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British fishermen are negatively affected by rising diesel prices, while fish and chips prices are also expected to rise. The fishing fleet in Britain’s largest fishing port, Brixham, Devon, remains at anchor as the Gulf crisis continues. Andrew McLeod, fishing off Brixham, said six weeks ago it would have cost £10,000 to £11,000 to fuel his boat for a week at sea, whereas now his final fuel bill is £20,500.

Mr McLeod said: “Six weeks ago red diesel was 55p a litre, last week it was £1.05. That’s a lot of fish you have to catch just to tread water rather than get paid.” He added that if the price of diesel continues to rise or remains at the current price, many boats will stop fishing and have early repairs.

He said this would have a huge knock-on effect on everyone involved in the industry, from hauliers to boat suppliers. Fisherman Brian Tapper added that higher banks will mean higher fish prices.

He said: “The fuel increase will cost us an extra £500 a week on average on crab and over £1,000 a week on scallops.

“It’s a very fine line right now.

“If it goes up another 15p a liter we will tie up the boats.

“There’s nothing we can do to save fuel other than not going out.

“The engines work regardless of what we catch or the price of fuel, so the only way to combat this is to go away.”

He also added that if the crisis continues, fish prices will increase as the costs will be passed on to customers.

Barry Young, of Brixham Trawler Agents, said the cost of fuel was astronomical, leading to some fishermen “not wanting to go to sea because they couldn’t catch enough fish to cover the fuel”.

He added that some of those who continue to fish are trying to find ways to pull with the tide rather than against it to burn less fuel on the daily trip.

Juliette Hatchman, of the South West Fish Producers Organisation, said: “The current fuel crisis is pushing parts of our fleet to the point where it is unseaworthy.

“With already high operating costs combined with fuel prices exceeding the value of the catch, ships have no choice but to dock.

“When boats stop fishing, the impact is immediate and widespread, with markets, processors, transport operators and entire coastal communities feeling the strain.

“Fisheries are uniquely vulnerable to global fuel fluctuations.

“As a purely price-taking industry, fishermen do not have the ability to pass on increased costs to the market.

“Rising fuel costs and the widening gap between market prices now make operations unsustainable even for well-managed vessels.

“We therefore request that the Government introduce a temporary, targeted stabilization measure to prevent avoidable connections and protect the coastal communities and supply chains that depend on our fleet.”

Chris Ranford, of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, said the fishing industry did not have the ability to pass on rising fuel prices to its buyers or consumers because most fish and shellfish were sold at auction, meaning prices were “determined by the buyer and demand”.

“We do not determine the price,” he said.

“There is a real squeeze on profit margins for all parts of the industry at the moment and obviously there is an inflection point that we are very close to.

“Obviously we are in an extreme situation and I think some of our towed gear vessels and offshore vessels are charging upwards of £1,000 a day extra just for the basic running costs of getting out to sea and doing their job.”

The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it took the situation “very seriously” and was carrying out detailed studies to assess whether the food sector was affected by rising fuel prices.