Gutted

[easy]

Well, i have just watched a tv program on ch.1 called Gutted.

Gutted is an intimate documentary following Fraserburgh fishing families as
they face the destruction of their way of life. In the last few years, 60 per cent
of Scotland’s white fish fleet has been destroyed, and the last of Scotland’s
“great hunters” are witnessing their decline with disbelief as other EU nations,
like Spain and France, receive substantial grants to build boats.
Shot over a year, the film follows two extraordinary journeys; the lives of two
women fighting for their industry, and a son denied the chance to continue the
family tradition at sea.
Father and son, Sandy and Zander West, whose family have fished out of
Fraserburgh for at least five generations, are forced to de-commission the
boat Zander would have inherited. This follows the UK Government’s
willingness to react to Brussels’ call to reduce fishing fleets. During the filming,
his grandfather dies, broken-hearted at the loss of such a fine fishing boat –
less than seven years old.
Just weeks after the funeral, the film travels with them on the last emotional
voyage of the “Steadfast” to the breakers yard in Denmark. In an
extraordinary twist of fate, parts of the boat are bought by some Thai
fishermen who would have preferred to buy the entire boat, but are prevented
from doing so by EU regulations. They cannot believe the waste of such a
fine, modern, fishing vessel. Audiences too, will be shocked at the scenes of
destruction of over 60 boats.
Meanwhile, ashore in Fraserburgh, the second story follows the lives of the
Cod Crusaders, Carol MacDonald and Morag Ritchie. They are spearheading
a loud media campaign fighting for their community, their industry, and their
husband’s jobs. More than half of Fraserburgh’s population is in some way
reliant on the industry.
The film follows Carol as she stands for the local council, as they are
nominated for a national award, as Carol cleans toilets in a pub to make up for
her husband’s drop in income, through to sitting beside the UK Fisheries
Minister, Ben Bradshaw, in Brussels. After the disastrous outcome of the
Brussels talks in December 2003, the Cod Crusaders vow to continue the
fight on a new front, by lobbying for Britain to leave the Common Fisheries
Policy altogether.

The above synopsis of the programme was taken from here.


I was moved by this topic, i couldn't understand why the goverment is letting all this decline to the scottish fishing industry happen. I understand these quotas are from the EU and that the goverment is trying but towards the end of the programme when you were hearing some political views while they were filming at some EU quota arguement in Brussels these polititians where pleased at an outcome that almost enraged the fishermen. It had come down to scotland being given the right to fish their waters even less.

I also remember watching a programme about Jeremy Clarkson touring Europe and he was putting a point over about spanish fishermen it sort of went like this

"Britian pay £200 million a year into the EU, Spain take £200 million from the EU per year. Now the humble british fishermen works hard and pays taxs to his goverment only to find that he can't fish as much as he wants to then meanwhile in spain, Spanish trowlers sail from Spain to British water to fish our fish and there trip there and back is subsidised by the EU. So to make this clearer, British fishermen earn their money, pay it to the goverment, who in turn pay it to the EU. The EU then tell british fishermen not to fish as much and give the spanish money to travel to British fishermens waters and fish their fish!!" :annoyed: I just thought WTF!!

Emm am i right here? Did anyone else catch the programme and what does everyone think about the whole subject?? :splease

[Nookie_Bear]

You also have to realise that these areas have been over-fished for years, and if the fishermen were left to it they would cause extinction of fish in the north sea.

I agree, it is heart breaking to see the death of an industry, but they couldn't properly self regulate to make it sustainable, and now this has been forced upon them in a very harsh manner.