Trout

iTrader: (1)

Just been avidly watching the docu-soap of the trawler men out of Peterhead in Scotland fishing in the most atrocious winter conditions.

I grew up in a little fishing village and spent my summer holidays on little 60ft seine netters after cod, herring, dogfish and prawns. Watching these huge trawlers out at sea is awesome.

It also underlines the critical balance between protecting North Sea fish stocks and these men going out fishing because it is in their blood. It was tragic watching them dump two tons of mature fish back into the sea dead because it would have taken them over their quota. Which defeats the object of quotas - they don't stop fishing, they just dump the excess of each species they cannot bring home.

Only thirty years ago the seine netters could not get into harbour when the herring were in as the boats would be near sinking after just one haul. Within twenty years there were no herring left. And ironically no-one really ate them and most of them went for fish meal.

Jamie

Most of them trawlers were built in whitby it's good a program

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Not just Scotland mate, as a kid I remember my brothers making a decent living working on the trawlers in Cornwall. Unfortunately the Common Fisheries Policy has totally destroyed the fishing industry down here " A good deal for Britain" has turned out to see the French,Dutch and Spanish raping our seas for nigh on 20 years,whilst our fleet obeying the rules have been destroyed Strange how cod stocks in the north sea have been decimated since the common fisheries policy was introduced

Trout

iTrader: (1)

The Cornish fishery was knackered by the Russian factory ships using what is literally a vacuum cleaner in the sea that was thrust into the vast spawning mackerel shoals taking the whole lot. Within five years the fishery was destroyed.

It is easy to point the finger but we have all exploited the fisheries in non-territorial waters. I am sure the Icelandic say the same about us - remember the 'cod wars'.

It is still a travesty all around - especially for the UK as the fishermen themselves will tell you most of the decent fish is exported into Europe anyway.

Shark Man

If you liked it, watch the orginal docusoap that BBC pinched the idea off on Discovery: "Deadliest Catch" where they are usually fishing for crab in the Bering Sea.

Craigieloon

yeah... thats a brillaint program... Been watching this the past while. Im from Inverness about 100 miles east of peterhead. even i struggle to understand the Doric tongue.

Deadliest Catch is superb...

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Will check out Discovery

fatherpierre

Great programme.

The only point I raise is that they all plead poverty and hardship.

And then you see them coming back to shore and being picked up in Merx SLKs and BMW X5s.................

Loaded - unless all their wives are dealing crack when the men are away.

sti-04!!

Knowing Peterhead thats probably true

dpb

like every thing nowdays its the streamlined big players/agents/crims who rape the rest of us - whilst our government takes the eec directive to the last letter

andythejock01wrx

I'm surprised you lot could follow the lingo of the fisherfolk !

fatherpierre

Lived in Elgin for a few years, so could pick most of it up.

Caaaash baaaaack when in Tesco and so on

andythejock01wrx

Paid a visit or two to Elgin too and know what you mean good Father.

fatherpierre

In fact, I meant ASDA.

There was no Tesco there when I lived there - 2000/2003.

Just lots of ladies up for it!

andythejock01wrx

Ray_li

every postcode has a Tescos now

^OPM^

No tesco in town where i live -wish there was tho as all we have is a useless Morrisons

HankScorpio

Born and brought up in Elgin and spent time working at St Fergus so have no problem with the language but if you're familiar with how they speak in Peterhead, it's amazing that they are speaking in their poshest, most proper voices and still get subtitles at some points!

Was offered a try out at "the sea" on leaving school but having watched these progs, I'd have lasted about 20 mins and been crying for my mother!
Hat's off to these guys, I'm glad they're doing it and not me.

Have a thought for them the next time you're buying Icelandic haddock or Spanish prawns.

And if they want to buy 6 year old mercs then why not?

Trout

iTrader: (1)

The Skippers may have some money - but the deck hands make nothing until the 'boat' is paid. On an averaage weeks trip the deck hands will make £1,000 if they have had a good catch.

And because of quotas they are only fishing every other week. I am sure that there must be easier ways of making £25,000 a year if all goes well!

If the boat is paid up then the skipper might make £50-75,000 so no loaded. The wife probably runs a b&b or hotel as well.

Infractme!

You mean an old model SLK and an X5 circa 2000? Hardly wild riches,available for less than 12K each. Even your average Impreza owner could afford one.

Anyway it's a fantastic programme, what I'd like to see is a bit of footage of the crew filming it. If the fishermen were getting sick what state must they have been in?

I'm not from Scotland and had no problem understanding anything that any of them said either.

Abdabz

I concur! Deadliest Catch is one of my favourite programmes! Some of those fellas are seriously 'nails'. Trawlermen is a quality show but I always find it a bit of an anticlimax after watching Deadliest Catch... It's kind of like watching a premier league football team one night, and your mates sons cub scout team the next

OllyK

The deadliest catch is interesting - the deck hands can earn $40K for a 1 week trip with the king crab. The thing that amazes me is that it all goes on to processing ships, presumably to be canned, seems none of it is eaten fresh!

Infractme!

That's precisely why I prefer Trawlermen. Deadliest catch is great stuff but it hasn't got the pathos of the programme about the Scottish fleet.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Which makes Trawlermen even more interesting as they are still risking their lives, working in awful conditions for a fraction of the money.

It is hard to see the HSE rules applying to many parts of a trawler!

bugsti

HSE dont have any durasdiction over fishing vessels. If they did, the industry would completely cease to exist. The Scottish fleet is already half of what it was in 2000.

Give it another 6 or 7 years and the industry will probably be almost totally owned by foreign interests - its already managed by them!

matchmaker

If Inverness has moved to 100 miles east of Peterhead my in-laws have all drowned