TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Friday December 30, 1994

Last catch boat hangs up its nets

A Tarbert fishing boat landed its last catch and hung up its nets for the final time last week.

On Thursday, the Sunbeam became Tarbert’s first fishing boat to be scrapped under the government’s on-going decommissioning scheme.

And this week one of the co-owners of the vessel told The Courier that the government was to blame for the decision to scrap the boat.

This is the second round of decommissioning scheme where the government offers skippers cash to scrap their vessels.

The payment varies with the size of the boat, but the average pay-out is £56,000.

The Sunbeam, which provided full-time employment for at least two Tarbert fishermen, is owned by Robert Ross and his wife Margaret of Penlee, Barmore Road, Tarbert.

Mr Ross, who started fishing in 1941, said: ‘Last Thursday was the Sunbeam’s last day at sea and when a boat like her has to be scrapped it’s a very sad day indeed.

‘She’s an old boat and that had something to do with her being scrapped, but the main reason has got to be the government’s bad handling of the industry as a whole.

‘The fishing industry has had a raw deal in recent years and I for one can’t see any hope of things improving.’

Mr Ross retired from full-time fishing in 1982 and employed Mr James Johnson to skipper the 50ft ring-netter.

Mr Johnson, who has skippered the trawler for the past 12 years, said: ‘It’s sad to see her go but she is an old boat and it would cost far too much to bring her up to today’s standards – there was no choice but to scrap her.

‘I hope this is just a one-off and is not the picture of what the future holds for the fishing industry.’

And district councillor Mr Duncan Henderson said: ‘It’s sad that the fishing industry has gone into decline to such an extent that boats are having to be decommissioned.’

In Scotland, 49 out of 149 applications by skippers to decommission fishing boats have been accepted by the government.