12/12/2025
Offshore windfarms are causing a devastating downturn in the landing of seafood at one of the UK’s most iconic locations for crab fishing, a local firm has warned.
Fishermen have been catching crabs and lobsters at Cromer in Norfolk for centuries – and the town is a magnet for tourists, particularly families with young children who use buckets and lines to land catches themselves.
But the region’s main buyer and processor, Jonas Seafood, has warned of an ‘uncertain’ future for the industry due to the damage being caused by wind turbines that have sprung up off the coast.
It complained turbines had been placed in ‘some of the richest grounds for crab and lobster’, with exclusion zones placed around them for safety reasons.
Catches have collapsed from around 500 tonnes per year to around 380 tonnes, with locals blaming upheaval to the seabed caused by the installation of turbines and burying high-voltage cables.
Energy firms deny the claims, saying turbine foundations create ‘artificial reefs’ which attract more crabs and lobsters than nearby flat areas of the seabed.
But fishermen have pointed out that the exclusion areas have created widespread no-go areas around the wind farms.
Jonas Seafood managing director Kevin Jonas said: ‘The future is looking uncertain for us. It’s soul destroying. We have put our heart and souls into this.
Offshore windfarms are causing a devastating downturn in the landing of seafood around Cromer in Norfolk, it is claimed
Offshore windfarms are causing a devastating downturn in the landing of seafood around Cromer in Norfolk, it is claimed
‘Any business has good years and bad years but all the windfarms coming up will have a huge impact on us going forward.’
Fisherman affected by wind farms can claim compensation through the Fishing Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables Group (FLOWW).
But FLOWW’s guidance states processors and supply chain businesses are not eligible for support.
If Jonas went under, fishermen would lose their primary customer – and decimate the number of small family-run boats that operate in the area.
The knock-on effect would also threaten local restaurants and shops that purchase catches.
Nick Samujlik, a director at the firm, claimed wind farm owners didn’t want to meet with them to discuss the problems.
He said: ‘They say that they wish to leave behind a thriving fishing industry after the construction phase but that is difficult to see if the largest processor in the area is forced to close.’
North Norfolk MP Steff Aquarone said the company’s 57 employees were ‘worried about what the future holds.
Locals claim the seabed is being damaged by the installation of turbines and burying high-voltage cables. Fishermen have also complained of exclusion areas around the wind farms creating no-go areas.
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He added: ‘It is vital that the important work to decarbonise our energy supply doesn't damage our local economy.’
The crabs around Cromer are sought-after because of their sweet flavour – influenced by Cromer Shoal Chalk Bed, an 80,000-acre natural feature which extends six miles out into the sea.
Fishermen complain that they have having to travel further for smaller hauls as catches are becoming increasingly inconsistent.
Wind farms zones also overlap, creating a series of disrupted seabeds in the area.
Trawlers are further hampered by ‘no fishing zones’ that have been introduced for a ‘natural disturbance study’ by Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority into the effect on the chalky seabed of dropping pots to catch crabs and lobsters.
John Davies, chairman of North Norfolk Fishermen’s Society, said: ‘All of a sudden, we’re the bad guys and our industry’s under threat.’
‘We’re confident we’re not damaging the chalk any more than the natural environment.
Jonas Seafood managing director Kevin Jonas said: ‘The future is looking uncertain for us.'
‘I’m an eighth-generation fisherman and I know it’s changed very little, if at all, over the years.’
The concerns about seafood in Cromer are being repeated in other traditional fishing grounds around the UK where turbines have sprung up.
The number of people working in the offshore wind industry has soared 24 per cent from 32,000 in 2023 to 40,000 today, according to industry trade association RenewableUK.
In a report from June, the organisation stated there were three new offshore wind development sites planned to open by 2030.
RenewableUK's head of environment and consent, Kat Route-Stephens, said: 'Offshore wind farm developers work collaboratively with the fishing industry as we plan, build and operate clean energy projects at sea.
'Fishing activities continue in almost all wind farm areas when our projects are up and running, with boats sailing between the turbines and over cables, as offshore wind farms are specifically designed to enable the ongoing coexistence of both our industries.
'The UK is one of the only countries which doesn't exclude fishing activities from offshore wind farms.'
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was approached for a comment.
