Fisheries grants totalling less than £6,000 were paid out by government last year.

Before 2016, fisheries grants amounting to £42,000 were available through a combination of different grants, covering items such as safety equipment, modernisation, training and education.

Since 2016 fisheries grants have been included in the Agriculture and Fisheries Grant Scheme, with the equivalent available funding of £42,000 per annum.

But in a written reply to a Tynwald question from Lawrie Hooper (LibVan, Ramsey), Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Geoffrey Boot revealed that grants totalling just £5,752.71 were paid out in 2019-20, with an average grant of £639.

The previous year, DEFA provided grants totalling £14,390.92, with an average grant of £2,055. In 2016-17 the figure was £13,429.05 and it was £5,525.89 in 2015-16.

Mr Boot also released figures for support given to agriculture over the same period.

In 2018-19, this sector received support payments of £5,937,673 and grants totalling £205,892, down from £6,121,064 and £ 312,077 respectively the previous year.

Replying to a separate question, the Minister said it is anticipated DEFA has sufficient resource to protect local fish stocks in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

’The situation will be monitored closely,’ he said.

The Tynwald questions came as the island’s queenie fishing industry faces further restrictions.

A 40% cut in total allowance catch was announced at the beginning of the season after a survey highlighted that queen scallop stocks had decreased to their lowest level since 1993.

Since then, all but one area of the fishery has been closed in an effort to conserve stocks. Only the East Douglas area remains open to queenie fishing.