Fish Town

The newest boat in the Peterhead fishing fleet Westro, skippered by James West, heads to fishing grounds in the North Sea hunting for prawns. Westro cost James two million pounds so he has to work hard to pay off his debt. On board with James is his 19-year-old brother and first mate, Stephen, who must help James work out how to fix a tricky problem when a rope gets tangled around the boat’s propeller. Another trawler, Zenith, is also in search of prawns, skippered by Adam Robertson. They take a gamble to fish just fifteen miles off shore in a location Adam hopes will bring in a good catch. Adding pressure to Adam’s trip is an unusual passenger, Aisling Duncan, a scientist from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation. Aisling must work around the clock alongside seasoned fishermen to count and measure the catch for vital research into fish stocks in Scottish waters. Back on shore, ex-fisherman Stephen Bruce has started a new career, as a mobile fishmonger. Everyday self-starter Stephen competes against the biggest buyers in town for the finest catch at Peterhead Fish Market. He then takes his seafood from village to village across Aberdeenshire selling to the public, but will he get any customers?

The brand new fishing boat Westro, skippered by James West, has been fishing in the North Sea for three days hunting prawns, but so far the crew has struggled to find the catch. James launched Westro just two months ago, costing him over two million pounds so he needs to see an improvement in the fishing if he is going to earn a good wage for himself and the crew. James makes the brave decision to sail 120 miles to the other side of the North Sea, hoping to find more prawns and salvage this trip. The hauls don’t improve though and James heaves up a net full of mud, causing damage to the nets. On their final haul of the trip, James finally gets a big haul to send him home happy and make the trip worthwhile. On Scotland’s west coast, Peterhead trawler Ocean Endeavour, skippered by John Buchan, is heading out to remote fishing grounds 300 miles into the North Atlantic. On board is new recruit 17-year-old Gavin Burnett. On this trip, trainee Gavin has some new responsibilities: bringing the fish on board and cooking for the crew. The fishing is booming in Rockall and the Ocean Endeavour is bringing in big hauls of haddock, but with good fishing comes hard work and, after two days of non-stop action, exhaustion catches up on Gavin and his attention to detail starts to slip. After returning to harbour it’s the social highlight of every fisherman’s year, the Fishing News Awards. Westro skipper James is nominated for fisherman of the year and rookie Gavin is nominated for trainee of the year, but will they come home with the prize?

The fish sold at market in Peterhead comes from fishing boats all over Scotland, even as far as northern harbour Scrabster, where fishing boat Reliance is preparing to set sail. On this trip, owner of Reliance, John Clark, is stepping aside as skipper to let his 22-year-old son David take the helm for the very first time. John is on board working as first mate and keeping a close eye on David, making sure he is doing everything by the book, but will David have what it takes to prove to John he can skipper Reliance alone?

Prawn trawler Zephyr has engine problems just hours after they set out from harbour, and Reliance has an inspection from the ‘fish police’.

Up the coast from Peterhead, new trawler Faithlie heads out to sea, skippered by one of the most experienced fishermen in the Scottish fleet, Davie Milne. They travel 120 miles from harbour to fish in Norwegian waters where on this trip they are trialling a new style of fishing net, never used before, with the goal of catching high-priced flat fish. It doesn’t take long for first mate Jakey and the rest of the crew to get to grips with the new technology and the nets are a success but will the prices at market reflect the quality of the catch? In waters off Orkney, skipper Iain Harcus is also fishing for high-valued white fish on board the 22-year-old trawler Aalskere. On an old boat there are constant repairs and the crew are put on high alert when their winches suddenly stop working and their nets are stranded in the water. It is down to the boat's engineer to fix the problem. On shore in Peterhead, a new scheme is underway, providing the vital skills needed to work in the fishing industry. This time, teacher Gordon Gibb has five teenagers to train up, some of who have never even eaten fish before, so he is facing an uphill battle to get these kids prepared for a life at sea.

There is a celebration on board Westro as skipper-in-training Stephen West turns 20, and in the Moray Firth, fishing boat Sardonyx is on the hunt for squid.