Georgina of Ladram Arrives at Brixham
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Visit us online for news, features and media nostalgia KELSEY KELSEY 25 June 2020 Issue 5520 £3.30 media KELSEY KELSEY fishingnews.co.uk GEAR WAR OFF SHETLAND TURN TO PAGE 2 FOR THE FULL REPORT Georgina of Ladram arrives at Brixham Having taken Julie of Ladram E 271 to Den Oever for refit, skipper Trevor Sclater and crew transferred across to Georgina of Ladram to prepare for fishing trials. Of 8.70m beam and a moulded depth of 5.2m, Georgina of Ladram was designed by main contractor Luyt BV in collaboration with Marimecs Marine Design and Engineering for Waterdance Ltd. The hull and superstructure were built at Ibis shipyard, Burgum before being taken through the Prinses Margrietkanaal to Den Oever for completion by Luyt BV, which delivered the 14.95m vivier-crabber Nichola of Ladram E 1 to Waterdance last year. Continues on page 3 Georgina of Ladram on trials in the Wadden Sea. (Photo: Jan Koster) The new 35.25m beam trawler Georgina of Ladram being the biggest new beamer to be built for local BM 100 arrived at Brixham last Thursday night from owners, and the first for 30 years. Den Helder after being handed over to her owners The beamer is the latest in a long line of Brixham Waterdance Ltd by Luyt BV, reports David Linkie. boats to carry the highly favoured and much sought- Georgina of Ladram’s arrival at Brixham was eagerly after registration number that combines to give the Starboard quarter view of Georgina of Ladram. (Photo: anticipated, particularly as she has the distinction of prized sum of 10. Rienk Nadema) Helping you keep watch. Hazards, notices and personalised Sign up at kingfisherbulletin.org live alerts, all on your mobile. or download the app today. Bulletin_FN-Cover-Banner_265x74mm_AW.indd 1 16/06/2020 15:19 2 NEWS Visit us at fishingnews.co.uk and on Twitter @YourFishingNews 25 June 2020 MCA urged to act over Shetland gear conflict Spanish netter tries to foul Shetland trawler’s prop Scottish fishermen are calling on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to urgently ‘Basic rules of fair play’ investigate and charge skippers who put lives in danger at sea, report In a letter to MCA chief however, that enforcement David Linkie and Tim Oliver. executive Brian Johnson, Orkney of basic rules of fair play in Their call comes after the latest and Shetland MP Alistair maritime affairs does not have in a series of incidents, dating back Carmichael said that the Spanish to wait. many years, involving gill-netters netter’s action was intended “I would appreciate your that harass and pose serious risks to immobilise Alison Kay – urgent response on this matter to vessels and crew operating in the ‘an action which is extremely and an outline of how the MCA Atlantic and North Sea. dangerous and in contravention intends to take action.” The latest incident occurred off of the basic rules of the sea’. An MCA spokesman told Shetland last week when a Spanish- He wrote: “You will be aware Fishing News: “The video owned, German-registered vessel that the behaviour of Spanish recording of this incident was captured in video footage fishermen has caused a great is concerning and the trying to run a rope through the deal of anger and frustration for consequences could have been propeller of the Shetland whitefish The German-registered netter Pesorsa Dos running up Alison Kay’s trawlermen in my constituency extremely serious. The Maritime trawler Alison Kay LK 57. port side streaming a buoyed rope, in an attempt to foul the trawler’s and across the north of Scotland and Coastguard Agency will Two videos of the incident can propeller… in recent years. take robust action against any be viewed on the Fishing News “This is due both to vessel within its jurisdiction that Facebook page, where they were aggressive acts such as those endangers themselves or any uploaded on 11 June. outlined above and the wider other vessel. Orkney and Shetland MP use of gill-nets, which can cover “This incident took place Alistair Carmichael has also large areas and thus prevent 30 nautical miles west of written to the chief executive of other fishermen from working in the Shetland Isles, and was the MCA, Brian Johnson, enclosing those areas. therefore outside of the 12-mile video footage of the incident and “Many whitefish boats have jurisdictional limit in which calling for an urgent response reported they have been on the MCA can take action and a statement on how the MCA the receiving end of attempts against foreign-flagged vessels. intended to take action. to drive them out of their The investigation is therefore But the MCA said it could not traditional fishing grounds. the responsibility of the flag act because the incident took place “The UK is set to leave state. The MCA’s Maritime outside of the UK’s 12-mile limit, the CFP at the end of this Investigations Team has already and that it was a matter for the year, which will significantly sent a letter to the German authorities in Germany, where the … before cutting under Alison Kay’s bow, with the rope running down change the way fisheries access maritime administration to raise Spanish-owned vessel is registered the trawler’s port side. works in UK waters. I believe, its concerns.” (see right). The incident took place when at the same time as the netter this battle for many years, sadly, but skipper James Anderson and his remained in close proximity. the number and severity of incidents depart from the Common Fisheries French netters and liners moved crew had just started a trip fishing When Alison Kay turned involving Scottish vessels has Policy at the end of the year, the UK into their traditional grounds when in Eshaness waters some 30 miles through 180° ready to tow into the increased markedly in recent times. and Scottish governments must end there was a big reduction in the northwest of Shetland, in an area northwest away from the Pesorsa Notwithstanding the pressures or severely restrict the activities of presence of Scottish vessels during where they often fish for a good Dos, the netter’s crew hung a net that exist from working in close non-traditional gill-netters in our an eight-day tie-up in May due mix of demersal species, including anchor on the end of a rope in proximity with other fishermen, waters.” to Covid-19 and loss of markets monkfish. another threatening action, possibly these tensions should never escalate Scottish fishermen were angered (Fishing News, 14 May, ‘Foreign Alison Kay was towing into intended to either prevent Alison to the point where life is put in last month when Spanish and boats move in as Scots tie up’). the southwest when the German- Kay from shooting or to snag the jeopardy. flagged and Spanish-owned netter trawls when they were put back “It is time for the MCA to invoke Pesorsa Dos HF-564 came alongside into the water. On starting to tow the collision regulations within the in extremely close proximity to the into the northwest, Alison Kay 1995 Merchant Shipping Act and trawler before manoeuvring around continued to be shadowed by clamp down on these potentially life- the trawler for the next 15 minutes. Pesorsa Dos. threatening activities before it is too The Pesorsa Dos skipper ordered As Alison Kay neared the end late. James Anderson to stop towing into of a tow into a similar area the “The behaviour of some skippers the southwest and to move out of following day, before hauling and has been totally out of order, and the area where he wanted to fish. shooting back into the northwest, we need urgent action to bring it to When Pesorsa Dos began to the Pesorsa Dos skipper again a halt.” endanger the safety of Alison ordered the trawler to keep out of SFA chairman Leslie Tait added: Kay and her crew, skipper James the area. “These semi-permanent gill-nets Anderson immediately informed Skipper James Anderson told are covering increasingly large Shetland Coastguard of the Fishing News: “We shouldn’t be areas of the seas around Shetland, situation. pushed out of these waters due to which is a massive problem for our When the crew of Pesorsa these boats wanting to fish here. To fishermen, who are unable to fish in Dos streamed a buoy on the end avoid this amount of gear essentially traditional areas. of a long length of heavy rope means we would need to move to “The operators of these boats are in an attempt to foul Alison a completely different fishing area. also guilty of dumping masses of Kay’s propeller, James Anderson We have no intention of giving up plastic mesh netting when they are immediately knocked the trawler an area where we have fished for finished with it, polluting our seas out of gear and started to haul, decades, to a fleet that is brazenly and causing damage to our vessels. trying to take over.” Even one of the inter-island car Following the incident, Scotland’s ferries operated by Shetland Islands two largest fishermen’s associations, Council has fallen foul of discarded the Scottish White Fish Producers’ gill-nets. Association (SWFPA) and Shetland “But when it gets to the stage Fishermen’s Association (SFA) said when one of these vessels is actively in a joint statement that the MCA and repeatedly attempting to foul must start taking action before a the propeller of one of our boats, fatality occurred. the authorities must crack down at SWFPA chief executive Mike once.” “Black lives matter, but Shetland lives don’t seem to matter Alison Kay LK 57.