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£47.5M Shetland 'black Fish' Scam Details Revealed


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#1 wbeedie

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Posted 29 December 2011 - 02:52 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-16353451

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Details have been revealed of a £47.5m "black fish" scam which involved more than a dozen skippers and a fish processing company on Shetland.
The scam allowed the fishermen to land more mackerel and herring than they were allowed under EU quotas.
Scales at Lerwick-based processing company Shetland Catch Ltd were set to underestimate the weight of the fish being landed by the boats.
Seventeen skippers have previously admitted their part in the scam.
Earlier this month they were ordered to hand over almost £3m in confiscation orders.
They are due to be sentenced next month.
The BBC had challenged the reporting restrictions which had prevented the reporting of the extent of the false declarations to the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, and the method used to make the undeclared landings.
Proper weight
Weighing scales at Shetland Fisheries were linked to computer screens showing the weight of fish landed.
The screen in the main floor of the fisheries, which was viewed by SFPA officials, was set to give a lower weight of fish than had been landed.
The proper weight was displayed on a screen in the engineer's room, in a part of the operation which was off limits to SFPA officials.
The SFPA had launched an investigation due to suspicions of widespread illegal landing of pelagic fish.
Accountants found that Shetland Catch Ltd's outgoings could not be supported by declared earnings.
Confiscation orders
The company has been taken over since its involvement in the scam, which took place between February 2003 and March 2005.
The 17 skippers have been ordered to pay back sums ranging from £2,700 to £425,900. The confiscation orders are:
Laurence Irvine, 66, of Aviemore, Symbister, Whalsay - £210,700; Gary Williamson, 52, of Norvag, Symbister, Whalsay - £118,500; William Williamson, 64, of Westerlea, Symbister, Whalsay - £213,200; George Henry, 60, of Noonsbrough, Clousta, Bixta - £51,300; John Stewart, 56, of 57 King Harald Street, Lerwick - £41,300, and Colin Leask, 38, of Vaarhjem; Simbister, Whalsay - £12,000.
David Hutchison, 66 of Ankerhus, Hillhead, Symbister - £140,900 Robert Polson, 48, of 17 Breiwick Road, Lerwick - £371,300; Thomas Eunson, 56, of Westwinds, Symbister - £140,500; Allen Anderson, 55, of Solvei, Symbister - £2,700; John Irvine, 68, of Braeside, Symbister - £236,000 and Allister Irvine, 63, of Karinya, Symbister - £120,600.
Victor Buschini, 51, of Cuckoos Nest, Kiln Lane, Hambleton, Poulton Le Flyde, Lancashire - £341,000, and Hamish Slater, 52, of 8 Strichan Road, Fraserburgh - £425,900.
George Anderson, 55, of Harbourview, Symbister - £40,700; Alexander Masson, 65, of 89 Strichen Road, Fraserburgh - £283,000 and Alexander Wiseman, 60, of 3 Sandyhills Gardens, Banff - £196,000.

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#2 glenmorangie

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Posted 29 December 2011 - 10:10 PM

shocking what was going on there

#3 thresher

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Posted 30 December 2011 - 07:21 AM

the uk pelagic fleet has got some brass neck to be slagging off . iceland and fareo for overfishing the mackerel stocks, one word springs to mind,,greed.2012 will be the hardest year yet for tr 1 and tr 2  skippers who are going to face days restrictions which make no sense at all. and do nothing for conservation. yet the eu has increased the herring quota by nearly 100 per-cent. so it appears that the fleet that has landed the most black  fish and high grades mackerel at sea on a regular basis has gained the most. the high grading that goes on in the mackerel season is a disgrace. the seabed east and west of the shetlands was covered with rotten mackerel for months this summer. the jigging machines that the pelagic boats fitted two years ago was a farce to keep the greenys off thier backs. all pelagic boats fishing in uk waters. either uk or foreign reg. should be forced to fit cameras. the same as catch-quota whitefish boats,

#4 glenmorangie

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Posted 30 December 2011 - 08:42 AM

View Postky16, on 30 December 2011 - 01:26 AM, said:

no more shockin than the millions  that have ta be dumped overboard tae stay legal   so who is the criminal  at least their actions fed folk and gave employment unlike shite rules that goody 2 shoes arses thinks work NOT


you miss the point ky16 it was not just the system there where being dishonest with but also with there fellow fishermen who are out there trying to make a living by staying within the rules where as they did not.

and has for the dumping of fish its a totaly different matter and subject and incase you are wondering i dont think it is right to be dumping perfectly good fish

#5 restlesswave

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Posted 30 December 2011 - 07:44 PM

when this happened the whole industry was rife with it-top to bottom-so it`s pot,kettle black-let the first person who has never broke a rule take the podium and moralise because i cant-how many of the under 10 fleet were built to be paid for by over quota fish?-the same boats were then put out of business by sales notes and then had to be decommisioned?-same shit-different scale.
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#6 restlesswave

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Posted 30 December 2011 - 07:48 PM

thresher-it`s hardly the fault of the pelagic men the problems faced by the tr1/tr2 boats have-it`s hardly their fault that you haven`t a tankboat?-the tr1 fleet landed as much black fish as anyone till sales notes stopped it.
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#7 nicky l

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 10:41 AM

people have short memories. what about the mass destruction of the west coast haddock fishery? or even the monks for that matter. or all the fish that was landed for withdrawal money. anybody in scotland who got rich at fishing did it at the expense of the stocks. thats the name of the game. people can whinge and moan about quota till the cows come home but it means that there will be some kind of living to be had for the future generations. as for the big bad pelagic men, well they are all rich but they never got to where there at by chance. they stuck there balls on the line at one point and now they are reaping the rewards. they were getting laughed at in the 70's when the seiners were making a klondyke. if you want to take the moral highground then dont go fishing. its a game for hunters. the rules and regulations make it more brutal than it has to be. as does the greed of man but these things will never change. i know in an ideal world everyone would get a wee taste of the highlife with equal quotas but when has anything been shared equally in any walk of life? never. and it never will be. winners and losers.

#8 thresher

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 05:51 PM

the way the fishing is going today. the mackerel boats will be the only bit of the scottish fleet that will be viable in a few years time. fair enough the whitefish boats were landing black-fish for a few years. but its nothing on the scale that the pelagic fleet were up too.eithier by tonnage or value. i have landed back door myself. but it was through sheer lack of quota.and a desperate attemt to get a decent wage for the crew. as the price of prawns and fish were rubbish.
the big pelagic operators in pd and broch will sit and buy up tr1 and tr2  boats as they go to the wall one by one, with no intention of building new boats to fish the track records attached to them. no they will wait for pedro to get full access to the north sea , then the will sell on for a porofit

#9 nicky l

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 06:10 PM

a lot of whitefish quota has been bought by pelagic owners. and prawn quota as well. but to be fair they are using this quota to provide boats with a realistic chance to fish all year or at least for profit. yes there is a lucky few who are at this but realistically due to the size of the quota that was always going to be the case. lunar has bought a lot of quota for example but they are fishing it themselves with there own boats crewed by nationals. they have spent a serious amount to make themselves viable. i would hardly say they have done wrong. they have just been good businessmen. yes the industry is nothing like what it was and we all want it to be like it was but its in the past. i have said for years the whitefish would go the same way as the pelagic, IE less boats with bigger quotas. it is happening before our eyes. same will happen with the prawns. infact it is already happening. if you want to stay in the game the only chance you have is get yourself in a lot of debt and buy as much as you can. survival of the fittest an all that. i wouldnt worry about pedro. there is to much money involved now.

#10 Barry McCrindle

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 08:42 PM

Whatever happens, they were caught out and will pay out what they need to pay out, big or small they f**k us all with some over rated f**kwit wanting to prove a point while sitting smugly in a f**kin office
I always see both sides of the argument, the one that's wrong and mine.....

#11 homeward bound

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 10:49 PM

was assuming they would get black balled from the SFF  then realised they are bigger than the federation !!!!!!!!!!!!

#12 thresher

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 10:56 PM

dinna think you will see any pelagic skipper smoken 60 fags a day, and worrying how he will pay his fine . as was charlie mcbride on the tv.and as for the pelagic lads being stuck for quota and time to catch it. that will never be an issue. as i said.land 47,5 million of black. get awarded 100 percent increase in quota.and high grade on a massive scale every year up north. its been wittnessed by onboard SFF observers. yet ex whitefish mannie mr watt. has kept that out of the press.the pelagic industry in scotland have been the worst offenders since the days of the isle of man stocker,,cornish mackerel box in the 70.s..
blowing compressed air into the tanks, when the thick as shit taliban came down to dip them. ie.. dipped at 20 ton but land60. to the famous 100 ton pump out of bottom of the boat  in tidal waymouth harbour
WHITE FISH-- 3 YEARS OF BLACK.....PELAGIC --40 YEARS OF BLACK,, FA,S GOT ALL THE MONEY. and who has the most bullsitt to put up with.

#13 thresher

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 08:29 PM

ah canna seem to mind any pursers that went to the fish at the rock in the 80,s. but he must have affa cheap expenses to steam out there and work for that shite. was plenty fish the whole length of the north sea in them days. rather than steam out there.then again they were working up a track record for sale in later years. mind the cherrys at the pair in the early 80.s . at buchan deeps working among the green. big hauls wea all the boats. seiners were putting down as much as thee hundred for two tows.purse lads were days clearing fish as nobody knew how to gut. or pack a box of fish.. heard at the time that the crews were on there knee,s. one of them even threatened to pack up and get his job back as a postie., but the licenses were kept active to build the freezer trawler

#14 restlesswave

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 08:47 PM

well i`m nearly sure as a young lad i mind the pathfinder or some of the west coast pursers at the rock-and i mind the seed haddock as well-after the squid between helens reef and the rock dried up.
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#15 thresher

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 10:23 PM

we will see who is laughing next month. when all the mackerel conservationists are stood in the dock, and the full force of the proceeds of crime act comes down on them

#16 dodi jack

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 11:30 PM

I only wish as much anger an venom could be directed at the arseholes who are responsible for awa this SCIENTISTS AN POLITIICIANS  they jist snatch figuers oot the air an tell ye tae get on wee it  As for them that go tae brussels every year come back an tell ye  BEST DEAL POSSIBLE  f--king bollocks  sorry guys ive got little bit o sympathy for the lads  hivnna din onything that the rest o us hivnna done jist on a bigger scale

#17 thresher

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 08:18 AM

i dont think that anybody who works on whitefish boat, a prawn boat. or an under ten will have one shred of sympathy towards this lot,the few box,s of black we landed was through force to get a wage to take home. after a hard weeks work, since the eu shitstorm hit the tr1-tr2 fleet. thier has not been one bit of unity or support from the pelagic side of the indutry. the 47,5million is the amount that the sfpa.s forensic accountants could actually find out about.its like the isle of man tax bust from the 80,s. but on a huge sclale. so dont be telling me i am jealous. i am not, but i am sickened by the sheer greed and arrogance of this mob.the money works out above 3 million extra gross for each skipper. how long would it take a 60 ft prawner  with a 400hp engine working in the minch. and sticking to the catch composition rules to gross that amount legally.this was black landings on a staggering  scale. involving obscene amounts of cash, to line the pockets of allready wealthy people. thank god for the caymen islands and good accountants

#18 restlesswave

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 11:52 AM

thresher that`s shite anyway about the under 10 fleet
-how many of their boats were built to be paid for with over quota fish and then to be stopped dead in their tracks with sales notes-was that not greed?-greed is greed and your as well being greedy in millions as being greedy in pound notes.
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#19 Jammy

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 03:06 PM

well said franky the pelagic men have beenas greedy as anybody else just on a bigger scale

#20 restlesswave

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 03:25 PM

as for the quote "there has not been one bit of unity or support from the pelagic side of the fleet"-how much support has the other sectors in the fleet given them over the years?-just get over the fact that these boys do well,make loadsa money etc-more power to them-they have never interfered with any of my fishing operations,their greed has never directly impacted on my operations either-which is something that most in the TR2 fleet can`t say about the TR1  with all the shit that has been loaded on us through ridiculous  CRZ  regulations-remember that`s all the TR1 fleets doing.....
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#21 homeward bound

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 03:31 PM

leave it for the courts, there has been theft and corruption in the industry for years only this time its on a bigger scale ,as they say" if you cant do the time,dont do the crime " :police:

#22 restlesswave

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 03:40 PM

yup homeward-your statement is 100% correct-but let no one that has ever knowingly (again basically everyone fishing) commited an offence for financial gain-take the moral high ground-as the old proverb says-people in glass houses........
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#23 bailey1

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 07:05 PM

Restleswave.Don,t blame the Tr1 fleet for the unrest in the Tr2 fleet.The Tr1 fleet has taken all the shit for the supposed unacountable removal of cod from the stock.When a lot of it has been done by a segment of the Tr2 fleet supposed to be catching less than 5%cod.I do feel for the genuine prawn catcher who does not catch cod but will probably now be catched up in all the shit to come brought about by a few greedy prawners wanting to catch cod and fish along with a few prawns.towing at 3-3.5 kts hovering everything up int there path with 80mm.usualy with bright lights glowing,thankfully now in the mnw associaction.

#24 denis

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Posted 04 January 2012 - 06:03 PM

there dutchmen outthere 12 mth the year grading and there no talk r check on them lot easier 2 complain about our own boats any fish officer reading this would b deligted make his job easier more division in the industry id swop places wit any them pelagic men any day fishing all my life only barely scraping by,fair play 2 them ye did nothing wrong lads only mistake ye made was getting caught

#25 Mouton Noir

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Posted 04 January 2012 - 06:29 PM

Did nothing wrong? Heard it all on here now......

#26 rudder

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Posted 05 January 2012 - 11:49 AM

well look on the bright side.the stocks must be really healthy, all that extra tonnage been taken out, and theres still tons left.
only not enough it seems for everybody, handliners given a pittance.
surely after this debacle their handline quota should be increased in light of the abundance of stock,which the pursers proved,by their LANDINGS.
then theres the indignation against faroes for daring to say they want a bigger quota and theyre going to take it.
at least they were open about their intentions.
years ago when the men were at the salmon, when caught poaching some had their boats taken from them. that was for a few fish, mebey £ thousands
involved , but not MILLIONS.
will boats be taken as in proceeds of crime for this?

#27 thresher

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Posted 05 January 2012 - 08:32 PM

it seems that ecky windmills and fish-miester lochead are pretty good at sticking up for the pelagics. lochhead has been ranting for months about the icelandics and fareoes raping the carefully conserved mackerel stocks. yet when it comes to standing up for tr2, grids days at sea  , he crumbled and failed as usual. so it wont l make a good snp soundbite, if his pelagic pals get taken to the cleaners. the very same people he has been promoting on the tv at every chance he can.i dont know how many times he has been on grampian tv . telling the public that the the scottish pelagic industry.is the most consevation minded in europe, and that they have fished thier quotas responsebly for years to look after the stocks.i dont really know who should be most affronted, richard lochead. or the ultra geen sfpa in lerwick. or the army of fisherie officers in peterhead, who stood for years on the pier. while the tank boats gleefully pumped every fish they could right under thier feet, up the secret pelagic pipe. straight into freshcatch.

#28 nicky l

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Posted 05 January 2012 - 10:27 PM

secret pelagic pipe! stop going around on second or third hand information. your posts on this thread are wearing thin. we get the picture.  the pelagic skippers are the devils spawn. every f*cker under the sun was landing black. and plenty bar the pelagic men made an absolute klondyke at it.  when you consider what the whitefish lads put ashore under the cover of darkness and with the old brown envelope averting the laws eyeballs in lossie, kyle, clash, mallaig, pd, broch etc you wouldn't be a kick in the arse of the pelagic mens misdemeanours of late. and if you think that is an over exaggeration then you havn't much of a clue about what went on. throw that broken record out the window an do us all a favour.

#29 restlesswave

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Posted 06 January 2012 - 08:49 AM

seemingly every one else that landed a `black` fish was just to keep their head above water,make a meager wage, keep their head above water,break out the violins etc
bend it,and if you can`t bend it,break it.

#30 westword

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Posted 06 January 2012 - 09:51 AM

thay kid mak a maritime version ow the sopranos oot ow this :laugh:   ov course  thresher wid get whacked in the first epasode  ,ha :laugh: :laugh:
KILL EM ALL, LET GOD SORT EM OOT.



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