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Et elektrificerende projekt

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Is battery/ electric power a suitable fuel choice for the fishing industry?

LIFE is coordinating the EU Support Group on the decarbonisation of small-scale coastal fisheries (SSCF) as part of the EC’s Energy Transition Partnership. According to Brian O’Riordan, LIFE’s Policy Advisor: “Decarbonisation of the fishing sector is to a certain extent a race against time, and currently costs represent an insurmountable barrier to most small-scale operators whose balance sheets bear witness to ever decreasing profitability. The prospects are challenging, especially given the need to either adapt or perish in the current policy environment.”

It is therefore inspiring to hear about the initiatives of small-scale fishers from across Europe who are over coming many difficulties to secure their futures. A particularly inspiring example from the UK is provided below.

Introduction:

The author of this piece, Jeremy Percy, former fisherman, founding Director and Senior Policy Adviser to the Low Impact Fishers of Europe, recently attended the presentation of a project to convert an inshore fishing vessel from diesel fuel to electricity. The project is the brainchild of Hans Unkles, an inshore fishermen from the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Hebrides who has converted a standard Cygnus 21 – a 6.5 metre loa GRP fishing vessel – from diesel to fully electric power.

With a target of net zero across Europe for all aspects of the economy in energy terms, consideration of fully electric driven fishing vessels is of particular relevance to the smaller scale fleet – given the few practical alternative energy solutions currently available.

At the time of writing, the costs of converting an existing vessel to electric power or a new build are a major constraint to development although costs will inevitably come down as initiatives become more widespread. Other constraints include the lack of off-the-shelf solutions, after sales support, and port infrastructure.

Another constraint is the marine equivalent of the ‘range anxiety’ in relation to terrestrial vehicles is exacerbated by the safety issues at sea and remains a limiting factor when compared to traditional power sources. On a good day [no headwinds or head seas] the project boat in question can achieve 47 miles in range and can get two short trips a week depending only on solar. The operator considers that maximum range would be 60 miles in benign conditions and 45 miles in rough waters although he hasn’t pushed the limits.

Even if conversions to electric power become more cost effective, shoreside charging infrastructure will undoubtedly remain a challenge for some time to come although many marinas have a 240v hook up available albeit at a significant cost [£0.70/Kw] when compared to domestic supply. The costs of using a marina rather than a local harbour or mooring can also be expensive.

It is clear that electric power is not practical for towed gears but has relevance for passive gear operations but is currently limited by range and the ability to maintain higher steaming speeds. The project vessel operator works only circa 60 pots [creels] for lobster and crab in a relatively confined area, giving a 3-day soak and two fishing trips per week. He also has access to shoreside charging in a marina close to his operating area.

The Project: It’ll Never Work – UK’s 1st Solar Powered Electric Fishing Boat

During an informative 2-hour presentation, Hans explained the entire process, including costs and the pros and cons of the project – details provided on this link

Hans is a boatbuilder by trade as well as a fisher. This is relevant in that he went above and beyond a ‘simple’ electric system installation in effectively rebuilding the boat, and this added significantly to the costs. I copy his costs below for information. The two costs highlighted reflect this, together with the interminable costs and challenges of acquiring approval from the Marine and Coastguard Agency [MCA] and subsequent registration. One would hope that both these items would reduce dramatically for future initiatives in this respect.

It is also clear that much of the hardware costs are already coming down and the efficiency of electric motors, battery storage and solar panels is improving all the time.

For the initial project, Hans received 60% grant funding that did not include construction or admin time [admin time included dealing with the authorities that was particularly time consuming]. Hans made the point that if he had contracted a boatyard to undertake the conversion, that too would have been grant aided but because he did the work himself, it wasn’t.

Aziprop motor and hardware………………£19,109.66

Epropulsion Batteries…………………..£20,419.81

Electric Hydraulic complete system……….£6,424.16

Bimble Solar…………………………..£1,172.50

Installation equipment………………….£10,295.25

Administration time…………………….£20,000.00

Construction time………………………£40,000.00

Original vessel value…………………..£20,000.00

Net…………………………………..£137,421.38

Funding………………………………-£34,865.87

Total…………………………………£102,555.51

The batteries are Lithium Ion Phosphate that do not suffer so much from the fire risks associated with other lithium based batteries and were agreed on with the MCA after considerable discussions. The batteries take 15 hours to recharge when connected to a land based charger and have a stated lifespan of 3000 charging cycles. Replacement costs are likely to be circa £20k and in the same life cycle, diesel costs would have equated to around £8k.

One important battery related issue is that in the event of problems, one cannot extinguish a lithium based fire and can only abandon ship.

There are effectively few additional running costs or maintenance [oil and filter changes etc] required. So far he has only had to replace a failed relay and seals for the pot hauler that is also electrically powered [a 10Kw motor derated to 4Kw].

What is readily apparent, and particularly noticeable in operation, is the almost complete silence of the power train, as well as of course no fumes.

Copied below are the income and expenditure profiles for his operations to date. Apart from potting for lobster and crab, he also dives for scallops.

As far as he is aware, his is the first fully licenced and registered electric fishing boat on the UK Register. He is aware of one fisher in Wales who uses a diesel engine to get to and from his gear but utilises a battery system for hauling. He is also following up on a company in Gloucestershire in the UK offering a ready to go basic electric vessel, based on a 19 or 21 foot hull for a surprising £60k [this would also need a licence and all the ancillary fishing equipment fitted] and with a Dutch fisher reported to be using a smaller open boat powered by electricity.

Conclusions:

Hans’s skills as both professional boatbuilder and fisherman has enabled him to undertake all the work himself. He should be applauded for taking such a big step but far more of the work would have been grant aided if he had contracted it out.

It is clear that the technology will improve and costs reduce over time but the latter is certainly prohibitive without significant grant aid at present

As he says, the setup favours his quite relaxed fishing operation and he has the benefit of reasonably sheltered waters for the most part and a local charging infrastructure.

In the event that significant grant support was available, this initiative would be a practical proposition for many smaller scale fishing operations. Costs will undoubtedly reduce and the efficiency of batteries, solar and engines improve but at present the system relies on shore-based charging facilities being available.

JP 13.2.25

Photo credits © It’ll Never Work 2024

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Afslutning på en æra

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NUTFA, dedicated to the support, survival and development of the small scale fishing fleet in England and Wales, to close.

 

Jerry Percy, Director of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association [NUTFA] has announced the forthcoming closure of the organisation that has represented the under ten sector of the industry for many years.

Jerry said; “while it was always going to be a difficult decision to close, I’m not getting any younger and to be honest, I refuse to be party to what I see as the ongoing destruction of the under ten fleet.

I think it is a tragedy that the 80% of the fleet that are under ten metres have been treated so shabbily by administrations going back decades that has in turn resulted in such a lack of fish on the inshore grounds, the almost complete lack of effective management especially in terms of effort, the deafening sound of cans being kicked down the road when exactly the opposite approach is needed, [look at the unacceptable delays in controlling the ravages of the fly seine fleet in the Channel etc] and the lip service paid to the under tens by other organisations.

What I still fail to understand is the failure by successive administrations to recognise and reward the smaller scale inshore fleet and thereby ensure the sustainability of their presence in coastal communities. The inherent danger in the current situation facing them is that they are largely the keepers of the knowledge, skills, culture and heritage going back generations and that once lost will be almost impossible to recover.

Compare this with the increasing use of foreign crews and the consolidation of quota – over 50% of UK share is held by foreign interests then the prophetic words of an under ten skipper in The Last Fishermen film we made in 2012 come back to haunt us; “one day there will be one bloody great boat come up here, with Tesco written down its side and it’ll catch more in a day than we will in a year”. With the exception of the Tesco slogan [and they couldn’t even be bothered to keep their fresh fish counters going – every little helps] that’s largely where we are.

NUTFA has recently been criticised for a lack of ‘membership’ which may be convenient for those seeking to undermine the organisation but the claims don’t stand up when we have a voluntary database of over 1000 fishermen who clearly support our aims and objectives.  We don’t charge a membership fee, not only because we do not have the admin capacity to handle it but also because so many in our sector are already on the bones of their backside and both Sarah Ready and I were content to work in a voluntary capacity although Sarah’s side of the work required funding for travel and court related costs that was not forthcoming, hence her recent retirement.

The overarching tragedy for me with regard to the current state of the inshore sector is that the men and women who are involved reflect all that made Britain what it once was. Resilient in the face of immense challenges, courage to keep going in conditions that others would shrink from, the ability to deal with anything and everything that life throws at them [with the possible exception of the MCA and DEFRA] and at the same time managing to stay positive in the face of sometimes crushing adversity.

So many of the under tens and non sector have said time and again that NUTFA was the only dedicated representative body that represented their interests and I’m sorry that they are going to lose that service. I can only hope that others take up the mantle and recognise that these guys are the true backbone of the fishing industry in so many coastal communities around our coast and step up.

If I’m honest, I will look back on my time with NUTFA and the other organisations I’ve been involved with, with a mixture of frustration at the lack of genuine representation and support from other bodies and the lack of recognition of their value by governments but overall with a massive sense of pride and honour to have done what I could to support them through difficult times”.

 

PODCAST “People Of The Sea”

listen to Jerry Percy speaking with freediver and ocean advocate Hanli Prinsloo about the oceans and how to protect them by clicking here

 

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Covid-19 and Small-Scale Fisheries

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Markets Collapse and Fishers Left without Social Protection

Brussels, 3rd of April 2020

Last Wednesday 1 April, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, contacted LIFE to ask about how the small scale fisheries sector is faring faced with the crisis caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. LIFE emphasised that a large section of the small-scale fleet is trying to keep active, to keep their livelihoods afloat, to provide locally caught fresh fish, but is facing huge difficulties to do so. With many markets closed, wholesale fresh fish prices have slumped, and there is restricted access to storage and alternative marketing facilities. Fishers also face difficulties to meet the new sanitary requirements and the social distancing measures. Because of these difficulties, a large part of the fleet has been forced to tie up.

The Commissioner informed LIFE about the new emergency measures that were being introduced through amendments made to the EMFF regulation ( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2020:142:FIN). These are designed to make it easier for member states to access EMFF for temporary closure of activities and storage aid. Details of these and other new measures are provided via the link https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/coronavirus-response-fisheries-and-aquaculture_en.

In its communication, the Commission highlights the small-scale coastal fishing operators and fish producers have been particularly hard hit by the crisis.

LIFE explained that for those who wanted to keep active, this was no help; that in fact storage aid would most likely have a depressing effect on fish prices once the crisis eases. What active fishers need most is income support, and support to sell their fish direct to consumers. The Commissioner responded that such support can only be provided at member state level. The Commission could only help by using available funds to allow member states to respond with greater flexibility to the crisis.

He emphasised the important role that the small scale low impact fleet makes to local economies and to sustaining both the social and environmental aspects of fisheries. He was friendly and concerned. He has asked to be kept informed.

 

Jerry Percy, Senior Adviser to LIFE and Director of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association [NUTFA] has sent us his personal view on the situation in the UK:

Impact of the Global Covid-19 Pandemic on UK Fisheries

 

Like almost every other element of UK industry, the fishing sector, right through the supply chain from net to plate is a mess of epic proportions and the effects of the pandemic will continue to have massive economic repercussions for the foreseeable future. However, for many boats in the UK fleet, a surge in demand for direct sales of fresh fish provides not only a lifeline, but could hopefully be the start of a renaissance of interest in the buying of fresh fish by households that have rarely if ever had the courage to buy fish that is not already covered in breadcrumbs.

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The impact of the Coronavirus has almost overnight largely decimated those companies reliant on high end products such as dive caught scallops, lobster and crab, whilst prices for the main finfish species have crashed.

The vast majority of crews on the small scale, under ten metre fleet are paid on a share basis and appear to be as economically vulnerable as those in the gig economy in relation to the financial support terms, or lack of them, announced by the government at the time of writing. Proportionally more crews in the over ten sector are employed on a wage, and therefore able to access financial support, but nevertheless, the lack of direct financial support to the self employed  is cause for concern irrespective of the size of vessel involved.

With boats landing to market prices falling by the moment, a strong landing of Pollack for instance crashing to £0.41 per kilo on Newlyn market having averaged around £4 in previous weeks, and with the skipper of one vessel landing a significant quantity of the species having leased quota at £0.50 per kilo to catch it in the first place, many boats are tying up rather than lose money. Merchants and processors, reflecting the loss of many export markets as well as reduced demand domestically, especially within the foodservice sector were reluctant to pay good money for fish that they may then get stuck with. To add to the problem, some processors sold off some of their frozen inventory to reduce their overheads, putting further downward pressure on prices. And to add insult to injury, many of the larger retailers, who had already reduced opening times for their fresh fish counters decided to close them altogether for lack of staff, and I guess the volatility of supplies.

First sale prices for a basket of species:

The graph above illustrates the reduction in first sale prices of an arbitrary range of species and sizes over the last couple of months. It is by no means scientific and ignores the quantities of fish landed by the day but does reflect the sort of landings from many inshore boats on the south coast.

The scale, speed and severity of the downturn in demand and therefore prices clearly came as a shock to many producers, processors and merchants, much of it driven by the loss of the primary market for fish in the UK, the foodservice sector. It is a fact that the home consumption of fresh fish in the UK has been falling for years, for a variety of reasons including changes in working practices, the availability of aptly named and highly processed convenience foods, including fish based products and a growing ignorance related to what to do to prepare a fresh fish. The old adage that the British consumer won’t touch anything with eyes or a pulse holds true for fish especially.

BUT, out of all this adversity has come an almost overnight change to the normal processes and supply chain logistics around the sale of fish to the UK consumer.

The demand for the established home delivery services of boxed fish has rocketed with supply struggling to keep pace with the rush of orders. Based in Plymouth, Sole of Discretion, [ https://soleofdiscretion.co.uk/ ] supplier of ethically sourced fish delivered to your door by them or via some of the well known home delivery services has seen much increased demand and Pesky Fish in London [ https://www.peskyfish.co.uk/ ]whose ground breaking supply chain approach connects buyers with same day supplies direct from inshore boats has had hundreds of new domestic customers signing up with them every day.

This step change in domestic demand for high quality fresh fish has been matched in many areas by the increased custom at fishmongers across the country.

Although these changes are of little if any benefit to the producers of high end and expensive shellfish, for many of the boats in the UK fleet, it is or at least appears to be not only a lifeline in terms of keeping the boats at sea but hopefully the start of a renaissance of interest in the buying of fresh fish by households that have rarely if ever had the courage to buy fish that is not already covered in breadcrumbs.

At the same time, maritime based charities have stepped up their support to the fishing sector.

Recent studies commissioned by the leader in the field of maritime charities, Seafarers UK, [ https://www.seafarers.uk/news/seafarers-uk-statement-on-covid-19/  ]had already identified the social, mental, economic and physical challenges faced by many within the inshore catching sector and they, along with the Fishermen’s Mission [ https://www.fishermensmission.org.uk/ ],  Fishmongers Company [ https://fishmongers.org.uk/ ], the Seafarers Advice and Information Line [ http://sailine.org.uk/ ]and many other charities have risen to the increasing challenges faced by fishermen at this time.

As ever, the Seafish Industry Authority [ https://www.seafish.org/article/coronavirus-updates-for-the-seafood-industry ], is coordinating information and advice and signposting support for fishermen across the UK as well as feeding information to various government departments in regard to the specific challenges facing the fishing sector in its entirety.

DEFRA have created a Fisheries Covid-19 Industry Working Group to ensure that up to date intelligence across the entire panoply of the fishing industry is available to them and both Westminster and Scottish governments are apparently actively considering ways to support their share fishermen.  [NB: at the time of writing there are strong rumours of support for share fishermen and the self employed but nothing concrete as yet. We can only hope that the government comes good or we won’t have much of an inshore sector left post virus].

As part of the group, we have been lobbying government for a relaxation in relation to access to quota for shell fishermen unable to sell crab and lobster, a relaxation of the 30kg per day restriction on direct private sales by fishermen and a similar approach to allow fishermen to process and sell fish whilst ensuring safe and hygienic practices.

The main need for the catching sector remains a fair deal for all share fishermen and the self employed segment. In light of the recent requirements to avoid close contact, many boats will be forced to tie up as it is of course impossible to self isolate aboard ship or stay two metres away from each other!

In addition, a vast range of both local and national initiatives are underway or in development to meet the increasing demand for home delivered fish. These range from individual fishermen advertising on the internet through to larger cooperative approaches such as:

https://www.seafoodcornwall.org.uk/fishtoyourdoor/  [with excellent advice for fishermen seeking to sell their own catch directly].

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1f8A49PKZgJ9gnaRPNN0XRIw71XEsrf7scqI1vb3urco/edit#responses

https://www.call4fish.com/

https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2020/03/18/fisherman-face-hard-times-but-the-public-can-help/

and many others. And of course, numerous fishmongers are turning to home deliveries as well as retaining well stocked shops: http://www.fishmongers.info/find/find.php

Seafish together with DEFRA had launched their Sea for Yourself campaign in March of this year and whilst it may have been thought to have been unfortunate timing, it is in fact timely in underpinning the obviously increasing interest in buying and cooking fresh fish [ https://www.seafish.org/article/sea-for-yourself ]. In addition, processors are looking to provide more packaged fresh fish products for the chilled cabinets of major retailers and these will carry a link to the Seafish website for recipes and cooking advice.

So like almost every other element of UK industry, the fishing sector, right through the supply chain from net to plate is a mess of epic proportions and the effects of the pandemic will continue to have massive economic repercussions for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, many fishermen are battling on, still going to sea to land fish for what we can only hope is a rapidly expanding domestic market.

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