Campbeltown man nets fishing award nomination
A 22-year-old trainee fisherman from Campbeltown has landed a nomination at the only awards event dedicated to recognising achievement and innovation in the UK and Irish fishing industry.
Harry McLean is one of two people in the running to be named Trainee Fisherman of the Year at the 2023 Fishing News Awards.
The award will recognise the most outstanding new entrant to complete a commercial fishing training course in 2022, who has demonstrated consistently high levels of application, commitment, understanding of the industry, practical skills and safety awareness.
Unusually for the fishing industry, it was friends, and not family, who inspired Harry into a career in fishing.
Previously, he carried out a mechanic apprenticeship with McFadyens Contractors Ltd and worked in forestry after earning his tickets to operate plant machinery.
“Quite a few of my friends are involved in fishing, but I’ve no family links at all,” said Harry, who has now been full-time fishing for just under a year.
“Fishing is something that I’ve always been interested in, and hearing my pals speaking about it, I just decided to go for it full-time.”
Harry fishes on the scalloper Rois Mhairi OB 45 and is enjoying the freedom and variation the role brings.
“The boat’s home port is Oban, but we’ve been down in the English Channel, just now we’re fishing Ullapool, then we’re working on the east coast.
“Then we’ll try and get back down to the Channel for May. I like the lifestyle fishing brings,” he said. “You’re at home, and then you’re going to the boat and you’re at sea for four weeks. I like being away for that amount of time.”
Harry says his aim is to ultimately become a skipper, and he is currently working towards his skipper’s ticket.
On hearing of his nomination, he said: “It’s great – someone has thought enough of me to nominate me after being in the job for such a short period of time. It feels good.”
Harry is up against Emma Scott, who fishes out of Eriskay, South Uist, on the family vessel Isabella CY 464, for the Trainee Fisherman of the Year Award.
Of the 10 categories at the awards, run by national weekly newspaper Fishing News, seven will be decided by public vote.
These are: Under 10m Fisherman of the Year, Over 10m Fisherman of the Year, Young Fisherman of the Year, Trainee Fisherman of the Year, Port of the Year, Innovation of the Year and Service Provider of the Year.
Voting closes at midnight on Monday April 10 – visit www. smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WGSJSX to cast your vote.
The remaining three categories – Boat of the Year, the Sustainability Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award – will be decided by a panel of judges drawn from the fishing industry.
Awards will be presented in person at the Chester Hotel in Aberdeen on Thursday May 11. “The quality of the nominations this year led to some difficult decisions,” said a spokesperson, “with many more deserving candidates in some categories than could be shortlisted.”