Homarus Ltd - www.homarusaquafish.co.uk

Homarus Ltd - www.homarusaquafish.co.uk - www.homarusaquafish.co.uk

Pollution impacts

This page summarises experience in assessing fisheries sector loss or damage from pollution related causes.

To see a similar list for assessments of damage from physical causes please click here, or here for projects relating to fisheries cargo damage.

2009-10 Madagascar
Instructed by: Insurer
Fieldwork and data-gathering to assess the impact of an oil spill on artisanal fisheries in the south of Madagascar. Interpretation of data gained from fisheries adminstration, interviews with fishermen, traders etc and a wide variety of socio-economic sources. Review of detailed governmental and NGO reports on pollution impact. Production of fisheries section of responding report.

2008-2009 Ivory Coast
Instructed by: Oil platform operator
Desk- and field-based assessment of a large claim for pollution damage to fisheries, following a small operational spill from an offshore platform

2008 Japan
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of the likely impact to the marine environment and fishing industry of a cargo of wheat spilled in coastal waters

2008 Venezuela
Instructed by: IOPCF
Assessment of evidence for fisheries impacts surrounding a historic small-scale oil spill

2007-09 South Korea
Instructed by: Insurer
Fieldwork and data gathering to assess the likely overall level of economic losses to fisheries, aquaculture and fish processing sectors arising from the HEBEI SPIRIT oil spill. Detailed assessment of scientific aspects of governmental fisheries closures and their impacts on fishing industry.

2007 China
Instructed by: Insurer
On-site investigations to assess alleged damage to sea-cucmber farming facilities and other mariculture following a sinking and oil spill in the Bohai Sea

2007 UK
Instructed by: Law firm
Provision of advice on fisheries and other marine environmental sensitivities relating to the grounding, pollution and subsequent wreck removal options for the MSC NAPOLI in Lyme Bay, English Channel.

2007 Latvia
Instructed by: Insurer
Provision of advice on likely environmental impact of a cargo of fertiliser at risk of entering the Baltic Sea from a grounded vessel.

2006-08 Philippines
Instructed by: Insurer/IOPC Fund
Investigations to assess the impact of the SOLAR 1 oil spill on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. Rapid survey of impacted areas post-spill, develpment of economic models of the main impacted activities. Assessment of large numbers (>22,000) of claims relating to inshore fishing, boat and gear contamination, milkfish and seaweed farming.

2006 Egypt
Instructed by: Law firm
Advice on likely impact on fisheries of an oil spill in the Bitter Lakes area of the Suez canal. Guidance on group claim settlement levels

2006-7 UK
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of evidence of the linkage between mainatinance harbour dredging and alleged mortalities of cultivated shellfish in Poole Harbour. Assessment of project monitoring data and EIA.

2005-06 Chile
Instructed by: Insurer/ITOPF
Fieldwork and data gathering to assess the economic impact of a spill of bunkers off the port of Antofagasta on the local pelagic and small inshore fishing vessel fleet

2005-07 UK
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of pollution damage to mussel and salmon farms and inshore shellfishing in Shetland following the grounding of a large stand-by tug and subsequent bunker spillage. On-site assessment of extent and duration of impact, interpretaion of contamination data, supervsion of partial destruction of mussel crops, assessment of economic losses.

2005 UK/Russia
Instructed by: Insurer
Advice on fisheries claims arising out of an earlier oil spill in the White Sea

2004 UK
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of stock mortalities and losses at a sports fishery.

2004 UK/Japan
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of the potential for a sunken tug to interfere with local trawling and the possible impact of any remaining oil on local aquaculture installations.

2003-4 UK
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of pollution risk to fish farms and inshore fisheries from the fuel oil and zinc concentrate cargo from a vessel which grounded and sank at the Summer Isles, Scotland. Daily surveying of pollution spread, sampling and analysis of farmed salmon, quantification of possible outcomes, survey of fishing operations.

2003 UK
Instructed by: Shellfish company/law firm
Retained to assess likely mechanisms of impact and quantum of loss that could result from dredging and other coastal engineering associated with the London Gateway, a major new container terminal planned for the Thames estuary

2003 Greece
Instructed by: Insurer
On-site investigations of damage to sea bass and bream farms in Kos, Greece, following a grounding and oil spill. Advised on production costs and market values of fish as well as costs of replacement of oiled cages.

2003-4 UK
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of lost income of some inshore fishing vessels temporarily unable to fish and suffering gear damage, through release of plastic waste from a grounded cargo vessel on the Cornish coast

2003-4 UK/Japan
Instructed by: Solicitors
Review of claims from fisheries co-operatives following the grounding, pollution and fire of a large car carrying vessel on an island near Tokyo. Issues of importance were habitat damage, recovery, claims for re-instatement and loss of income.

2003-06 Spain
Instructed by: OPC Fund/ Insurer
Fieldwork and data analysis to assess the likely overall fisheries industry losses arising from the PRESTIGE oil spill. Assessment of lost income by fishing type and target species. Survey and loss estimates for aquaculture producers, live shellfish merchants other processors.

2002-03 UK
Instructed by: Environment Agency
Assessment of multiple claims from operators of inshore shrimp and other trawlers allegedly suffering depressed income as a result of beach re-building on the Lincolnshire coast. Exhaustive review of catch data, field survey data and the scientific literature to examine the case for secondary effects on shrimp stocks from deposition of sand or outwash of plumes of fine materials from works.

2002-3 UK / world-wide
Instructed by: IOPC Fund
Preparation of technical guidelines for assessing fisheries sector claims, with special reference to small-scale operations lacking evidence of normal earnings.

The guidelines contain: introductory narrative on the fishing industry and its economic context; methods for rapidly estimating global losses shortly post-spill including benchmarking models for various categories of small scale fishing, farming and processing; detailed claims assessment methods including first screening; business model templates for each of fishing, aquaculture and processing and methods for gathering critical data in the field.

2001-02 UK/China
Instructed by: Insurer
Assessment of a claim for fisheries stock damage submitted by fisheries authorities following a spill of fuel oil in inshore waters

Prior to 2001 Homarus Ltd staff were responsible for undertaking or supervising numerous earlier assessments of pollution impacts on fisheries operations, which are briefly summarised below

2001 UK / Channel Islands: Styrene monomer pollution risk to shellfisheries.

2000 Singapore: Pollution damage to grouper cage fish farm

2000 Greece: Oil spill impact at fish farms

1999 Spain: Loss of fixed net fishing income after an oil spill

1999 UK: Alternative outcomes of oil pollution impact on fish/shellfish farms

1998 Spain: Farmed salmon market price damage assessment following AEGEAN SEA oil spill

1998 Greece: Oil pollution damage to sea bass and sea bream farm cages.

1997 Cyprus: Oil pollution impact on fish farms

1996 Iran: Review of large governmental claim for pollution-related fishery losses from a sunken container ship

1996 Hong Kong: Pollution assessment of fish farms

1996 Greece: Oil pollution damage to fish farms

1996 Red Sea: Possible impact on fisheries and marine environment from alternative outcomes of salvage

1996-7 UK: Assessment of alternative outcomes of SEA EMPRESS salvage operation

1996 UK: SEA EMPRESS oil spill

Assessment of damages to all fisheries capture, farming and processing operations arising from the grounding of the SEA EMPRESS in Milford Haven, including the following main tasks:

Rapid assessment of the extent of the impact, evaluation of the potential for damage to the inshore and offshore fisheries and fish processors and markets.
Liaison with authorities and advising on global compensation implications over the establishment of a 750 sq mile fisheries exclusion zone.
Assessment of fish, shellfish and sea-water contamination data measured by government agencies.
Detailed review of inshore fisheries impacted including modelling of new whelk fishery to predict 1996 catch rates.
Detailed assessment of all fishing sector claims (>150 claimants) including development of appropriate compensation methodologies.
Rapid claims processing to enable interim compensation payments throughout 6 month fishery closure period.
Rapid quantification of effort within the whelk and crustacean sub-sectors through counting and marking of 39,000 pots on land and at sea in the spill area.
Evaluation of impact on salmonid, oyster and mussel aquaculture operations. Negotiation of terms for destruction of oysters, drew up compensation agreements and monitored destruction.
Detailed technical and financial assessment of 14 merchants and processing companies, covering whelk and crustacean export as well as domestic markets for white fish and cockles, including compliance with admissibility criteria.

1994 United Arab Emirates: Loss of income in coastal fisheries following an oil spill

1994 Korea: Investigations into losses sustained by shellfish farmers and fishermen following an oil spill.

1994 Turkey: Impact of oil spill on fishing in the Bosporus

1994 Chile: Impact of spilled sodium cyanide on fisheries

1994 Spain: Likely impacts of alternative outcomes of AEGEAN SEA oil spill and salvage

1994 Korea: Risk assessment to fisheries from spilled cargo of fertiliser

1993 to 2000 UK: Detailed assessment of the impact of the BRAER incident on all aspects of fisheries activities in Shetland waters. Responsible for the following major tasks:

Surveyed 18 salmon farm and 3 mussel farm sites in affected area for pollution damage
Assessed data on contamination of fish and seawater and drew up strategic options and compensation implication in response to UK
Government fisheries exclusion zone on salmon farms
Negotiated terms for destruction of 2 year classes of farmed salmon stock and drew up 3 separate compensation agreements
Organised and supervised destruction of 5,500 tonnes of salmon and mussels using methods acceptable to local and national government
Assessed all claims for compensation from polluted salmon farms and agreed settlements totalling approximately £21 million
Detailed assessment of impact on fish processing companies on Shetland and appropriate compensation
Detailed study of alleged damage to salmon and white fish prices arising out of the incident including comprehensive statistical analysis of price series and market surveys in UK and Europe
Advised on technical issues of alleged long term damage to fisheries
Diving survey to examine the status of scallop stocks in Shetland waters and evidence of pollution damage
Sediment survey at various locations around Shetland Islands to assess whether oil remained on herring spawning grounds and the concentration of oil remaining on a traditional white fishing ground
Detailed assessment of economic losses of inshore vessels reliant on polluted fishing grounds and reviewing options for long-term solutions
Assessment of claims arising from disrupted stocking patterns at fish farm

1993 Greece: Investigation into losses at sea-bass and sea-bream cage farms following an oil spill.

1993 Taiwan: Oil spill damage to pump-ashore fish farms

1993 Sweden: Oil spill impact to eel farm

1992 Mozambique: Assessment of claims for oiled fishing gear and loss of earnings after a major oil spill.

1992 Turkey: Investigation of interruptions in fishery activity and loss of earnings after a major oil spill.

1992 Korea: Assessment of likely risk to fisheries and the marine environment following the grounding and break-up of a chemical carrier.

1991 UK: Oil spill damage to fish and shellfish farms

1990 UK: Oil spill damage to cage fish farm.