FISHERMEN in Fleetwood may soon see the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

As the compensation campaign continues for fishermen involved in the 1976 Cod War with Iceland, Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Joan Humble has joined the ranks of supporters.

After standing up in Parliament at midnight on March 8 to argue the case for the forgotten fishermen, Joan intends to keep on fighting until all those involved receive what she believes they rightly deserve.

Joan told the Citizen: "After the election I was approached by the British Fisherman's Association (BFA).

"They informed me of the problems distant water trawlermen had encountered following Iceland's decision in the '70's to extend their own fishing limit to 200m. This meant British fishermen from Fleetwood, Hull and Grimsby could no longer fish there and in effect lost their livelihoods."

"Trawler owners were awarded compensation for the loss of business but arguments over the fishermen's employment status meant the men received nothing."

The previous government set up a tribunal and decided the fishermen's cause was valid even organising an ex-gratia scheme to deliver compensation.

But as this scheme operated within set redundancy rules the recipients needed to be in continuous employment for two years -which by the nature of their work fishermen are not.

Joan has joined forces with members in Hull and Grimsby and the BFA to carry the case to Ian McCartney and Steven Byers of the Department of Trade and Industry and intends to argue for a second ex-gratia scheme to be set up.

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