As one of Cromer’s best-known seafood producers warns its future is at risk, concerns are growing that offshore wind expansion may be endangering one of Norfolk’s most iconic coastal industries.
Jonas Seafood, which has produced dressed crab in the town for 30 years and employs 57 people, says disruption to its supply chain has now pushed the business to a critical point.
Managing director Kevin Jonas is worried for his firm’s future: “The future is looking uncertain for us,” he says. “It’s soul destroying. We have put our heart and soul into this. Any business has good years and bad years but all the windfarms coming up will have a huge impact on us going forward.”
A threat to an East Anglian food icon
Cromer crab is more than a local delicacy: it is a cornerstone of North Norfolk’s coastal identity and visitor economy. The species is famed for its sweet flavour, shaped by the North Norfolk Chalk Reef that runs along this stretch of shoreline, and supports dozens of small family-run boats from Brancaster to Eccles.
Jonas Seafood is the region’s main processor and buyer, meaning any threat to the company ripples down through the entire supply chain. If Jonas collapses, many fishermen will lose their primary customer overnight, placing the wider industry at risk.
How wind farm construction has disrupted supply
The recent development of offshore wind farms has drastically affected the number of crabs fishermen are catching. Some turbines have been placed in some of the richest grounds for crab and lobster. But for safety reasons, the wind farms become exclusion zones, removing access to areas boats have relied on for generations. This has left Jonas Seafood with 120 tonnes less live crab each year.
Fishermen say the impact is not just about physical exclusion zones. The process of installing turbines and burying high-voltage cables disturbs the seabed, displacing crabs and scattering stocks across much wider areas.
Grounds that once produced reliable catches now deliver inconsistent results, forcing crews to travel further for smaller hauls. With several wind farm zones overlapping, the cumulative effect has created a patchwork of disrupted seabeds stretching across the north Norfolk coast.
Compensation that doesn’t reach the whole industry
Fishermen affected by wind farm development have received compensation via the Fishing Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables Group (FLOWW). But FLOWW guidance explicitly excludes processors and supply-chain businesses, even when disruption to catches threatens their survival.
Jonas Seafood is calling for a meeting with the companies behind the wind farm schemes.
Director Nick Samujlik is frustrated, saying the wind farm companies don’t seem to want to engage with them. “They simply hide behind FLOWW guidance,” he explains. “They say that they wish to leave behind a thriving fishing industry after the construction phase but that is difficult to see if the largest processor in the area is forced to close.”
This gap in the compensation scheme highlights a structural problem: while individual fishermen may receive payments for loss of catch or access, no mechanism exists to support the businesses that depend on stable supplies to operate. Without processors, even well-compensated fishing crews have nowhere to sell their catch. The industry functions as an ecosystem, and the current framework recognises only one part of it.
Jobs and the wider North Norfolk economy
North Norfolk MP Steff Aquarone has visited Jonas Seafood to understand the scale of the challenge. “There’s a lot going on off our coastline,” he says, “and this is having an impact on the processors of seafood as well as the fishermen.”
He recognises the factory is a significant employer in the area. Employees “will be worried about what the future holds as we approach another round of wind farm expansion.
“It’s vital that the important work to decarbonise our energy supply doesn’t damage our local economy,” he adds. “I am calling on green energy developers to go further in the way they work with and invest in the future of our local businesses like Jonas Seafood.”
The stakes are high. Jonas Seafood’s 57 employees represent one of North Norfolk’s largest single-site private employers, and the company buys crab from around 35 boats. Restaurants, street stalls and the wider tourism economy depend on reliable crab landings, particularly during the busy spring and summer season. If processors close or fishermen leave the industry, Cromer’s food heritage and visitor draw could be permanently diminished.
A national challenge emerging
The tension between offshore renewable energy projects and traditional coastal industries is not unique to Norfolk. Fishing groups nationwide have raised concerns that rapid expansion of marine infrastructure is outpacing the frameworks designed to protect existing livelihoods. Parliamentary committees have previously warned that without better coordination, renewable energy risks becoming another pressure on already fragile coastal economies.
This article is based on a press release from Jonas Seafood.
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