Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, insisted the industry takes such accusations seriously, and will itself report any actions which harm the wellbeing and welfare of crew.

He was speaking after East Anglia University researchers claimed migrant fishers are subjected to coercion, as well as physical, verbal and psychological abuse including slaps, kicks and the withholding of food.

‘Cultural misunderstandings’

The abuse is “invisible” within the industry because crew are reluctant to come forward and incidents are often dismissed as part of a difficult working environment or “cultural misunderstandings”, the research duo said.

The pair – Natalie Djohari and Carole White – released a video highlighting “crossed lines of communication” around the arrival of Filipino migrants into the fishing fleet.

Dialogue in the animation is based on interviews carried out in the north-east between 2019 and 2021 as part of the FisherCoast Research Project, a multi partner international study exploring the impact of environmental, economic and social change on the wellbeing of coastal communities.

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