The consequences of the shrinkage of the North Sea fishery, due to the accumulation of challenges such as the pulse ban, high fuel prices, Brexit and the construction of offshore wind farms, are affecting the land-based businesses that depend on North Sea fishery. In doing so, the socio-economic scale, such as employment and turnover, of these onshore businesses is much larger than that of North Sea fisheries per se. This is stated in an impact analysis prepared by Wageningen Economic Research on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
In 2021, the Netherlands had 346 land-based companies dependent on North Sea fisheries. They operate in the fish-processing chain or supply industry and are called the fish cluster. The total turnover of the Dutch fish cluster was EUR 6.6 billion with 13,550 employees (8,350 FTEs). These include companies such as fish auctions, fish processing and trade, transport as well as technical suppliers such as shipbuilders. Of the 346 companies, 314 depended on North Sea fisheries for more than 5% of turnover in 2021.
The dependence varies greatly from one company to another, but on average, of these companies, 40-50% of turnover was directly attributable to North Sea fisheries. The total turnover of the North Sea fisheries fish cluster was thus rounded to €2.9 billion in 2021. By comparison, North Sea fisheries themselves accounted for €344 million in turnover and some 1,800 crew in 2021.
Many land-based processing companies have had to change tactics and have opted for alternatives from North Sea fishing. Imports of fish products will increase given the rising demand for fish worldwide.
At the same time, the Netherlands’ distinctiveness is under pressure as there is less and less fresh North Sea fishery available. Alternative fishing techniques such as flyshoot fishing have proven to be an important fallback option for the ports of certain fishing regions such as IJmuiden, Katwijk-Scheveningen and South-West Netherlands.