Oil and gas firms must remain vigilant about the risk their activities pose to fisheries, a report says.
Offshore accidents are increasingly rare in European waters but safety rules need to be strictly enforced to minimise the threat to fishing, it adds.
The report reveals there were nearly 500 claims for damages to fishing boats due to North Sea oil and gas production between 2000 and May 2013, with settlements totalling £1.8milliion.
It also highlights the impact suffered by Shetland fisheries after the Braer tanker disaster, one of the world’s biggest oil spills, in January 1993, and potential environmental conflicts in mature oil and gas production areas like the North Sea.
The European Parliament policy document was written by Cristina Gomez and David Green of the Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management, part of Aberdeen University. It makes a series of recommendations for reducing the risk to fishing.
It says: “Accidents occurring offshore in relation to the oil and gas industry may produce significant damaging effects on the marine environment, and particularly on the fishing and aquaculture industries.
“Historically the major impacts in European waters and shores have resulted from transport accidents, mainly grounded ships spilling thousands of tonnes of oil.
“However, other activities during exploration and production pose important risks of accident.
“Preparation for immediate response after an incident and remediation of effects are crucial to minimise the impact…on fisheries and on the entire environment.”
The report hails the recent EU directive on offshore safety as an ideal tool for protecting fisheries.
It adds: “It establishes rules covering the entire lifecycle of exploration and production activities, from design to final removal of installations.”
The authors say detailed guidelines and strict rules already exist for minimising the environmental impact of oil and gas operations.
But there is “always a risk” of human error, exceptional weather or equipment failure causing an unexpected impact, they add.
Highlighting the Braer incident, where the tanker grounded and caused 85,000 tonnes of oil to pour into the sea, the report says it adversely affected 10% of local white-fish fishing for four months and 40% of shellfish grounds for two years.
“Some 25% of total production of farmed salmon was severely tainted,” it says, adding: “These impacts on fisheries represented an important and direct loss of income for the industry.”
Laws in place can ensure safety
Making their recommendations, the report’s authors say existing legislation can be used to “ensure the highest level of safety in offshore oil and gas activities”.
But they want to see the recent EU safety directive become part of member state laws “in a timely manner” and strictly enforced.
The report also calls on the EU to encourage countries outside the bloc to produce “regulatory frameworks of similar high safety standards”.
In addition, it makes a series of suggestions for helping fishers receive compensation for loss of earnings caused by oil and gas operations.
It adds: “Compensation mechanisms for damages to fisheries after offshore oil and gas accidents have historically shown imperfections, leaving damaged sectors without deserved recompense.”
A compensation fund was set up by the UK oil and gas industry in 1975 after pressure from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and concerns about the impact on fishing from offshore exploration and production.
In 2007, the UK Fisheries Offshore Oil and Gas Legacy Trust Fund was established by industry body Oil and Gas UK and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations to manage interactions between the offshore oil and gas and fishing industries.
