik Rotgans already participated in a test to convert the cutters with cleaner engines. He said at the time: “This is going to cost a lot of money and we will get nothing in return. That’s how it goes every time. The cabinet keeps coming up with all kinds of things, but they don’t come up with solutions.” Stopping is not an option for shrimp fisherman Erik Rotgans. “I’m not staying in the harbour. I have four children and they have to eat. Very simple.”
And that’s why several fishermen came in last week actionto join the peasants’ protest. Then several cutters blocked the harbor of Den Helder and the ferry service to Texel.
NH 360° in the harbor of Den Oever
NH Nieuws will be in the port of Den Oever for three days this week. Fishermen in North Holland fear for their future due to the tightened nitrogen regulations. From the building of the Skuut WR60 foundation in Den Oever, we report and highlight the possible disappearance of fishing. From all sides: 360 degrees.
Would you like to join the conversation? Do you have a special relationship with the fishing industry in our province? Or with nature in this area? Then visit our temporary editorial office (Havenkade 3a in Den Oever) and join the conversation. Our reporters Kelly Blok and Mark Arends open their doors to interested parties daily between 09:00 and 10:30.
Windmills and Brexit
But anyone who thinks that the problems for fishermen will end after high fuel prices and new nitrogen measures are wrong. The construction of wind farms has ensured that their fishing area has become a lot smaller. It is not allowed to fish where windmills will be placed, because the fishing nets can destroy power cables.
Brexit has also left its mark. Dutch fishermen are allowed to catch a quarter less fish in British waters, which could cost the sector hundreds of millions of euros.
Finally, fishermen are no longer allowed to fish anywhere close to home. The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage and Natura 2000 area, so it is protected. As of this year, for example, 8,500 hectares of fairways in the Wadden Sea are off limits for shrimp fishermen. Because there are no more nets dragging over the bottom, underwater nature can recover there.
“Fisheries have to deal with a complex system of problems, a poisonous cocktail of problems,” concludes Pim Visser. NH Nieuws will investigate the future of fishing and what impact this will have on the fishing village of Den Oever in the coming days.