Fisheries Impact Assessment

Assessment of Physical and Pollution Impacts on Fisheries Sector Operations

Both foreseen causes such as coastal engineering and unforeseen accidents such as shipping collisions or pollution can have serious impact on fishing, fish farming or fish processing enterprises. They can lead to large and complex claims for compensation.

Homarus Ltd can assist through a highly experienced and sensitive approach to technical and economic assessment of impacts and associated compensation claims. Homarus Ltd staff have assessed losses to fisheries operations in over 100 impact cases since 1990. They have taken leading roles in fishery damage assessment in large incidents such as BRAER, SEA EMPRESS and PRESTIGE oil spills and other high profile cases such as the Lincshore scheme and major offshore wind developments, please see impact assessment experience for further details.

Intervention can be immediately post accident, see emergency contact details. Alternatively, assistance can be given in analysis of losses at some later stage, for example after a fishing vessel repair period.

Homarus Ltd specialists all have experience in gathering evidence with which to build up a picture of the position of fishery enterprise(s) had the damage not occurred. Our hands-on experience in fishing and fish farming gives a rapid understanding of the probable mechanisms and extent of any losses and can enhance exchange of information with affected businesses.

The company has a large bank of reference material and expertise in rapidly sourcing other secondary information. The company also has a network of many fisheries specialists around the world who can often assist should particular geographical or technical knowledge be needed.

The range of services covered in loss assessment covers:

• Technical assessment of impacts
• Liaison with claimants and authorities
• Sampling regimes
• Gathering and analysis of data
• Compensation strategy and methodology
• Determination of economic losses
• Compensation negotiations
• Support of legal teams
• Modelling alternative outcomes of incidents
• Pre-impact fisheries assessments

Assistance can range from a brief desk-based appraisal of technical merits of a small case, to fielding a team on-site for investigations and assessment of multiple fisheries claims in large cases. Assessment methods employed aim to give a fair and defendable quantification of damage.

Methods used can be flexible and adapted to the size and nature of the case and data availability.

These services are provided primarily to shipowners, insurers, international, national and local governmental bodies, civil engineers and developers, law firms and the fishing and aquaculture industries.