According to the agency the fish prices in the country could rise by an average of 23 percent in the next 12 to 18 months because of rising fuel prices. Seafish told that the cost of some types of fish could go up by as much as 50 percent. The agency blames the cost of diesel used to power fishing vessels, has gone up from 31p per litre to 60p since 2007, with more rises expected.
As per Seafish the UK’s fishing fleet is expected to decline due to high fuel costs which would make fishing a costly affair. The mian cause of such increases in fuel costs is the soaring demand from emerging economies, exacerbated by supply fears and speculation on the world markets. According to Seafish the impact of fuel price rises will vary between different types of fishing vessel and the type of gear they use to catch fish.
Seafish adds that there are measures fishermen can take to lessen the impact but the agency also warns that the fuel price increases further which are inevitable. John Harman, Seafish development director, informed that there’s a lot to be done to mitigate cost increases, including looking at different fishing methods and improvements to gear technology.
