When Ray Wadsworth’s Kodiak Marine Construction of Squim, Washington built the Order of Magnitude in 1990, fuel was cheap and roe herring prices were high. Back then he was looking for an edge on the competition and bought it by installing a 3000hp gas turbine in his new 17.6 by 4.40 metre (58 x 14.5 foot) aluminium seiner. Minutes can make a difference in getting in position to set on the herring.
After 60,000 hours of service, crab fisherman Robert Ross decided that his 19-lire Cummins 1150M had earned a rest. The 500hp engine had been a perfect match for his 72 by 26-foot aluminium boat so he ordered up a new Cummins KTA19-M3 at 500hp, continuous duty, from his local supplier Cummins Sales and Service in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in eastern Canada.
The latest netter to join the fleet fishing from the south-west of England is Amanda of Ladram, following an extensive conversion job from its previous role as a Scottish prawn trawler. We caught up with skipper John Walsh and his crew in Newlyn as they were preparing for their first trip with the new boat.
The Vostok-1 Fishing Collective Farm has taken delivery of a modernised fishing vessel to develop fishing for crab in deeper waters in the Sea of Japan. Vostok-1 was a pioneer of this fishery in the early 2000s when there was little interest in catching crabs, and has made a success of its tenacity in sticking with the crab fishery over the years.
A Platform Support Vessel that was sold more than a year ago to an unnamed buyer has now been delivered to Zamakona Yards in Pasajes. Once it has been converted for its new role, owners Luntos Co Ltd plan to operate the vessel as a crab catcher with capacity to work as a floating processor for pelagic species.
A former training vessel has been given a new lease of life and switched to commercial fishing in the Russian Far East, delivering its first 275 tonne landing of mackerel and ivasi sardine to the port of Vladivostok.
Russian fishing company Stalactite, part of the Marfish group, has invested in a major refit of one of its fishing vessels for fishing in the Baltic.
Clearwater Seafoods has taken delivery of its newest vessel, a dedicated clam dredger delivered by the Astander yard in Spain, the result of an extensive conversion. The new clam catcher arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia last week.
Brittany company Armement à la pêche artisanale de Keroman (APAK), based in Lorient is putting substantial investment into fishing, with new vessels and plans for a new processing plant in the port area.
A refit was long overdue and the chance to give Brixham scalloper van Dijck a facelift and a set of new deck equipment has come after a tough few years for skipper and owner Drew McLeod.