I used to work on deepsea trawlers and would catch fish by the tonne.These fish would be left on the deck to die until we got to them to gut /wash and sort them.So every fish in the supermarkets has probably suffered more than the fish Ray had.
A little disappointed with Ray Mears
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I certainly did,something along the lines of "I hope this one makes a good price on the quay"
Just as a side note, did you make a lot of money on the trawlers. I only ask, as I have a friend who lives in Cornwall, and he told me that people went shares in a boat, and got a share of the catch, and could come back with a big wad of cash. Trouble was, they's then be waiting around with nothing to do for ages before the next trip.
Is that the case?
I worked as a share fisherman.The way it worked was the catch was sold,the expenses were paid(whitefish levy,lighthouse dues,berthing and dock fees,fuel,ice,equipment rental(radar,radio).The boat then had 50% of what was left.Depending on your job aboard you would get between 10%(skipper) and 1% (deckie learner).These percentages would vary according to boat size which in turn would affect crew numbers,more crew=smaller percentage.Out of your share you would pay for your food too.
I would work 3 weeks at sea and then a weekend ashore before another 3 weeks.I have worked for a lot longer beyond the arctic circle and landing our catch to klondykers(foreign factory ships.
This was 30 years ago just as the industry started to go into freefall.
My average weekly wage was in the region of £800-£1000 on a good week and before now I have spent a fortnight at sea and still owed money for expenses.Over my 7 year career I came away quite a happy bunny.
The deep sea industry is dead now,we'll never see the catches I used to see up to 6 times a day.Imagine opening the net and 10 men working non-stop to gut and sort the fish and not getting it done before the net is up again,48 hours on deck was a regular thing.
It may seem a lot of money for 30 years ago but remember,I was on that boat for 24 hrs a day 7 days per week for 3 weeks at a time,we couldn't get life insurance and it was at a time that 8 fishermen lost their lives every week.
I would work 3 weeks at sea and then a weekend ashore before another 3 weeks.I have worked for a lot longer beyond the arctic circle and landing our catch to klondykers(foreign factory ships.
This was 30 years ago just as the industry started to go into freefall.
My average weekly wage was in the region of £800-£1000 on a good week and before now I have spent a fortnight at sea and still owed money for expenses.Over my 7 year career I came away quite a happy bunny.
The deep sea industry is dead now,we'll never see the catches I used to see up to 6 times a day.Imagine opening the net and 10 men working non-stop to gut and sort the fish and not getting it done before the net is up again,48 hours on deck was a regular thing.
It may seem a lot of money for 30 years ago but remember,I was on that boat for 24 hrs a day 7 days per week for 3 weeks at a time,we couldn't get life insurance and it was at a time that 8 fishermen lost their lives every week.
I know airman who were stationed in Alaska who used to take leave during the crab season (only 3-4 weeks) to work on the crab boats fishing for King Crab. They claimed that during that short window they made half as much as their annual Air Force pay (they were E4s at the time) They aren't the type normally prone to exageration but I really don't know how much they are.
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