Coronavirus: Further support 'could boost Manx fishing crew numbers'

The Manx fishing fleet shared crews during the summer months

Further support for the Manx fishing industry could bring crews back to the boats, a trade organisation has said.

Grants for vessel owners and seafood businesses will continue until November, subject to Tynwald approval.

The Manx Fish Producers Organisation (MFPO) said a drop in income caused by Covid-19 had led to many crew members leaving the boats.

MFPO'S David Beard added that the money would now be used to "get crew back in".

He said current crew levels were a "major difficulty" facing the island's fishing fleet and fishing had been "quite limited" during the summer months as vessel owners shared crews so that each boat could "at least fish some days".

"One of our main challenges now is actually using this money to be able to get crew back in," he added.

Support for the industry was first launched in April and there are now plans to extend funding by an additional £250,000.

Staffing levels have also been hit by the island's border closure, which prevents fishing crews from Scotland and Northern Ireland from working on Manx-registered vessels.