WEYMOUTH fishermen are urging residents to buy local amid fears that government bailouts may not keep the industry afloat.

Weymouth's fishing fleet has been hit hard as exports are stopped and UK restaurants have closed their doors, causing demand - and fish prices - to plummet.

Meanwhile, many boats are only licensed to catch a certain type of fish, making it even harder to adjust.

The Government has announced a three month support package for the fishing industry, but those with smaller boats with see a reduced payout, and it will only be paid to boats that made over £10,000 last year.

Weymouth skipper Bob Summerhayes welcomed the measures but expressed concerns for the future of the local industry.

"The government rescue packages will keep some of us going but we do need to look at the situation for limited companies," he said.

"Export is the main issue. With Brexit there's already a question mark over future trade with Europe, but we would have plugged that gap with with China and other parts of Asia.

"Species such as skate, rays, cuttlefish, which are in abundance in our waters, are predominantly exported, but now there's no demand; prices have crashed so it's difficult to make ends meet at the moment.

"It's probably going to get a bit worse through the summer because the types of fish that are popular here - plaice, Dover sole, red mullet - that tends to be caught during autumn and winter."

Mr Summerhayes is fortunate to be able to set his sights closer to home.

He added: "I have a small multi-purpose boat so I've been focussing on Weyfish, which has recently expanded.

"It's the toughest challenge as far as I can remember - the local market won't sustain bigger boats."

Weymouth bass fisherman Nigel Cox has set up a Facebook page, 'Weymouth Fresh Fish', to sell to locals.

"Ninety nine per cent of our catch would go restaurants but because they're all shut the market price has fallen dramatically," Mr Cox said.

"As I only have a small boat, the Government grant won't cover the costs of running my household - I have a family of five. It's not just me, everyone's struggling."

"We're trying to adapt - people can come straight to the boat during their daily exercise; we will hand fish over from a safe distance or deliver it for free."