Offshore wind plans could push boats out, say Cornwall fishers

“So having something credible like a sea-use framework [to provide direction on suitable activities in certain areas], I wouldn’t say it’s a good thing, it’s an essential thing.”

Fisherman Dave Stevens, speaking on board his boat the Crystal Sea, said fishing voices were too often ignored.

He said: “It needs to be a better network for fishermen to feed into the system because really we’re at a complete disadvantage.

“So many other sea users are actually statutory consultees. I mean leisure, the navy, shipping, all come before fishing.”

He said decades of warning had gone unheard and the impact was personal, “so it’s quite upsetting that you can have your livelihood just took away from you and you’ve got no say in that”.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it had “engaged widely as well as visiting the South West” and it was “carefully considering the benefits of a sea-use framework”, balancing competing demands like fishing, energy infrastructure, and conservation.

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