To contact Jimmy, email mailto:jimmysblog@seafish.co.uk

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Tuesday 22 December 2009

Amity is now in port laid up for the remainder of the year. She is due to go into the Peterhead ship lift for a annual inspection where underwater maintenance will be carried out.

Washing and painting Amity's hull will help save fuel, this is due to a build up of marine growth over the warmer summer months.

It will be a good opportunity to inspect the hull under water and replace the sacrificial annoieds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificial_anode. It is important that the annoied is wasting away as it shows that it is working well. After a few days of TLC, we will have Amity looking her best for the start of another winter in the cold North Sea.

I was speaking with Skipper Andrew Buchan who is building a new vessel in Macduff shipyards which is due to be handed over to him before Christmas. He is looking forward to taking over his new command. We were talking about how a skipper's workload has changed over the years.

When I started out as a skipper in the mid 80s, my thoughts were 100% trained on catching fish. Nowadays I have to juggle catching fish with available quota, days at sea, amongst many other day-to-day duties of running a trawler. Vessels in the past carried more crew so chores were spread more amongst the crew, with vessels working with less crew it means the same chores and more are to be challenged with fewer men. I wish Andrew & Philip Buchan well and safe fishing in their new vessel Favonious.
 

Peterhead harbour is a blaze of lights as the fleet is returning to port for the festive period. Skippers and crews are decorating their vessels with lights to celebrate another year of good harvests. With Amity going into the shiplift this year we will not be taking part in the annual ritual.
 

Monday 14 December 2009

As we near the end of 2009, I reflect back on what has been a very tough year for fishing. History has shown us that the fishing industry does go in cycles as I know only too well from the tales of my grandfather. I am sure if he were still around he would be saying "you do not know what tough is, laddie!"
 
I look forward to 2010 and hopefully quayside prices will improve bringing much needed excitement and joviality back into our industry.
 
I am off to give a PowerPoint presentation on my life and travels as a fisherman today at a local women's church guild in Peterhead. I have selected some of my best photographs of my life at sea along with some other photographs of my career in the fishing industry. I have been in schools etc promoting our fishing industry. It is always well received by those who come to see it, and I always add in my own humour just to keep it light-hearted.
 
 
Amity is at sea and on her return to port will tie up for the Christmas break. I am sure the crew will enjoy their time onshore with their families. When Amity is working, I have to manage my fish quota on a monthly basis. I also have a days at sea quota that has to be well managed to run in tandem with my available catch quota. Not always easy to keep in tandem as fishing patterns can vary from season to season.

Here are some photos: the crew enjoying a paella Scottish style onboard Amity.

Chef Buchan helping out at the Fishermen's Mission in Peterhead

the first signs of a good haul

Monday 7 December 2009

The popularity of 'Trawlermen' has indeed spread across the world and I had living proof of that recently as a family came all the way from Australia to Peterhead to visit me!

The family of four had travelled from Caroline Springs in Melbourne to Scotland and then made a special trip from Edinburgh to Peterhead to visit me - what an honour!

Stuart Murray is originally from Edinburgh but has been in Oz for 11 years now. He brought his wife, Carolyn, and their two fantastic wee boys, Mackenzie, aged 7 and Oliver, aged 4 to see me on Amity.

I had a great time showing them round the boat and telling them what it's like to be skipper Jimmy. 

Let's hope that one day the boys can bring also their children to Peterhead and show them a thirving and sustainable fishing industry in Scotland.   

22 December 2008

Christmas is near upon us, Amity is tied up in port and the crew are all at home enjoying some shore leave. As we predicted, more cuts in some of our main fisheries. You may wonder what I think at this time with that news? Easy - do not think about it until January. This is a time to leave my thoughts at the harbour until January. From there I will digest the the facts and figures and see what it will mean to me.
 
On Friday evening Peterhead harbour was well lit up as some of the boats were well decorated to celebrate Christmas. It was a very windy night but nonetheless a crowd still gathered to sing some carols and see the lights switched on. The harbour is looking bright and cheery.
 

There is an oilskin jacket that the BBC donated to to the Trawlermen-BBC golf outing this summer. It was signed by myself and many more and is up for auction on E-Bay http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1311&_nkw=trawlermen&_sacat=See-All-Categories
 
Any money raised will be going to a charity that John Buchan jnr (Jondi) has picked as he was the winner of the jacket.

I wish all my blog readers Merry Christmas and a peacful New Year

Monday 15 December 2008

It appears there are many people associated with fishing both current and retired still reading the blog. An old friend of mine is Betty Maclean who worked with vessel managers for many years. She gets annoyed when I do  not update the blog - it is her way of keeping up to date with the thoughts of the skipper and what is happening at sea.

I also met some staff from fisheries departments a few weeks back. It was great to put faces to the names. I think these guys that sign letters and enforce legislation should get out and about and down on the pier more often so that we can all work together in a more harmonious manner. There is no substitute for seeing first hand some of the problems we encounter in our day to day running of our vessels. I am sure it would be educational for both fishermen and officials.

I have been approached to take a senior member of the department on a trip so as he can learn and see first hand the job and how we have to work around the complicated set of rules and regulations. When we have a full committment and everything in place we will keep you up to date. I applaud his eagerness as he may easily have taken a nice new pelagic ship to try his sea legs out on!
 
This Friday as the fleet return to port for the Christmas break Amity and other vessels will be decorated with lights. There will be a a Christmas message from the Mission man George Shaw prior to the lights being switched on. He will be supported by the Salvation Army Band. If the last two years are anything to go by there will be a good turn out from the community. Of course We do hope Santa will put in an early appearance.
 
As this year draws to an end, already my mind drifts forward to a New Year. What will it bring? More legislation, more new rules, less quota, less days at sea - these are the negatives but I have faith and hope and no one can take that from me.
 
My crew are looking forward to getting home to spend some time with there families. No more Amity or Jimmy Buchan for two weeks - they must really miss me! I thank them once more for their hard work and loyalty in what has been a difficult year.

Thursday 4 December 2008

We have been back at sea for three days now searching all over for Nephrops. The weather is not being very kind so we are working around what mother nature is throwing at us. Today is much better for weather and fishing, I hope we can get a few days fishing before the next set of gales set upon us.

It has just been reported that fishing is 125 times more dangerous than any other profession - that is a scary statistic. I never see the job as dangerous - it is my work and we deal with it in a professional manner. If you see danger then you do all you can to make the situation safe as do the crew - we all look after one another.

I do believe we learn from other peoples mistake's and even from my own mistakes. We never stop learning but we must also show that we in this industry take safety seriously. We must get that message across. Like all industries worldwide, accidents will happen.

As we near the last month of the year I reflect on what has happened this year. Like so many years before in my career you can never tell what is going to unfold. When I was paying for fuel that was the most expensive that I had ever experienced I never thought that within four months crude oil  price would be at a three year low!

I think that our skills as fishermen should not be allowed to cease. Our young blood will be the future generations that will put fish on the tables in years to come. The UK is an island with some of the most skillful and fearless fishermen in the world. We need to see more young people coming through looking for a career in the industry.

Our industry is being supported by the fact that we are using foreign crews, for which I am truly grateful, but we need to look further than the next few years - we need to look at who will be the next generation of young skippers and if we do not address that problem soon, then it will be an industry that will slowly fade out just like so many other great fishing ports all around our coastline.

Having said all that, fishing is not for the faint hearted. You need to be tough, hard working, energetic and be able to live, eat, work and sleep in very close proximity to your fellow crew mates. Be warned!

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Today we are trawling again in poor weather. It is 30 knots and more, there is no comfort on-board while we wait for the first trawl to come back on-board. We shoot our gear just before day break. I take the watch for 4-5 hours and the crew make for their bunks and get wedged in.

Breakfast has been cancelled in the hope that the weather improves before we haul the gear back on-board. One hour before we haul I will call the cook to make breakfast - what will it be today? I think a sunshine breakfast (cornflakes) as they need no cooking. There is a high risk of getting scalded today with boiling water from the kettle so again great care must be taken when pouring water and passing jugs of tea about to other crew members.

My intension is to try and work today as the outlook for the remainder of the week is for a very strong northerly blast from the Arctic. We have not had one fine day this trip and this is when you realise the true cost of fish, but sadly land lubbers do not appreciate the committment we fishermen put into putting fish on your plates.

I call my wife to let her know we are fine. She says it is a nice day at home - she means nice day for drying the washing! See what I mean about land lubbers!!!

Here are photos of Jill Urquhart who is doing a study on perishable foods for her college studies. She was on a visit to Peterhead to see first hand how seafood is caught, processed and sent to France within hours. She presented me with a name board of Amity which her brother made and her grandad varnished - a family affair.

Monday 17 November 2008

Well, it is a while since I last sent a blog in - what has been happening in the last few months?
 
Quotas are running out as we near the end of another year. Will this save any fish from being caught - the answer is no. If I go out to catch my main species, which is langoustine, then I will catch other species as a by catch and I will have to throw them back in to the sea. This, in my opinion, is such a waste of a valuable resource. I have no licence to catch cod, coly or hake in the North Sea and I will have to throw them away.

Fuel prices have fallen back the last few months but not as much as we would like to see. As the dollar gets stronger, it appears we loose out on any price cuts at the pier.
 
Amity was on a 3 week charter as a guard ship and this will save us using days at sea and quota. It is a valuable exercise as we are running out of opportunities to go fishing.
 
There is not enough fish in the system for the fleet to survive in my opinion. A few years back, the fleet was near cut in halve with decommissioning and the outlook was very bright, but over the last few years, the powers that be have cut away and slashed our available quotas until we are now fighting for our survival again.

If cuts are what the EU wants then they MUST seriously consider removing some of the catching power in order to allow the remainder to stay viable. As the system has squeezed vessels out of the whitefish sector into the shellfish sector, I now see this sector having too much effort put into it and now fear for oversupplying the market place pushing the price down.

As we are working hard to keep our businesses viable we cannot allow the price of our product to fall. This industry is working to a price range that we were seeing more than 10 years ago.
Long term this will do more damage as we struggle to see young blood join our industry.
 
Over the weekend Saturday/Sunday the weather was very bad. We had to stop fishing and ride out the storm. It is when you have to be patient while the weather passes by. There is not much you can do onboard as you are rolling and pitching like a cork in a boiling kettle. Even as you lay wedged into your bunk there is no comfort as Amity takes a heavy roll and near throws you out of your bunk onto the floor.

We take a chance on Sunday morn before dawn breaks and shoot the gear. It is blowing in excess of 40 knots but I expect the weather to improve before it is time to haul later in the morning. As the day goes on the weather slowly improves but here we are on Monday morning and once again another weather front approaches and the wind is picking up in excess of 30 knots again. The outlook for the rest of the week is more of the same and long range outlook is for very strong Northerly gales.

The fishing is not so good as it is just not weather for fishing we are stealing a chance to fish between blows, but the objective is to try and get a wage for my crew for there efforts. Sometimes it is like living in a time-bomb as the pressure of the job never leaves you. If we are not fighting for or survival in regards to quotas and legislation, we are fighting the elements of mother nature who I have found after 32 years fishing the North Sea can be very nasty when she flexes her muscles! She must be a woman (you can never be sure what she will do next).

Opportunities for catching fish are being exhausted very quickly as we near the end of another quota year. I as a fisherman would dearly love to see this quota year shifted to say April, the reason being if we are to run out of quotas then we would not be fishing when fish are spawning. That sounds like common sense but it appears we live in a regime that is not even common!

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Well folks it's a while since I have blogged, but there was a while not much was happening.
In the last week I have been to the Rutland Hotel promoting the Amity Langoustines. They are now sourcing top grade Langoustines directly from us on the day we land and I am proud and delighted to be a supplier to the newly refurbished West end Edinburgh Hotel.

It is even better when the chef has direct contact with me (the catcher) whether I am at sea or onshore, he knows that his order will be there as discussed.
 
I was also talking at a Scottish Food and Drink forum held within the Scottish Parliament. It was a great opportunity to let other people in the food chain know what we have done and changed over the years to improve our credibility within the food industry.

Things like real time closures of fishing grounds when too much immature cod is reported in an area, square mesh panels in our fishing gear to allow more immature fish to escape, reward more days at sea, Fishing for Litter - any plastics, old fishing gear, scrap etc that is trawled up is bagged and taken into port to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, the Responsible Fishing Scheme, which now 300 vessels have been through. It's an audit where we have certain standards that we must reach regarding hygiene, using best practise in our fishing operations, traceability of catch and many more, so lots to talk of there.

Last Friday, I was in the company of Nell Nelson. She was visiting Peterhead as a guest of Fish Fest week. She is a well travelled lady who has been all over the Far East researching and writing cook books. In the last two years, she has made a TV series called "The Woman Who Ate Scotland"
and has travelled on her bike meeting people with recipes that are a delight to eat. She is very passionate about the produce we can produce and cook.
 
Tralwermen series appears to be going well with a lot of emails coming in from all over the UK. I do not think that Amity is to be seen in the rest of the series. It is interesting to see some other fisheries from around our waters.

Pictures: a big stone has to be dumped

Boats: The Uberous, the Good Hope shoots her net, The Opportunis

Friday 22 August 2008

It was good to see the fishing getting some TV publicity once more through the Trawlermen series.
I have had a few emails from fishing associates and general members of the public all saying how much they have enjoyed the start of a new series.

We live and work in a dangerous environment as can be seen on the series of Trawlermen, but it always takes a tragedy to make us just be a bit more aware that anything can happen at anytime and that you have to be very alert at what is going on around. It is not always bad weather that things can go wrong.

Living and working on a fishing vessel is just so different from working onshore and it takes good team work for everyone to be looking after one another.

I had an e-mail from  fisherman working the Irish sea saying that my problems and fears are the same as his, he called it a "catch and release" system. I do get upset when I try and count up what is being wasted around our seas as we try to earn ourselves an honest living.

I was told the other day that it takes a good skipper to keep a vessel on course when times are good but it takes a better skipper to keep a vessel on course when we are in uncharted waters in an uncertain future. I would agree with that statement!!

Fuel prices have eased a little lately but are far from comfortable for our industry as is other industries and could just as easily shoot back up to all time highs. How do we get around that problem? Well, we need fishing vessels that can fish far more economically which I am sure all the boffins are working away at furiously - the boffins that can make us fuel savings will be the guys that the fishermen will be looking to do business with in the future. I think it has always been like that but more so now in the present climate.

Wednesday 6 Aug 2008

I've just had confirmation that the new series of Trawlermen is to be broadcast on BBC 1 August 20th at 8.30pm on a weekly basis - I think there will be 6 episodes. I have no idea of the part we will play in the new series as I have not seen any of the new material as yet. I will just have to watch the series and see how we fit into the documentary.
 
My good friend Guy Grimstone from East Sussex (from farming stock) has just donated some cheeses for us to raffle at the Peterhead harbour open day on Saturday 9th August in aid of the Fisherman's Mission.

It is a fantastic gesture  from someone from the other end of the UK to help Mission raise funds.
Guy has no real connection to the fishing industry yet he continues to try and help the Fisherman's Mission whenever he can, even trying to get his own farming connections to make donations to mission when they have some of there own gatherings - WELL DONE Guy.
 
If any one gets the chance to come to Peterhead on Saturday it is a well run event with something for everyone young and old. See you there

Wednesday 30 July 2008

I have had a letter from the BBC saying that there is no date yet for the new series of Trawlermen. As the Olympics are about to start soon that will keep the television schedule busy for a month or so. I will blog the date as soon as I know.

On Saturday, I was in the village of Gardenstown (Gamrie) as it was there harbour gala day and what a fantastic sense of community spirit from the very young right through to the senior citizens.
The harbour is the heart of the village where all the young boys start to learn the the basics of fishing with the creel boats before the progress to the larger fishing vessels in Fraserburgh.

All the new entrants to the fishing industry from the village are given all the encouragement from the locals as they see investing in the young lads is the future. It is one of the few villages left where the bulk of the yawls in the harbour are commercial craft rather the vessels of the leisure industry. Well worth a visit if you are passing and what a sun trap, as the village is located in a bay surrounded with high cliffs.

Back at sea and it is warm, but we work hard to keep our catch in the best possible condition. The catch has to be processed and packed into the fish-room as quickly as possible because as soon as the catch is landed on the deck it starts to spoil so speed is very important.

That means there are no tea-breaks etc when we start to grade the catch. We work until the catch is all packed away in ice - sometimes that can be 5 or 6 hours. Then we may have time for a meal and the next haul is due up again and the same process starts all over again. It of course is not always like that, but when works starts it does not stop until the catch is processed.

When trawling timing is vital. It is important that the trawls are fishing at the dawn and dusk. It appears that fish and prawns come onto the seabed in abundance at these times. It must be like rush hour in a large city. Fish and prawns going in every direction you could imagine. Some diving down burrows to hide, others popping out to see what is going on.

Sometimes it will be an all dark fishery and other times it will be a daylight, so as a skipper, I have to give an area 24 hours to get the feel of the pattern. Of course just as I may think I have it worked out it could all change.

Tuesday 22 July 2008

We have been dodging bad weather since Saturday evening. What that means is we take our fishing gear onboard and stow securely, then head Amity into the wind and waves at little more than 2 knots until the storm passes through. Winds were gusting in excess of 50 knots with a heavy swell bearing down on top of us.

There was no comfort at all as we were waiting for the storm to abate. We also have to be very careful onboard whilst we make tea and eat hot foods as we could be hit at any time with a large wave causing everything on the table to be spilled and if you are not careful could be burned with scalding water etc.

Even now on Monday we are still feeling the after effects of the storm as the sea swell is still quite lumpy and uncomfortable. And this is supposed to be summer! No one likes dodging as there is little you can do but hang on as the vessels pitches back and fore rolling from rail to rail.We have now lost two days fishing.

Monday morning we came fast on the seabed and nearly lost a net on a new obstruction. Our net was stuck on an obstacle and it was looking like we were going to break away from the net as the sea swell was so severe. As the net became free and we hauled it onboard, we could clearly see that the net was extremely badly torn. Many hours of net mending and repairs should see the net back together and ready to fish - again another hazard of the job.

Later in the day, we snagged another obstacle on the seabed and trash a second net. This one is worse than the net they are currently mending. I am not popular onboard today.

Tuesday and we finally get the first net repaired and ready for fishing. All this net repair has to be done whilst we still carry out our normal duties of shooting and hauling and working the catch up, so again very little sleep been had in the last 36 hours.

This must be one of the last few occupations where you do not work to a routine or a clock - tt just would not work like a shore-based work of place.

Weather is now on our favour so we must try and get some good fishing before we go back to port.

Thursday 17 July 2008

I am still surprised that people read the blog. I have also been told to get out of the doldrums -  that is easier said than done. I feel responsible for the crew and families of my crew who have been with me for many years. They actually become an extension of your own family as we live, work and sleep onboard Amity.

When your earnings are cut by half and it is outside your control, I wonder where this will eventually lead. We live in an ever changing world and it is the uncertainty of the future that can sometimes take you away from your comfort zone.

I hear on the news that bread, milk etc all up 30% over the last year yet we have had no price increase on our shellfish. If anything, there is rumour of a decrease in price. May I dare say that must be because of over supply of product, which is normal for the time of year, but the last thing we want to hear. Are there too much of catching and over supplying the market under the present circumstances?

Some of the crew are taking a well deserved holiday from Amity. I wonder if they will have some Langos on the barbeque!

I was at the market yesterday and I saw tons of hake being withdrawn from sale having failed to find a buyer. This was fish that was A1 condition, yet it was destined for fishmeal. I cannot believe we still have situations like this in modern times. If the fish were of poor quality I could understand, but this was the best of hake and all a good size.

My colleagues have been seeing large quantities of good sized hake this year. Where are they coming from? Is sea water temperature changing allowing another new species of fish to be caught in bigger quantities? As quotas are set on past history, we the fishermen are all catching hake and some of us cannot keep them onboard due to us having no quota on that particular species, and others that can keep them cannot get a buyer.

Another observation that I have made in the last few years is that we are seeing no scalders (stinging jellyfish) in our nets and at this time of year. Sometimes we had to change grounds to get away from them. How strange that I would associate warm water with both these species yet one seems to be replacing the other. On the other hand I was speaking with an Northern Ireland skipper and he says back home they cannot get fished for scalders.

I the 30 years or so that I have been fishing, in all the North Sea change is happening - that is with out a doubt. I remember when it used to be so hot we would dive over the side and go for a swim! Having said that, that was long before there was such a thing as risk assessment!

Thursday 10 July 2008

I have not written a blog for a few weeks. The main reason being there is little to report other than the price of diesel is slowly destroying our industry. It has been a funny year so far with the prawn fishery not coming on in its usual pattern. Scarce fishing and high fuel prices are not a good combination.

My crew are still with me and for that I am grateful as, like me, as a skipper/owner they are feeling the true cost of world oil in there wages. I can no longer afford to catch an average trip, every trip has to be a good one as there is not enough money made to keep the business on an even keel.

I may have to look at alternative fishing opportunities but then available quota may be a problem.
In 22 years as a skipper, I have never seen times so tough as they are just now. I am eagerly keen to see what our government can do to help us as food producers. There are 60 million people in the UK and that is a lot of population to feed. Are we going to lose our fishing fleet and then import fish from our European fleets that have been given help along the way?

Recently, I was in Milford Haven helping the Fisherman's Mission to raise funds. It was a great weekend considering the weather was not too kind. I gave a presentation of life onboard Amity and the making of Trawlermen series which was well received by the people that came along.

My good friend, John Buchan, skipper of the Ocean Venture is in Weymouth this weekend coming helping the Fishermen's Mission with their fund raising event.

The Peterhead harbour open day is coming soon on 9th of August and it is a very good family day. Will  Amity be open to the public? well, I have been asked but unsure if our trips are going to work in for us to be in port that weekend.

The Fishermen's Mission does a fantastic job helping our fishing colleagues who can no longer work or families who have been left with out a breadwinner in the home or even a retired fisherman. There is support there for all but it does take a lot of fund raising and I am glad that I can do my bit for the charity.

Thursday 12 June 2008

After licking our wounds we are now back at sea. We checked our gear over and found one or two abnormalities in the set up. A chain two inches out here and another four inches out there and before you know it, your gear is not performing 100%. We also put on a new set of warps, so there is no excuses this trip. I am confident that the trawls are coming along the seabed at the correct angle.

I have a few readers who regularly keep a check on the blog, one in particular a retired fisherman from Inverness,Jim Harrison. Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement during these very turbulent times in the fishing industry. I hope you are keeping well.

I am off soon to help the mission during Fishweek in Pembrokeshire in Wales. I have been invited to give an audience on Sunday evening 22nd June in Milford Haven. Again, having never done anything like this before, I am thinking will anyone turn up!! Oh dear! Anyway, I am going to do a power point presentation for 30 minutes of life onboard Amity and the making of the Trawlermen series, finishing up with a questions and answer session.

It is all to raise funds for the Fishermen's Mission. I am only too pleased to help do my part. It will be a long drive down there, some 600 miles and more from Peterhead. Irene and myself are looking forward to seeing another part of the UK and how their community may or may not differ from our own way of life as fisher folk.

In the latest issue of the Network Magazine by the mission there is an article called 'feast or famine'. It sends the message home how things can change so dramatically from one week to another just due to the forces of nature.

Without the support of the Fishermen's Mission, I am certain that many children, injured and retired fishermen would be suffering financially. In the last year, I have been more than delighted to lend my support to help promote the mission.

We refuelled Amity on Monday when we returned to port after being towed in. Had we waited until Tuesday, we would have had to pay £480 pounds more for the same fuel as the price increased 3 pence per litre. There is no way any business can sustain price increases like that overnight. I cannot see why government seems to be powerless to help. Surely it is in their best interests to see all sectors of industry throughout the UK prospering. Profits equals taxes.

Tuesday 10 June 2008

On Sunday we had an incident at sea. Whilst hauling our nets, the propeller gearbox did not disengage resulting in the codend being sucked into the propeller. I had to put out a call for assistance. It was answered by the Peterhead registered Daisy who had to tow us 125 miles back to port. Luckily, there was no damage to Amity and the codend was repairable.

The weather was good and the fishing is steady. Once again my crew lose out on lost fishing. The weather for this week ahead looks very unsettled as a summer storm passes through. With the high price of fuel and bad weather resulting in slacker catches. will it be worth going to sea?
 
I now go to sea as a fisherman not to catch and land fish, but to catch and throw fish back into the sea. I can no longer land hake, which I would think I caught 500kg of over the trip. It is the same story with megrims and very similair with cod and whitings.

Some day someone will see that quotas just do work. They only control what is landed, not caught. How frustrating it is when we are finding it hard to pay our crews, yet we have to throw a percentage of our catch back because of the lack of quotas resulting in me having to stay at sea longer using up valuable sea time and fuel.

It is not just me!  All my colleagues are the same. Tons and tons of fish are being wasted every day because the quota does not match the stock in the sea. I hear some of my fellow fishermen catching megrims where they never seen them before.

This is now happening right around the coast in all our communities where the quotas have been cut that they are out of line with stocks on the grounds. It might be better if the people that set quotas take a trip at sea, live with us and see the first hand what is really going on out

Tuesday 3 June 2008

I have been absent for a few weeks but there has not been much to report other than high cost of diesel oil. It is now getting to a serious situation where it is taking 50% of the value of our catch to keep Amity fishing. That in turn means that Amity and her crew are earning half of what they were this time last year.

It does not take a genius to work out that trend cannot continue. My biggest fear is that my crew will have to leave to seek work in another industry where the pay is in line with the work they do.
It is a situation that is way out of my control but I must continue to dig in and try and weather the storm.

I hear many people talk of the price of food going up in the supermarket. If there are to be fishermen in this country, the price of fish will also have to go up - it is that simple. In order to pay my crew, we must earn higher prices for our products.

This year the prawns have been scarce, that is normal any year in fishing. Some years give good catches and other years are not so good, but to get a year with slack catches and high catching expense will put a heavy burden on many skippers.

The weather has been more kind in the last few weeks and there are signs of some prawns being caught in a few areas so hopefully we will enjoy a good summer fishing.

I have had many emails asking when Trawlermen series 3 will be transmitted. I would expect July/August but that is not confirmed. I am guessing as that is when the previous series have been aired.

Dolorous from London has been concerned that the blog is not being updated. Well, Kevin passed on the message and now you have a reply. Kevin says you must come up and visit him!!

Monday 12 May 2008

Today's 'Day Dawn' reads "Where there is no vision, the people perish" Proverbs 29:18

Never has that been a truer saying. Without  focus and vision we are going nowhere. No longer is fishing about catching only. It is now about catching in the most cost effective manner. My crew are now talking about where we are going regarding the escalating price of diesel and my answer is into uncharted waters.

History has shown us through time that our forefathers went through similar changes. They had to make the change from coal-fuelled steam drifters to diesel power. I would imagine in those days that would have been a big transformation. we do not have an alternative yet! We can only wait and hope that the value of out catches goes up in tandem with diesel.

Some of my colleagues have decided not to put to sea this last week as it was top of the tide and seasonably a bad month for catching prawns. I unfortunately did not share in the wisdom!

Others who are catching whitefish have also tied their vessels up because there was too much cod on the grounds and the price of cod was so cheap they were not going to waste their valuable quota taking in a resource that was not going to give a good return.

I have never heard of that before. My friend said he towed his whitefish trawl 17 tows in a straight line probably covering about 170 miles and had never seen so much fish over a wide area and cod being abundant every tow.

Ten years ago, when I  skippered Amity II, fuel cost were about £250 pounds per day. Today we are looking at £1000 per day. So fuel is four times the price, yet we would be lucky if the price of our catch has doubled in the same period.

Tuesday 6 May 2008

I have been to Brussels Seafood Exhibition recently. It is a world showcase of seafood and I am proud to say that Scotland in my opinion was up there among the best in the world.

Seafood Scotland was giving samples of  Cullen Skink and some other seafood from Scotland to the passing visitors and it was one of the busiest areas in the exhibition arena. The Seafood Scotland team including all the chefs worked tirelessly for the three day event putting Scottish seafood very much on the world map.

Last week I was speaking at an event called Grampian Food Forum where suppliers, hoteliers and restaurateurs come to  promote there local produce. It is such a simple way for suppliers to meet and network amongst new potential customers. It has been running for a few years now and they meet about tree times a year. I was very impressed on how a simple idea can work so well. No one fell asleep as far as I could see.

I am now back at sea and traditionally May can be a slack month for fishing the prawn. They could be burrowed down for a few weeks until the cast a shell and get a new coat for summer.

Still very much the speak of the day is the cost of fuel. Some boats have given up this trip as what they were catching was not enough to pay the fuel for that day. Our produce needs to rise about 20% at least in order for us to survive long term. We catch a luxury product and with the credit crunch kicking right across the globe we will be the first to feel the consumers not spending.

How long we will all be in business remains to be seen, but I must stay focused and have faith  that every cloud does have a silver lining.

We must now go and find ways to reduce the cost of catching, never has it been more important to find new ways to catch fish yet at a much reduced cost. In the coming months and years it will be survival - whatever that may take.

To date, Government seems unable to help. Within months, if things to not change, I predict that vessels will have to tie up as the economics will just not allow some of us to continue. Has the credit crunch finally caught up with us?

Monday 21 April 2008

As our last trip came to an end, I decided it was time Kevin took the helm. He was keen and eager and did not need any encouragement. Here are some of the photos  of him and his first catch of prawns.

The weather was much better this trip and we enjoyed a full trip fishing. The price of fuel is still rising and I fear for a crisis looming if we cannot get a cap on the price of red diesel.
As we were towing past the Buchan oil field this week, I find it hard to believe we have about the most expensive fuel in Europe, yet here we are pumping gas and oil ashore from around our fishing grounds and we can hardly afford to pay for our fuel to keep our vessels at sea.

Some boats are only on there fourth trip this year. It has been one of the worst winters we can remember.
 

I hope things improve soon as I fear for financial causalities this year.

Tuesday 15 April 2008

The buzz word in the industry at the moment is "fuel". It is increasing in price every time we land. There will come a time when we will not be able to pay our fuel costs unless the price of our catches start to increase in line with the fuel costs.

Every day every skipper I listen to is talking about it. We hear rumours that the French and Spanish fishermen are being helped by there Governments. If this is the case, it must give them a big advantage over us as we are all selling into the same markets.

There will come a point where we will become unviable and will not be able to pay the crews a fair wage - I think we are nearing a crisis very soon.

I pass oil rigs every day when I am fishing and see a very buoyant oil and gas industry bringing in millions of pounds of revenue to our country, yet our fishermen are suffering from fuel prices the World has never seen before. The oil flows along pipe lines on the seabed underneath where we are trawling yet we are still paying premium for our fuel.

I am to help the Seaman's Mission during June in Pembroke-shire, South Wales. They have invited me to their Fish Festival and I am only to glad to help out. I will let you know more as time goes on.

Lately I have been keeping in touch with my farmer friend, Guy Grimston, who has been educating me in the day to day life of a farmer, we both live in different worlds, yet there are so many similarities - and that is red tape.

It appears that as Government attempts to make changes, it is not always for the best. Government legislation over the years has forced the fleet to diversify because of reduced quotas. This has led to the prawn fleet building to a size that, in my opinion, is too big and still growing.

Then there will be a call to have us even more restricted. We will soon be tied in knots with legislation and to be quite honest is it saving any fish, is it restricting effort?

I am still getting e-mails from time to time and I do try and reply to them all. If I have not accept my apologies as I am busy at times. Last week there was an e-mail from Australia!

Tuesday 1 April

I have not updated my blog for a few weeks as there has not been much to write about lately as we have been going through a very bad winter. The fleet in general has been kept in port quite a lot, coupled with extremely high fuel prices and we are all experiencing a very difficult time.

We are always hopeful that it will get better but as we near April we are still going through some very bad weather. I would imagine the general public have very little idea of how it feels out here in a 20 metre vessel in a gale of wind, but this is the profession I have chosen so I best get on with it.

In the last two weeks I opted to put Amity out on an oil guard ship charter as this I felt was a better option for boat and crew and I am sure it was the right decision. Amity was guarding an oil installation on the seabed from any trawlers that may be in the area. If you were to tow into what they have down on the seabed, a trawler could lose his fishing gear and cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to the oil company's equipment.

As I also written about many times before, the cost of fuel to the fishing fleet may well make some vessels unviable as we have no control on what we get in return for our catch.
Many other company's can pass on any fuel prices to there customers, we do not have a system like that. We depend on an auction system and if we do not get good returns, our prices go up as other costs go up we then have problems ahead.

In the past, my grandfather had to get out of his steam drifter into motorboats as the steam drifters were not viable to run. We now have to find ways of catching fish more profitably as that is where our survival will be unless fuel price shrinks.

As I write this blog, I hear the rescue helicopter calling another fishing vessel not far from me. He is asking how the causality is. It puts a chill down my spine as someone has either taken ill or has been hurt in some way. These helicopters and their crew do a fantastic job when they have to get down onboard a fishing vessel that is pitching and rolling and then get the casualty off the vessel to a hospital. It is good to know that that back up is there for us in an emergency. And I presume we just take it for granted that they will come in our hour of need!!

Trawlermen 3 is well under way and I presume they will be off to edit soon to put all the shooting in to some form that will make good viewing for the general public. What I can say is that, like all the previous teams in the series, they are all very dedicated to making another successful series for us all to enjoy. There appears to be a wide variety of boats taking part this time, from Fraserburgh and Peterhead and even further afield.

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Hi folks, just a couple of lines to let you know that Jimmy will be back soon.  There hasn't been much fishing since the weather has been so bad recently.  Amity is on oil charter guardship duty at the moment, but hopes to be back fishing very soon!

Jimmy trying his hand at filming

Kevin and a cod

Monday 25 February 2008

Here I am at Trinity house with the mother of the top fund raiser in Wales, Mrs Anne Jones after we received our awards. Anne Jones' son, Huw, and his wife, Sarah, run Finnegan's Fish Bar, Bridgend. Also in the picture is the Chairman of the Seaman's Mission, Brian Miles.
 
We managed to get a fishing trip complete after some hiccups along the way. As the BBC were with us filming, I will not spoil the fun by saying what went wrong, but I would think they have enough film footage to make a real drama out of it! Charlie Clay series producer was with us on our first trip back at sea this year - he says it was a life changing experience. 
 
Fish and prawn prices were not very keen last week due to over supply of the markets. Good weather and good fishing are never a good combination. I think as fish merchants have left the industry over the years we now do not have enough processing capacity to handle large volumes of fish day after day.
 
We were due to sail at the end of last week, bad weather has kept us in port along with our colleagues. This may not be a bad thing as fishing on at minimum prices is not financially healthy. Diesel fuel is at an all time high and this is my single most expensive outlay every trip. I can now spend in excess of £1000 per day for fuel. I need top prices every trip to give my crew good wages considering the hours they work and the hard graft they endure.
 
The crew got on well with their new oilskins and found the trousers with the built in flotation very comfortable to work in. They are well made and very visible.

Tuesday 19 February 2008

We finally made it to sea on Tuesday evening. I am glad to say all is running well after the refit and the engine is working well and running smooth. The weather is very much in our favour as it is flat calm and the outlook is for more of the same.

The BBC crew are onboard filming for the third series of Trawlermen. We have onboard Charlie Clay, series producer, and Byron Blake on sound. I have been educating them on Nephrop hunting and of course the fantastic taste of a fresh Langoustine. I am sure Kevin and others on the deck have been giving them plenty of footage to sift through when they return to studio to edit the tapes.

Fishery cruiser Mina was alongside today but did not board us for inspection - they might be camera shy!!

Last week I was in London receiving an award from the Royal National Mission To Deep sea Fishermen, I was awarded personality of the year 2007. It was a great day out in Trinity House just by the Tower of London. There were many other people there from all over the UK who were awarded for their efforts and hard work to help the mission raise funds. The mission needs to raise £700,000 per year just to keeps its doors open. I am only to glad to have helped in the past and hopefully in the future.

Monday 4 February 2008

Amity should be up and running sometime this week, just the final touches, a few tweaks here and there and we should see life in the old bird. As you can imagine, with engineers working all over Amity in the last month she needs a good clean out but we will soon have her ship shape.

When we are on sea trials this week we will be putting Amity to the limit to see that the new engine is delivering the power that is required, and all the temperatures are good.
 
The Scottish Goverment has written to the owners of the fishing fleet with its proposals for the coming year regarding Conservation Credits. It appears that we will be awarded extra days at sea for implementing changes to the way our codends and escape panels are rigged. In other words, we will be rewarded for being conservation-minded. This I am sure is a better way to run an industry and it may well not be perfect, but rather than criticise and find fault, I welcome something that is forward thinking and workable in general terms.

There are to be more options available in the Spring which will give us the opportunity to decide what measures we feel best suits our fishing pattern for the year ahead. We now have a system that is unique to Scotland.

Friday 1 February 2008

The crew of Amity has been given a new revolutionary design of bib and braces trousers and jacket. This new design  of safety oil skins was distributed through an Aberedeen based company called Don-Mor Safety www.don-mor.co.uk/safety and the donated by Regatta of Norway.

The trousers have 50 newtons of bouyancy built into the front and back bib of the trousers and have been effectively proven in the North Sea. I, as a skipper, see the advantages of this type of safety wear as it does not require a gas cylinder to inflate a bouancy aid. I have worn a set of trousers and jacket and  they do not seem cumbersome for working in. I am sure my crew will put them to the test over the next few months and I thank Don-Mor and Regatta.
 
The refit with Amity is moving in the right direction and look forward to getting back to what I know best - fishing. I visit Amity every day and oversee how the work is progressing. I am sure the engineers are beginning to tire of me! More bad weather on the way for the North of Scotland and once again the fishing fleet will get chased off the sea.

Tuesday 29 January 2008

Congratulations to John Buchan for Winning another accolade - he picked up the 'Catching for the market' award at the Fish & Chip Shop of the Year Competition last week. John and Stephen Buchan from Caley fisheries pose for photo.

John has made sure I get a fresh haddock when he has landed back in Peterhead during our refit,
I would think he will be looking for a prawn when I return to sea soon!!
 
The refit is taking longer than I thought but it is still progressing well. Aligning the engine to the gearbox is a very important part of the job and that is now complete. I hope to be doing sea trials in the next 7 - 8 days.
 
The fleet has been kept in port over the weekend due to bad weather, more storms are due to pass the North of Scotland after midweek.
 

Friday 18 January 2008

I have been searching the Fishermen's Mission website www.fishermensmission.org.uk. They have some fantastic challenges organised for this year. You should take a look at some of them and see if you could be inspired to help raise money for a very worthwhile cause. Click on "How You Can Help" and see if you can take on the challenge to walk the Inca Trail or something a bit nearer home in the UK events.
 
John Buchan's wife, Helen, and family raised £200 at the switching on of the vessels lights at Christmas, for the local branch of the seaman's mission. Well done to you all.
 
I am sure John and myself will be doing our bit for the mission as the year unfolds. I hope some of you can also help no matter how little the contribution. Call Elaine and see how you can help.

Thursday 17 January 2008

Good news for me today - the new engine arrives at Peterhead. As the engine is lifted off the lorry and onboard Amity, the BBC Trawlermen team film the event. I now see the installation moving in the right direction and am eager to see Amity back at sea soon. There is still much work to be done,but I should see progress every day now as all the main components are onboard. If all goes to plan, the BBC will have a camera crew onboard when we return to the fishing after the refit.

The new engine is in.

Jimmy on camera

Monday 14 January 2008

Amity gets a check over from Nickolajs in the engine room bilge. As she is out of the water on the slipway, we check over the seacocks and other underwater items. When we return to the fishing, we do not want to endure any more lost time.

Engineers check out the propeller shaft  using a clock gauge to check wear. It is in good condition. There sometimes seems to be very little happening onboard Amity as we await delivery of the new engine. It should be in Peterhead by early next week. It is a Caterpillar engine rated at 700hp. since going on fishing boats, apart from a 3 year break, I have always been with Caterpillar engines. They are very popular with the Scottish fishing fleet and have served me well over the years.

Wednesday 9 January

Hello again folks. I have been busy the last few days. A decision has been made to replace Amity's engine. It looks like we will be in port until the end of the month whilst the work is carried out.
whilst I sit at home wishing I was out fishing, I am also thinking about my colleagues out there as the wind near lifts my roof of my home with some severe gusts.

My crew are enjoying an extended holiday but also looking for the opportunity to take a job on another vessel whilst we get Amity repaired and ready for sea.
 
I have over the last few weeks had many offers from people who would either like a trip or even work permenantly onboard Amity. I am overwhlemed with the offers. We do have a full crew at the moment and, as Amity is just a small trawler, no spare beds. I do thank you all for your offers to work for me and Amity but sadly I have to say no at this time.
 
Trawlermen 3 is well underway and I have been introduced to most of the production team now. As we are not fishing, we have not been much involved as yet. It appears they will be intoducing some new boats to the series. I think it will be summer before we see Trawlerman 3 return to our screens.

Friday 4 January 2008

The fleet is now preparing to go back to sea after the Christmas break. The Peterhead fleet was looking good all lit up over the festive period, but due to a family bereavement I have not been able to get many photographs. Someone out there might want to send me some.

The BBC are back in Peterhead making series 3 and are onboard Ocean Venture this trip. They have taken some shots of Amity's engine coming out, it appears that has been of interest to them. I still have no idea of the extent of damage on the engine as there has been no work done since Christmas Eve on the engine.

I am now getting anxious to see how long we are going to be tied to the pier, a vessel that is not fishing cannot pay its crew.
 
We will soon find out the the rules and regulations regarding this year's days at sea, and what we will have to do to gain extra days. Hopefully we will be clear of leasing days and that can only be a bonus for the fleet.

Quotas were cut in some species in the North Sea with only a small increase in cod for this coming year. Prawns are the same for the coming year. If fish  prices stay firm  and fuel does not get any more expensive, then I would be optimistic that we can have another fair year. I see today crude oil is at an all time high. That is bad news for me and my crew.

Wednesday 19 December 2007

Last night I received a call from Amity. Her engine had stopped with no warning. She was like a lame duck in the water, luckily there was a boat a few miles away that was able to take Amity in tow to Peterhead. The next 12 hours was testing my patience as I waited for Amity to arrive back in port so that we could investigate why the engine had failed. That investigation is still going on as the engineers dismantle the engine to see where the problem is  and  why it happened.
 
Amity is now all decorated ready for Friday night. She will be in good company as Ocean Venture and Fruitful Bough berth either side of her. What fishing vessel will be the best decorated?  I am sure there will be some  competition between the three vessels.

Northsound 1 Breakfast DJ Greigsy will be master of ceremonies along with George Shaw from the RNMDSF. I am sure they will get all the folks going young and old. Santa will make an appearance and some carol singing will take place helped by the Peterhead Salvation Army Band. If it is on a par with last year it will be a fantastic night for children and adults.
 
http://www.northsound1.co.uk/  and you should hear some live transmissions between 6 and 7pm.
  
The fishing fleet is now returning to port for the Christmas break. I am sure all fishermen are looking forward to the holiday period. Our future is being decided in Brussels as the end of year horse trading starts once more,I do hope that our new minister can deliver a better and more sensible deal this year. More on that when it becomes clear.

Monday 10 December 2007

I am enjoying a new publication that I have written a foreword for called "Trawling", written and researched by Raymond Anderson. It gives the history of Trawling since 1882 to the present day based around the north east of Scotland. It is a very interesting book with lots of pictures and stories of the past. I wish Raymond well with his latest publication and thank him for asking me to give a foreword for his new book.
 
Northsound radio are coming back to Peterhead on Friday the 21st December to host the lighting up of the Peterhead Fleet. The salvation Band are to be there as will George Shaw from the Seamans Mission and Greig Easton who is the Northsound 1 morning show DJ. They will be going live and I hope you can all listen on your computers if you cannot come along. Of course Santa will be there but where will we see him first this year!

Amity, Fruitful Bough and Ocean Venture are some of the vessels that are to be lit up over the festive period. But I am expecting a few more to join in as word travels amongst the fleet and they come home for the Christmas break.
 
I have had an email from a Guy Grimston, who is a farmer from East Sussex, and he has been busy raising money for the Seamans Mission lately at his local markets. He has done this out of the kindness of his heart and feel humbled that he has raised £116 over the last week. I know that it take precious time to do this as he, like me, is a busy man. Guy, we thank from the bottom of our hearts.

I communicate regularly with Guy and I feel we are learning fast that regulations and red tape just about cripple his industry as it does mine. So many things in common yet two different industries at opposite ends of the country.

Wednesday 5 December 2007

Wednesday night and the forecast is for 50-60 knot winds overnight. We haul late at night and it is blowing 40-50 knots. I am glad to see the gear onboard and the crew off the aft deck. We start to steam for home with the wind  and motion on the broad side, Amity is normally quite stable but tonight she is rolling very heavily.

My bunk is on the weather side tonight, that means as Amity rolls and pitches it will be hard for me to stay in my bunk. The crew that sleep on the lee side will be rolled into the back of their bunks. In the morning, the storm has passed through and it is a much better day.
 
On arrival at Peterhead, the observer gave me a an estimate of the cod catch for the trip, it is just above 4% which is good for me. It proves that we can catch within targets that are required.

David Hughs (pictured below doing his work onboard) has been as far afield as Canada on observation trips, and is well experienced in this line of work. It was a very interesting trip for both of us I am sure. He is employed by St Andrews University and does many trips at sea on different vessels.
 
I hear draft figures for our catches next year and once again we are being hit badly, if these figures come to pass. There may be a slight increase in cod catch but cuts in haddock and whiting, which are very valuable to the Scottish fishing industry. Prawns, which are my bread and butter, are to remain the same, but I can foresee that more and more boats will be forced off the fish into our fishery. All that I see as they try and address an issue with one fishery, is that they are creating another problem at an other fishery, and just to rub more salt in the wound, a possible cut in the days we can fish. I feel year on year we are slowly being strangled.

We are making more gross income each year, but it is being eaten up by a fuel cost that is spiralling out of control. Having to lease fish to catch and having to lease days to go and catch the fish. This industry badly needs to get all these parasites that live off our industry well and truely rooted out and give the effort and quota back to the fishermen who are trying to earn an honest living in an industry that is up to its neck in regulations
 
Fuel costs are now at an all time high and I need to be looking at ways of becoming more economical if I am to survive. I am reasearching some ideas that I have and hopefuly will be able to report something positive in the coming weeks. 
 

Monday 3 December 2007

We have been enjoying steady fishing over the weekend. It appears the change of trawl doors has worked for us and it took about four hauls or we had them set up. I am now monitoring my fuel used to see if we are making any saving there.

The weather over the weekend has been good for us as it appears the worst of the weather passed to the south of us, not often we get the better deal out here, but looking ahead it appears we are in for a very windy few days ahead midweek onwards,in fact it looks storm force at times.

I have been notified that after midnight Tuesday I can no longer catch and reatin cod onboard. We are catching only a few kilos per tow and it is sad that as I fish for prawns and cod is a bycatch I will have to throw them back to the sea DEAD. No one wins with this situation.

Some day we might get a better system of fisheries management that will not require us to throw fish that is good and have a value back to the sea. The only people that lose here are the fishermen.

The observer is still onboard taking data from every haul regarding cod. He measures and weighs every cod that we are catching, sometimes it is only a handful of fish and other hauls it could be as high as 60 indivdual fish. He is there every haul right until the last fish/prawn comes along the conveyor belt. The objective of the observation is to prove we do not catch large amounts of cod in certain areas of the North Sea mainly where we fish.

Here are some pictures showing the damage that was done when the drum of paint came up in the net.