Planning for the future

By Lindsey Carson

Lindsay is a MSc Graduate in Planning, Regeneration and Development at Ulster University and did her research project with the support and assistance of the Northern Irish industry and Seafish Northern Ireland Advisory Committee.

People often say there are fewer newcomers to the fishing industry. If that’s the case, what sort of plans are skippers making for the future of their business? Who will succeed them and take over when they choose to leave or retire from fishing?

In spring 2020 I began my undergraduate research to understand the extent of succession planning in Northern Ireland. I spoke to active and retired fishermen along the County Down coast about succession and financial planning, challenges faced in their role and by the wider industry, and their thoughts on the number of young people entering the industry.

A 2018 Seafish employment report showed that of the four home nations, the Northern Irish fishing fleet had the lowest proportion of workers under the age of 30. The same report showed that the Northern Irish fleet was also considerably reliant on EU/EEA workers.

Almost 40% of positions on Northern Irish boats were occupied by mainly Eastern European workers.

EU exit could have a significant impact on this crew makeup; the immediate effects have yet to be measured, but Seafish will undertake another UK fishing fleet employment survey this summer to find out more.

Nationality of Northern Irish Fleet Crew

UK = 60%

EU/ EEA = 38%

Non EEA = 2%

Age of Northern Irish Fleet Crew

Under 30 = 14%

30-39 = 36%

40-49 = 25%

50-59% = 19%

60+ = 6%

Taken together, these figures form a concerning picture of the future of the industry in Northern Ireland. The low number of youngsters coming into the industry could create a generation gap. It’s therefore critical that efforts are made to research and identify the reasons behind the low proportion of young workers in the industry and the issues that may be off-putting for young people.

When we talked about new entrants, fishermen not only thought there were fewer youngsters entering the industry but also fewer aspiring skippers. They felt a major problem was cost. The financial challenges standing between young people and progression in the industry were seen as too great.

One fisherman told me it was “almost impossible” for anyone to progress through the industry due to the rising costs of a vessel, licence and quota, calling it an “uphill struggle”. Indeed, a quick search on Find a Fishing Boat shows that even a small licensed boat can start at £15,000.

When talking about the barriers to progression, it became clear that retaining crew on-board was a big problem. When crew don’t see a future in their career, they’re less likely to want to stay.

Many fishermen thought this was related to income, and for a variety of different reasons. First, the sporadic nature of wages was highlighted, even being referred to as the industry’s biggest issue; as one fisherman told me: “Fishing is very up and down, your money is coming in very sporadically, and I think that is one of the drawbacks to maintaining younger people in the industry.”

Many of the fishermen I spoke to also talked about declining fishing income and rising costs; since crew share is linked to fishing income, this can lead to lower wages. One fisherman told me that when he first joined the industry over 30 years ago, fishing was a “medium salary job”. But now it’s “likely below minimum wage”. Most alarming was the proportion of salary to effort and work hours, with some reporting that it is common for crew to work 17-hour days in the summer for £400 to £500 a week.

One fisherman also compared the local fishing industry to Kilkeel’s aircraft factory as an example. He pointed out that a young person could find employment in the factory and leave at the end of the week, carefree and with a guaranteed salary; it would be hard to justify the labour and hours involved in fishing with alternatives like that. Fishing is competing with other industries that can offer better working conditions, shorter hours and more stable income.

Despite all of this, the passion of the fishermen I spoke to shone through in all our conversations. It was clear that for many, fishing is not just about a salary but, as one fisherman said: “You have to love what you do, but you can only love what you do so long if you’re not making enough money to support your family.”

And skippers don’t just have to support their own families. Many also support the crew – this can be especially hard if the business needs long-term investment.

One fisherman spoke about the difficulties of finding a balance between supporting the crew and maintaining a vessel: “There’s frequent times where we wouldn’t gross a big enough gross in the week to give our crew man a living wage… we would possibly take the expenses out and divide the money between my brother and the crew man; so the boat is actually getting nothing.

“It’s more than a business if you understand me. You have to realise, if I haven’t got that man working with me next week, I’ll not be able to work, and sometimes that takes a sacrifice of taking a wee hit for the team. But in some aspects, a lot of people wouldn’t do that because business is business and it’s ruthless, but you need that bit of compassion too.”

Arguably the most alarming issue to come out of my study was the extent of succession planning among the fishermen I spoke to. Although many had thought about succession planning, half had no concrete plans in place. Some were hopeful their children would one day take over the business, and perhaps that optimism factors into their lack of planning. On the other hand, some feared that challenges facing the wider industry would persist and actively steer their children away from a future in the industry.

At the end of the day, a fishing business is the culmination of years of hard work and investment in the boat, the crew and the fishing rights. For some, the business may be their pension plan and they’re happy to keep fishing until they want to retire and sell the boat. For others, it’s a legacy, something they’ve built and want to hand to their family. Whatever the case, it’s important to make plans early. You can’t get to where you’re going if you don’t know where that is.