![]() In the late 1950s, there were more deep-sea distance trawlers in Hull than anywhere in the world, with nearly 170 vessels operating from the city, directly employing about 5,000 trawlermen, according to Stand, the Hull fishing heritage charity. The Kirkella now finds itself something of a symbol of a vanishing age, and a last vestige of the UK’s external northern waters fleet, which operated from Hull, Grimsby, Fleetwood and Aberdeen. Six to eight weeks at sea is plenty not seeing your family.” “But the guys need some kind of quality of life. “We could have stayed out longer,” says Jane Sandell, chief executive of UK Fisheries, the Kirkella’s owner. As share fishers, they are self-employed and are all paid a share of the haul, with a greater percentage being awarded to those in positions of responsibility, such as the captain and first mate. ![]() ![]() The reduced catch will also mean a financial hit for the crew, including deckhands Kurt Derees, Mark Gibson and Kane Thornley, who are clearing huge bags of fishmeal out of one of the chilly storage rooms before their shore leave begins. But the problem when you get really good fishing is you’re at the mercy of the factory and processing.” “We had four days when it was really good. “The catch wasn’t so good this time,” says the first mate, Dean Jackson, 53, who is finishing up checks of the vessel on the bridge before enjoying some time at home with his family after about six weeks at sea. While this may sound like a vast amount of fish, the UK’s only remaining “distance trawler” has returned home only half-full from its latest expedition. Just hours after docking, the latest catch – about 300 tonnes of frozen fish fillets – has already been transported in Kirkella-branded boxes to the fish market at Grimsby, to be weighed, graded and sold. The Kirkella also contains enough modern comforts to sustain and entertain a 32-strong crew during weeks at sea, from a medical room and gym to a sauna and cinema.
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