North Sea shrimp fishing in crisis - An industry on the brink | DW Documentary

North Sea shrimp are often called "red gold”. But now Germany’s shrimp industry is floundering. Low prices during the COVID-19 pandemic and high fuel costs threaten many livelihoods. The price dictates of Dutch wholesalers aren’t helping matters.

Mike Maalstedt is desperate. The young fisher is struggling to keep his business afloat in the village of Spieka-Neufeld near Bremerhaven. His colleague Olaf is also fighting the demise of his profession. He’s active in the producers’ association and is working to improve German shrimp fishers’ position against the powerful fishing industry in the Netherlands.

With their larger ships, Dutch fishers can ensure a bigger shrimp catch. Their low-cost shelling plants in Morocco give them a marketing monopoly on North Sea shrimps. This has allowed the Dutch competitors to net a good profit in Europe, even as market prices remain low.
Now a new type of shrimp peeling machine using shock wave technology looks set to revitalize the industry. Inventor Christin Klever came up with the idea. Her father Günter Klever is the managing director of the coastal fishers’ producer association.

Christin Klever is now optimizing her invention, which stands to liberate German fishers from the price dictates of Dutch monopolists and their shelling plants in Morocco. In future, the shellfish would be peeled locally and marketed regionally. This could save the whole profession.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #northsea #fishing
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