Black fish was rife in industry across Scotland for decades, says convicted fisherman

Black fish was rife in industry across Scotland for decades, says convicted fisherman

Source: shetlandtimes

3/2/2012

Shetland’s pelagic fishermen are relieved their court ordeal is finally over, six-and-a-half years after the black fish investigation began. But there is also anger that they have become the focus of attention when over-quota landings were universal in pelagic fishing for decades.

One of the 13 local fishermen fined in court on Friday said the practice was so widespread that for a skipper not to do it would have meant he was the only one. “You would not have made a living,” he said, although he admitted it had gone on far too long.

He and others are annoyed that “all the publicity and all the ballyhoo” has surrounded the Shetland cases with little until now about Fresh Catch and Alexander Buchan Ltd in Peterhead, despite the fact that the raids took place at Shetland Catch and Fresh Catch on the same day.

Speaking to The Shetland Times, he said there was a suspicion that it had been engineered at a high level to have the Shetlanders “pushed to the front”. “Anybody picking up a paper south would just assume that this was a scandal of Shetland fishermen and Shetland Catch. That is what they have got firmly implanted in people’s brains and there is nothing further from the truth!”

He said herring and mackerel was being “blacked” over 30 years ago when he had started. “It’s not a scandal we set up.”

There is a strong feeling in the industry that the Shetland and Scottish fleets have been harshly treated compared to other pelagic fishing nations where black fish was rife but prosecutions have not taken place.

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