Beyond the Sea

Fishing boat coming into harbour, from Armin's World Tour

This week, the BBC have been running programs on the theme of the sea. Living on an island as we do here, the sea is very important - but living in the north-east of Scotland, it's a livelihood. So many towns in the north-east depend on the fishing trade, and until Aberdeen reinvented itself as the Oil Capital of Europe (trademark), it was a fishing town like the rest. The Cod Crusaders are a group fighting to save the Scottish Fishing Industry, in the light of EU proposals (see their web-site for more information).

Hence "Trawlermen". This programme followed two Peterhead fishing boats through one "tour of duty", through trials and tribulations, storms, nets ripping, no catch - and worst of all, a Buchan chav who couldn't stand the pace.

This compulsive viewing should have made any viewer grateful for the fish on their plate.