Gavin Morgan

5 January, 2008

THE INCREASING buoyancy of Shetland’s whitefish fleet continues apace with the arrival of a new 80 foot (24.3 metre) steel trawler that will work out of Skerries.

The Banff registered Copious BF237 is a twin rigger that was built in Buckie in 1996 and will be skippered by Leslie Hughson working alongside the existing 76 foot (23.24m) Fairway LK270.

Mr Hughson and his brother Colin are two of five men who are shareholders in the new boat. Four of them are also co-owners of the 18 year old Fairway which Colin Hughson will continue to skipper.

The deal to buy the boat has been negotiated over several months and was helped through with a £600,000 investment from Shetland Development Trust, a demonstration of their confidence in the industry’s future.

In the last few years there has been a downturn white fish industry with fewer people willing to invest in new boats. However the Hughsons see this has having helped the industry re-establish itself.

Colin Hughson said: “Things are a good bit better looking this last spell with more fish and less boats on the grounds making us feel that bit more confident. Also the markets are better.

“If they could get the bureaucracy and silly rules or regulations reduced a bit or simplified then things would look the best that they have for a number of years.”

At the moment seven men will work the boat on a four on, three off rotation with the possibility of more being employed in the future.

As another boat named the Copious works out of Shetland, the new vessel will be getting a different name and registration.

Mr Hughson said: “The name and the number are going to be changed, but I don’t know what that will be yet as they are still negotiating with the folk that have the number we were wanting.”

Currently, there are two other whitefish boats based in Skerries, Sharyn Louise and the Renown, with two part time scallop boats Aranatha and Treasure.

Shetland Fish Producers Organisation chief executive Brian Isbister said: “Obviously this new boat is important for Skerries in particular and is a welcome boost to the fleet overall.

“From the point of view of the Shetland fleet it is good to see more modern, able boats coming into the fleet again and it is great that the men have had the confidence to invest in those kind of boats.

“She is quite a modern, well looked after boat similar to one or two others in the Shetland fleet already, so she will be appropriate for the kind of work done around the isles.”