Fishing boats worldwide tuck dockside as diesel prices surge on Iran war [View all]

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fishing-boats-worldwide-tuck-dockside-diesel-prices-surge-iran-war-2026-05-21/

Fishing boats worldwide tuck dockside as diesel prices surge on Iran war
By Lauren Owens Lambert and Leah Douglas
May 21, 2026 6:04 AM CDT

KENNEBUNK, Maine, May 21 (Reuters) - Captain Chris Welch of Kennebunk, Maine, is catching fewer lobsters this spring because spiking diesel prices have made it too costly to take out his fishing boat as often as he normally would.

Welch is one of many fishermen around the world whose boats are spending more time at the dock this spring as soaring fuel costs, driven up by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, compromise their narrow profit margins, according to Reuters interviews with a half-dozen U.S. fishermen and fishing groups and others around the world.

The issue, stretching from Maine's rocky coast to South Korea and the Netherlands, could compound the Iran war's already ​significant threats to the global food system as surging fertilizer prices caused by blocked shipments from the Middle East lead farmers to rethink their planting plans.

Fuel is a leading expense for fishing fleets, which might require tens of thousands of gallons to fill ​their boats.

Some shrimpers on the U.S. Gulf Coast can no longer afford to fill their 15,000-gallon tanks and are skipping trips, said Deborah Long, media liaison at the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

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