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.

2007-08 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 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:  IOPC 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 mid-2001  Homarus Ltd staff were responsible for undertaking or supervising numerous earlier assessments of pollution impacts on fisheries operations, which are briefly summarised below