fishermen aprentices needed

[cappy]

welli think any young man with a need for a anything but boring job would jump at the chance to learn a trade like that .....when they have finished there apprenticeship the trawler owners give them work ......if they get there keep and jobseekers allowance while they learn.....what more can they expect ......suppose they have to join the union .....but they surely dont expect any more from the taxpayers of the country or the trawler owner to learn a trade ...if they do then.....all i can say is the .......we truly have become benefits britain....cappy

[j.sabourn]

What are they going to learn in a classroom Cappy. The only benefits there are the modern technical fish finders, radar and gps systems. Everything else is hands on and learn at sea. It was always the way at one time. The fancy equipment only those running the ship the likes of the skipper knows and he can do a 2 week course for that. When they brought out all this crap about ticket restructuring and making all sorts of changes to seagoing industrys whatever model of ship, it only was any good for shore workers, seamen learn their trade at sea, especially fishermen. The shipping world has gone backwards is my impression when it comes to the seafarer himself/herself. JS Let me give one example of rules and regulations re Safety offshore, I worked a couple of years on SBS boats through force of circumstances, it was written somewhere that no one over the age of 40 should be a member of a FRC crew. What do you do when the average age of the crew is 55. A total lot of baloney, given out to bulls... the ones who wouldn't know one end of a ship from the other. Unfortuanetley that seems to include some of the ruling body these days. Personally I would rather have an experienced 50 year old man in a FRC than an 18 year old kid wet behind the ears. JS

[Jim Brady]

I imagine if any of these young people watched that fascinating TV series The Trawlermen they wouldn't have the stomach for the job.The show did dwell on the very hairy moments and the hard times,the best times were when they had a good catch and they got their share out when back to port.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[cappy]

wuold think jim if they watched the series trawlermen and didnt like it they wouldnt be the right material for the job....but anyway jobs are there for learners ..cappy

[cappy]

the report i saw on the telly john showed the boys on a trawler on deck and below and the workings of the ship in general .......but i will monitor the sityation over the next few weeks and see if any of the jobless youths can cut the mustard ......regards cappy

[Ivan Cloherty]

I must say that my time spent on distant water trawlers were some of the hardest in my life, but boy did they make me grow up, also made me aware of the majesty and dangers of the sea, but also made me love it, also made me very aware there are no passengers on a trawler and everyone needs everybody else, so a great learning experience of life and camaraderie for any young man. But we were hungry young men in those days and no benefits system, but I know there are youngsters out there who will go, if they know about it

[E.Martin]

Apprentice fisherman?,new one on me,years ago they had apprentice fishermen,the boys were kept at sea for 9 months then had 1 week at home,very tough times.
In my day you started as Decky Learner then the Skipper would promote you to Decky when he knew you could do the job.Modern ships and gear makes a fishermans life alot easier but it is still a very dangerous profession,come what may get the gear over the side to keep earning.
I Did three years drifting and trawling put it down to a good experience,give me a choice between fishing and merchant navy fishing would not stand a chance.

[j.sabourn]

#1... Just out of curiousity did it say who was running this Fishermans School JWS

[John Arton]

JS
The school is run by a fishing trawler owner who has 4-6 boats.
Some interesting facts about N. Sea fishing.
Although cod and haddock stocks are slowly recovering the main source of income for many N.E. fishermen are scallop's, prawns and lobster.
The area off Bridlington is swarming in Lobster and they have been proven to be a sustainable resource, there numbers even increasing and there is now a protected area off Bridlington and 12 or more miles out to sea, where scallop fishing is banned. Although not producing lobsters in the quantities of such areas as off Boston in the USA, never the less, annually they catch in the region of 400 tons of lobster and as stated, this is a sustainable resource.
Also North Shields is the major landing port for prawns on the U.K. east coast. So there does seem to be a slow revival in the fishing industry here with mackerel stocks also growing.
A revamp of the EU fishing regs would speed things up if the quota system was abolished and fishermen allowed to catch a certain tonnage of fish rather than tonnage of certain species which often leads to perfectly good fish having to be thrown back dead into the seas if the vessel has already fulfilled its quota.
rgds
JA
rgds
JA