VETERAN trawlermen from England and Scotland who lost their jobs after the 1970s Cod War are to start receiving their compensation payments this week.
The Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was in Hull at the weekend to make the first payments under a new scheme.
It is expected that around 1,000 former trawlermen from Grimsby, Hull, Aberdeen and Fleetwood who were thrown out of work after the fishing dispute with Iceland will receive compensation payments totalling up to £10 million.
Hundreds of distant and middle water trawlers were either scrapped or switched to North Sea oil support work. In all these ports the fish catching industry virtually collapsed and thousands of fishing support workers also lost their jobs.
The new payments will be based on aggregate service on vessels that fished in Icelandic waters, rather than the previous scheme which was based on continuous service.
Lord Mandelson said: 'Distant water trawling is one of the most arduous and hazardous of occupations. These men lost their livelihoods through no fault of their own and deserve just treatment. The new scheme is a much fairer deal and means that the group of trawlermen that received unreasonably low payments under the previous scheme - around one in six - will now receive additional compensation.'
One former Humber fisherman Michael Neve, a former trawlerman who spent 20 years at sea and who benefited from the scheme, said: 'I know this final payment will be gratefully received among the fishermen, like me, who are getting this final payment.'
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