SECOND VESSEL GETS THE GILL NET TREATMENT
THE second Shetland vessel to undergo the Faroese gill netting conversion treatment recently arrived back in Shetland. Not just new to gill netting but also new to the Shetland fleet, the 86 foot Constant Friend has been bought by a group of shareholders previously connected with Shetland white fish trawlers Endeavour and Santos, both of which have now left the isles.
As reported previously in SFN, the main reason for the switch from trawling to gill netting is the cost savings realisable in terms of reduced fuel and equipment costs. With estimates of fuel savings amounting to around two-thirds compared to trawling, these savings could prove to be substantial.
Like any attempt at something new, however, the project is a bit of a step into the unknown and somewhat of a gamble for those involved. "We really don’t know at this stage how we’ll get on," said skipper David Robertson. "What we do know is that there have been German and Spanish vessels successfully gill netting around Shetland for many years, so we thought it would be worthwhile giving it a go."
The new Constant Friend
The Constant Friend’s first week at sea was spent mostly trying out the gear and ironing out any teething problems and Mr Robertson predicts it will take time to get used to the gear and to decide on what quantities of nets will be workable.
At the moment, in each of the three net bins in the stern, the vessel carries 230 nets each 27.5 metres long (known as a "fleet"). However, this doesn’t necessarily restrict the amount of nets the vessel can operate, since more nets can be collected from port and worked in rotation after the first lot have been set. Gill nets are typically left for up to two or three days before being hauled and there is talk of foreign vessels operating up to 30 miles of nets at any one time.
The Constant Friend will be fishing mainly for monkfish and cod and whilst total catches are likely to be lower in volume compared to trawling, the selective nature of gill netting ensures consistently larger fish size, and therefore usually a higher value product.
Far from being able to comment on the success of the conversion project after just one week, Mr Robertson expects it to be about a year down the line before they can get a true picture of the boat’s financial performance. "Gill netting appears to be quite seasonal and in terms of knowing where the fish are at certain times of year, the German and Spanish vessels always seem to be a step ahead. After all, they’ve built up a knowledge of the seasonal picture over many years and it’s going to take time for us to do the same."
As with the Achieve conversion carried out earlier this year, it was the Faroese yard of KJ Hydraulik which carried out the conversion work on the Constant Friend. The job included raising the stern and extending the vessel’s existing three-quarter shelter deck to a full shelter.
A net hauling and net handling system, similar to that of the Achieve, was installed. The system consists of a rotating hauler on deck which hauls the nets down a hatch to a net clearing table below. Once cleared of fish, the nets are then transferred aft, via a pipe, to the net bins. A extra addition to the Constant Friend was a fish container with hydraulic lifting base. It is from here the fish will be gutted after being transferred from the clearing table, before being washed and transferred by conveyor into the hold.
KJ Hydraulik also carried out some cosmetic work on the interior of the vessel and Mr Robertson confirmed they had extremely pleased with the service and workmanship from the Faroese yard.
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