Fish Town (2019)

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? On the north east coast, trawler Sardonyx is also heading out to sea, skippered by Michael Watt with his brother Brian at his side as first mate. They are on the hunt for squid in the Moray Firth, less than a mile from shore. Fishing close to shore still comes with dangers for the Sardonyx and its crew and they soon have a problem with the net. They can’t lift their 600 kg gear out of the water but luckily Michael comes up with a plan to use the crane to help get the catch on board. On shore, the Robertson family are checking their boat Zenith into the drydock for some vital maintenance work. They are also checking in the Zephyr, a trawler they purchased just ten months ago, which needs an overhaul to match it to their flagship Zenith. There are just seven days to get the boats cleaned, painted and replacement parts in place before the boats must go back into the water.

After three weeks of repairs, prawn trawler Zephyr is finally back in the water ready to fish. Mark and Adam Robertson put the boat to work to try to pay off the repair bills, but just 30 miles out they suffer an engine problem and have to turn back to shore. After a quick repair they head back out to sea only to be faced with another problem, a broken winch. Through some brute strength they get their gear working again and battle on to get a decent catch. On Reliance, David Clark is four days through his first trip as skipper when he faces an inspection by the ‘fish police’. It’s an anxious wait for rookie skipper David as Marine Scotland check his catch and the size of his nets. If he has breached any regulations, David could face huge fines. Once the boat is clear to fish on, David must focus on hitting his trip target and proving to his dad that he has what it takes to skipper Reliance alone. After receiving word that the current market price on fish is riding high, David cuts his trip short and returns to harbour to cash in, but will he still reach his target?

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.

Peterhead boat Westro travels to fishing grounds in the North Sea searching for a bounty of prawns. After an average first haul, skipper James West decides to take a gamble and move fishing grounds. During the trip, there is a celebration on board Westro - James's younger brother and apprentice Stephen West has his twentieth birthday and officially receives his skipper’s licence. This is the last time the brothers will work side by side, so James takes the opportunity to give Stephen a final few lessons and even a chance to manage a haul himself. In the Moray Firth, another two brothers, Michael and Brian Watt, are also at sea, sailing their boat Sardonyx. Fishing close to shore comes with its risks, and the boat is soon snagged on the seabed, listing heavily. Michael must just try to free the boat slowly or risk losing the net or even worse, capsizing. Eventually the boat comes free, and they can fish on. Elsewhere in Peterhead, part-timer Arthur James McKenzie is following in his grandfather’s footsteps by fishing for lobsters just 50 metres from shore. It's more pride that’s riding on his trip than profits as he searches for a prized lobster worthy of his family legacy.