Case study: 'I am almost at the point where I feel like tying my boat to the quay and walking up the road'

Published on Wednesday 3 August 2011 16:12

ANDREW - not his real name - has been a fisherman for 35 years and a white fish skipper for more than two decades.

Last year, the Peterhead-based skipper recorded the biggest gross his vessel had ever made. And he still made a loss.

He claims: "I am almost at the point where I feel like tying my boat to the quayside, turning my back on the sea, and walking up the road because I've had enough. And I blame the quota barons for what's happening."

Like every skipper in the Scottish fleet Andrew is allocated various quotas for the species he targets at the start of the year, based on his historic catching record. But because of cuts in the industry's total allowable catch he has no choice but to buy in extra quota from quota traders to see him through to the end of the year.

This year he may have to lease more than 80 per cent of the fish his boat catches. At prices of up to 2,500 to lease a single tonne of cod, his boat simply is not viable.

He says: "The white fish fleet is heading for financial implosion. I have only been fishing in the North Sea since May. I sacrificed the first four months of the year to fish in the English Channel.

"I have only been fishing for 50 days for cod And I'm at the stage where, in August, I have run out of the boat's quota for cod. Now if I want to catch green (cod] I'll have to go to the quota barons. And that can mean paying up to 2,500 a tonne for cod. They are holding us to ransom. Five years ago we were paying only 200 a tonne. And you can't survive with those kind of increases. With the prices you can get at the quayside for cod we are making a loss.""