LOOE fishermen have been hit so hard by the scarcity of fish, the extreme weather and high fuel prices, that they say Christmas will be bleak with virtually no money coming in.
And with the latest dramatic quota cuts by the European Commission, some families, who have fished out of the port for generations, fear they have reached the end of the line, with their traditional livelihoods in ruins.
Looe's fleet of trawlers, together with the handliners and netters, have been clogging up the harbour for days at a time, unable to get out because of the weather, with many almost afraid to go out for fear of returning with nothing for the market, but still with a fuel bill of £80 to pay, the average for a fishing trip. At least six boats are up for sale with no takers, while crews, some of whom have earned less than £100 in the last few weeks, are finding themselves desperately looking for other jobs.
David Bond, skipper of the Mystique, says he spent four days mackerelling in the South West mackerel box, and after travelling for 360 miles, he caught no fish, and now has a fuel bill for £235. 'The fishing has died' he said, 'but other expenses have gone up. Last summer fuel was 10p litre, this year it is 26p litre'. He said even when fish is landed the prices were not reflecting the scarcity.
Mike Pengelly, skipper of the Galatea, and from Looe's oldest fishing family, said he had never felt so disillusioned. 'The only thing that is holding the fishermen together is that there are no jobs elsewhere' he said. 'What are all these boys to do, most of them have fished all their lives, they know nothing else'. He said his own two sons, aged 9 and 7 would not be going to sea.
Skipper Billy Hocking, chairman of Looe Fishermen's Protection Association, vice chairman of South West Fish Producers and a member of the executive committee of the National Federation of Fish Organisations, says everything has gone too far. 'The fishing will never come back until Britain