Hans J Marter

23 December 2007

SHETLAND’S whitefish fleet has turned the corner into calmer waters where boats are back in the profit zone and fishermen can once again earn a good living, according to the chief executive of Shetland Fishermen’s Association.

Hansen Black said the main task for the fleet was now to renew itself by replacing older vessels with either new builds or newer second hand trawlers.

His comments came as Shetland welcomed the latest addition to its whitefish fleet, the 75 foot seine netter Radiant Star LK71, built for Victor Laurenson and partners and launched in Whitby in November.

Mr Black said the local industry had gone through a painful shrinking process which had been forced upon it by two rounds of decommissioning as well as far tighter control enforcement regimes.

That, he said, had eradicated the “cancer of black fish”, which had “undermined the whole whitefish sector”.

He added: “This has resulted in the supply chain being back in balance with market demand and has led to significant increases in market prices.

“The industry has responded in a flexible way and has, in addition, adapted well to a quota hire scheme which allows the fleet to comply with fishing control measures in place.

“We now see people talking and attempting to get back into the industry, and there is the potential for one or two more boats joining the fleet in 2008.”

This year saw the Shetland whitefish fleet losing the large trawler Sunbeam, sold to Faroe in February, and the seine netter Aspire, sold to Scotland earlier this year. But the fleet grew by a net total of two vessels to a total of 22, as four vessels joined.

Devotion LK801, formerly the Valiant LK337 replaced the Lomur which was lost a few years ago; Quiet Waters LK209, was bought by Ross Christie and partners from its previous owner Junior Coffey in Portavogie, County Down, in Northern Ireland; Prevail LK117, formerly Radiant Star, was purchased by former Neptune skipper Robert Irvine and partners, of Whalsay, from its previous owner Victor Laurenson; and Radiant Star LK71, newly built at the Parkol yard, in Whitby.

The Shetland fleet ownership model is still unique in Scotland where local fishermen own their vessels with no corporate involvement in the boats.

Mr Black said: “There are around 150 active whitefish men in the isles at present and they are making a reasonable living, as boats are making a profit as opposed to a loss.

“What we now need is a period of political stability to allow individual crews to look at how to renew their vessels as most of the boats in the fleet are old with an average age of about 20 years.”

All in all, he said, the sector was buoyant again with healthy landings and many vessels able to gross £1 million annually.

“Shetland’s market share is increasing year on year and there is no doubt that the fish markets in the isles will be a force in the future, due to the high fuel costs and our proximity to the grounds.

“This means that Shetland is the best place to base a new whitefish partnership. In fact we see this already happening, as more and more partnerships consider moving into the industry,” Mr Black said.

Meanwhile, Martin Leyland of Shetland Seafood Auction confirmed that landings at Lerwick and Scalloway have been growing considerably both in value and in volume over the last few years.

He said that the average number of boxes landed in Shetland per week has increased from 2,400 in 2003 to 4,250 in 2007. This year, more than 210,000 boxes of fish have been landed at the auction market.

He added: “One of the most telling statistics was revealed recently in a report by Dr. Ian Napier of the North Atlantic Fisheries College. In his study of landing data obtained from the Marine Fisheries Agency, he found that the value of whitefish sold in Shetland increased by 43 per cent compared to a national average of 11 per cent between 2004 and 2006.

“Landings rose by 19 per cent compared to a seven per cent reduction nationally. The number of visiting vessels landing fish in Shetland, particularly Scottish, has increased from 28 in 2004 to 73 in 2006.

“This has brought renewed optimism to the Shetland whitefish industry with new boats being built and new small processing units being established."