What's Life Like As A North Sea Fisherman? | Trawlermen's Lives With Ben Fogle | Our Stories

i'm ben fogel and i'm about to set sail to live the life of a north sea fisherman but this will be no free ride i'm here to take on this most dangerous of jobs you know if you're working in the ocean that's just that is how cruel it is hauling thousands of fish from the sea and working without rest for up to 24 hours at a time the thing i'm starting to realize is there's absolutely nowhere to escape on board i've been on some big adventures but i've got a feeling nothing could prepare me for how tough this is going to be setting sail on three very different boats i want to find out just what draws these men back to the sea day after day each time putting their lives on the line from the camaraderie of the trawlerman it's better than sitting in an office all day though you know sending emails back and forth your pals to the crew of the prawn boats hunting their elusive prey yeah it looks a bit heavy maybe maybe not [Applause] and the loneliness of the crab fisherman you're missing your finger welcome to the north sea i get the feeling it's going to be one hell of a ride [Music] the rugged northeast coast of scotland for centuries fishermen have sailed out of the ports and harbours clinging onto this remote corner of britain [Music] this is where it all happens the north sea we're coming up here in january what am i thinking the only way to describe what i'm seeing now is just looks ominous just looks bleak and miserable out there huge waves just crashing next to that lighthouse over there i've taken on some real challenges in the past rowing the atlantic crossing the arabian desert but this is going to be a completely different task over the last 15 years over 250 british fishermen have lost their lives at sea making it one of the most dangerous jobs in the world they're turning back now [Music] britain once had one of the world's biggest fishing fleets a century ago there were over a hundred thousand fishermen [Music] what's left today are just 12 000 men and a handful of specialized fishing ports that ship our fish to markets around the world my journey starts here at the largest fishing port in britain heat ahead over a million boxes of fish passed through here in the last 12 months and this is the vessel i'm due to be sleeping fishing and working on for the next seven days the rose bloom a 24 meter trawler with a crew on the hunt for north sea haddock and cod [Music] sandy the skipper of the boat is how are you sandy hey you'll be being here i'm ben nice to meet you nice to meet you as well come aboard this is bigger than i imagined it's probably bigger than what you rode across atlantic i'll tell you but it'll lay it'll move just the same i'm afraid can you show me around the rest of the boat yeah produce mr crew not much space down here and sandy's got a welcome pack waiting for me in the cabin that i'll be sharing with three other crew members is this one i guess this is your gear so we're hoping that you're gonna uh it looks very new it's still packaged we're hoping you're gonna need no i'm not you're gonna need this more than what you need this yeah because if you're in these then i'm doing my job if you're in here i'm not doing my job very well this is going to be hard work isn't it i hope so i hope so it's 3 30 in the afternoon and almost time to set sail like many fishing boats in scotland this is a family operation and sandy's mum's here to say farewell i love you let her go mike thank you very much nearly 500 boats used to land their catch in peterhead now we're one of just 80. we're heading 12 hours into the north sea [Music] and alongside us will be our sister ship boy john working together these two boats will hunt for fish pulling a net between them through the water to pay the fuel and other running costs of the boats we need to land at least 900 boxes of fish between us i've been a bit like the first day of school i haven't really got a clue what's going on [Music] if i put my hand in there i'd go straight over a bit out to my depth if i'm to be honest [Music] i wanted to find out why my skip has chosen this life despite the obvious [Music] i it dangers have been sandy's career as a fisherman began at just 16 on his father's fishing trawler the heather bloom it was built in 1992 and then sadly tragically it was uh it was lost in 1994 there's a poor night away there and we can start going up on an obstruction on the seabed and the waves just swamped swamped the trawler from the stern all the crew of the heather bloom found themselves fighting for their lives there were six of us there and five of us were saved and that my father he was sadly lost so it was all over so fast before we even realized there was there was anything wrong you know it happened so fast i just really rocked our whole world you know that was our family unit was destroyed it was just it was just devastation really for us tell me to stop if i'm i'm being surprising but if i'm being too prime but do you not resent the ocean for that for taking your father that's how cruel the ocean is you know if you're working in the ocean that's just that is how cruel it is just a few hours into life on board the rose bloom and i'm trying to get some sleep i say i do feel a bit apprehensive i'm glad i'm on board now but i've still got the unknown yeah i will try and sleep [Music] what's happening i feel a long way from home here and we are 150 nautical miles to be exact off the coast of scotland closer to norway than we are to london these are the fishing grounds selected by our skipper and it's time to deploy our nets for the first time on this trip i was in my bed about five minutes ago i'm now out on the deck in the middle of the north sea with cranes and wheels and pumps and nets and smells and wind and seasickness it's all it's all completely overwhelming to be honest i can see how over 200 british fishermen a year are injured doing their job i'm still getting used to the dangers when there's an emergency that seems to worry even these experienced fishermen like a giant anchor and i don't really understand what's going on everyone seems to be rushing around but we are stuck there's we can't go anywhere we can't chop it this is slowing the whole thing dude no speeding up see how quickly things can go wrong so we don't just risk losing the fish but the net and worst case scenario the boat okay mike the whole crew of both boats have to work together to free the net the first drama of this voyage showed me how quickly things can go wrong out here so we've come out of this okay compared to what could have happened but in a matter of minutes the atmosphere on the boat swings from fear to jubilation ben what kind of fish is that cause rock on tommy you've caught yeah you happy have you skipped oh i am now right can we have got any more at the gelson i estimate a couple of hundred boxes captain not joking but this is what fishermen waited by all year to see a hole like this the skipper is literally skipping around the boat he's going to be honest my heart's kind of sinking because that's my evening gone man ton after ton of cod haddock and the most valuable of all monkfish that'll keep us busy for quite a few hours see the size of the monk huge beautiful it's a fine sight for any fisherman but now below deck the real work begins the gutting room working next to sandy's brother andrew i'll be processing the thousands of fish we've just brought on board a good surge to keep the fish fresh we have to gut it while still out at sea it's a gruesome addition to the job of fishing [Music] funny enough this is the first time no one wanted to do what i was off to do how often i get people a bit jealous wanting to come and do the trips i do but this is nobody this is the one unanimously that no one wants to where's the lingo it's better than sitting in an office all day though you know sending emails back and for your hi your pals how are you this morning i'm fine andrew might have a point but the smell of movement down here is overpowering and making me sick to the stomach i'm just gonna stick my head up somewhere really quickly uh just to go and see where we are just to see where we are okay it's gonna check the skippers taking the boat in the right direction ah okay right right hey what are you thinking of the game i love it [Music] it's pretty disgusting i'll tell you the thing i'm starting to realize is there's absolutely nowhere to escape on board it's practically worse out here but whoa [Music] [Music] the irony was those guys were saying this beats a nine to five office job at this particular moment i wouldn't mind being sat behind a computer right let's go back down below i know that if i lose too much face in front of these guys it's game over okay [Music] how are you doing yeah okay need a little bit of air there just uh okay i've never got i've never done this many fish very overpowering the smell is it you could say that that last load of fish took hours to gut and now we're back on deck for the next hall this cycle will be repeated until the boats are full this is no nine to five there's no time for sleep [Music] and 32 hours into the trip i've slept for just six of them [Music] i was feeling a bit queasy well you know it's relentless isn't it it's not just uh this isn't the only time we have to do this we have to do this for the next week non-stop pretty much day and night i suppose it's too early to see how much uc is at the moment that's one thing about a fishing boat there's not much room for passengers so he's just gonna have to get stuck in and get on with it really i'm already struggling and only too aware that this is just the start of my north sea journey after this i've got two more testing and very different trips to come what if i don't deserve this do you want to see uh the power look at that i really don't want to go down there [Music] two days into my north sea odyssey awake and on deck again [Music] with over 30 tons of freshly caught fish in the hold the skipper's happy which means our first proper breakfast get the goodyear black pudding when you're getting a chance black pudding i'll come straight back up the banter goes on downstairs in the galley where all the crew take it in turns to cook i was only 40 when i started this trip i'm now uh you know i'm 45. so hold on i didn't think it was enough of the chat it's time to get fishing again and make some money michael [Music] they look like a lot of fish to me they're having a maybe that's a good sign the crew's wages depend on how much fish is caught and how quickly they can process it a three-day trip like this could earn them up to a thousand pounds each empty boxes won't pay the mortgage people people up quick this is an operation geared to make maximum profit as the new boy i'm expected to pull my weight and look after the expensive equipment as effectively as the rest of the crew are you're doing fine man you're doing fine you're doing fine i'm sorry [Music] that hypno is exactly the same as you're touching a woman just gently gently jesus my hydraulics will be in bits yeah that's fine babe don't you i hate to point out my wife is nothing like a ten time real on a troller but it needs the same respect yeah the trust is the big thing because you're playing with you're playing with people's lives we're we're winches like lives and livelihoods check out the last of that big chord yes skipper meanwhile below deck it's all go in the packing room this is the bank vault of the boat where the fish is sorted and iced ready for market you wouldn't go into brute shells and buy a steak if you'd watch them kick it about like a football no i'm down here with duncan who's been working on the boat for the last four years do you remember the first time you went to see oh yes really hated it hated the thought of it that's why i don't want my children to do it and my son but i'm lucky enough my son's he's a brainy boy yeah [Music] does he if he said he really wanted to do this would you encourage him no no no i would take him away in a very a very bad week a weather and i would make him work every time i was up he was up and i would show him how hard and how dangerous his job is says this what you want to do for the next 40 years i can see what he means a few days is hard enough [Music] some people are just cut out for a job like this you're coming back next week ben [Music] i hope not just remember next time you're having a big swanky party the only one give us a formula yeah yeah we'll show you how to park that's one thing we're good at i bet you are see him again we're now 48 hours into the voyage i'm exhausted but i feel like i've turned a corner it's earning my place as one of the team and learning how the crew look out for each other that's made this trip bearable [Music] i think that's a scottish thing you're not our favorite mints yeah but you'd probably mix it together and make a cottage pie if you had if you had the mints and the potatoes but not just uh potatoes like that am i the first englishman you've had on your on your boat any other englishman first thing i've ever seen the good news is that this englishman is heading back to peterhead early these boats fish until they're full so we could have been at sea for anything up to another week but we've caught so many fish in the past 24 hours that the skipper's about to point our nose back home still turns out there's just about time for one last haul if he's fishy anyway i'll give him that that's as much nice holes [Music] exactly i think i just received my first compliment of the trip he said he can't call me a jonah but jonah's supposed to bring bad luck to a trawler [Music] ben codd ben cod there you go skipper's calling me bang cod all right heave up the ropes the biggest statement of trust the skipper can put in me is safe till last when sandy puts me in charge of steering his million pound boat back home [Applause] i've spent the last couple of days feeling continuously nauseous i'd have a secret vomit just before so i'm now was at 10 30 or so and we're we're basically racing to get to market [Music] the lights of peter head harbour sanctuary safety and the promise of a proper bed at last definitely found that a tough one hard hard job but um i'm sure in a few hours time i'll i'll look back through rose tinted glasses that was easy the final job is to unload our hard-earned catch between our two boats there are over one thousand three hundred boxes of fish that we've worked night and day to catch gut and ice if you listen carefully you can hear a bed in the palace a tail going when ren as it goes to auction this hall could reach anything between 50 to 80 000 pounds [Music] from here that's it to a day and a half huh that's what you've done and as the buyers mark which boxes they've taken this fish will be on dinner plates around the country by tomorrow evening [Music] it is nice to see that fish being rewarded for what it's worth really you know because the the men went through a lot of work in a short period of time the men me included the maine and foogle [Music] [Music] my time on rosebloom has come to an end but my journey's not over just yet i've got another type of fishing to experience and another trawler to sail on that's what we're after that's what we're after but this time it will be a very different trip [Music] i think we'll just call it a day enough's enough i've survived my trip spent hunting for haddock and cod but there's another type of north sea fishing that i want to experience it will mean going out with a smaller crew as they comb the floor of the huge north sea looking for an elusive high-value catch to give them their continental name they're langersteins the locals just call them prawns it's a dangerous mission with the nets often catching and tearing on the seabed but it's a risk worth taking the prawns are worth 82 million pounds a year to the fishermen from this part of the world i'm going hunting for these prawns on board the trawler pleiades with skipper gary hepburn gary hi bill ah hey found the right bows how are you you made it there i did hey guys are you saying i'm ben you're always helen nice to meet you ellen steve steve lloyd very nice to meet you there's only four of us well five in total though you're thinking a lot of work we need you diamond dade waits for nevermind we set sail in the dark just as most people are going to bed we'll be out here working until the weather turns or we're fully loaded with prawns that could take anything up to a week we're sailing into the world's biggest fishing grounds for this type of prawn when we arrive we send out a net that combs the sea floor hopefully finding the prawns that could mean a big payday for the skipper and his crew we don't need the tons of fish we saw on rosebloom just a few good halls of this high value crop to make it all worthwhile but as the first net comes up even i can see that it's not a good start to the voyage no use no use i'm just missing a toilet seat in the old boot i saw some tin cans in there nets deployed again now there's some old wellington boots i think we have to look through back below deck there's the small task of sorting through the muddy contents of the net and getting to know my new crewmates [Music] now the skipper um gary he's your uncle yeah he's my uncle and you're so he says that his brothers so your father is also a fisherman he's a fisherman as well is that a strange dynamic fishing with your father or is it something you've always done so it's not really it's just it's just something yeah something you get used to you don't really mind you just think of him as your boss to please the boss we're going to need to do better than this that's what we're after that's what we're after there's not enough there to make a prawn cocktail [Music] they really are like tinky it really is like in a comic book when the nets come back empty like this the finger often gets pointed at the new boy on board you know i thought we have to take you back to the hardware oh really sorry ben what because i'm bringing bad luck you're unlucky it's not been a good start to my time on board pleiades [Music] while many people have left the office they're at home tucked up in front of the television maybe watching this this is what's going on out in the north sea [Music] spend a couple of days out here and you'd completely forget what uh what day of the week it is it wouldn't be long before you forgot what month it was hard-working fishermen go way back in gary's family so this is a family tradition for you oh yes yes father yes grandfather yes great grandfather yes wow and it keeps going back to this probably does yes gary got this boat just five years ago an event he said was as exciting as his wedding day but he's one of the few skippers who have stayed in the industry when i started there were maybe 20 or 30 boats working this areas and now we're maybe down to six seven people take the simpler option and move somewhere else oil oil has that affected a lot of fishermen here oh yes definitely definitely good money on the oil rigs and government restrictions on how long these boats can spend at sea has drawn many fishermen away and with every empty or torn net you can see why the rewards are hard to come by in this difficult job 32 hours into our voyage there's another snag in the plan that costs gary more fishing time and money now we're having the hall a bit early because we think we've broke something might be a sweep might be a wire you've also got to worry you break your second sweep and lose your neck lose your net lose your catch and that's maybe two three thousand pounds in a catch maybe five six hundred pounds so quite a lot at stick what if i don't deserve this how's it looking gary it should be a quick fix but i know it's a torn bit in the wing so [Music] it might be a bit more than we think the nets become snagged on the seabed with the force tearing right through an inch thick metal cable if you want to see uh the power look at that it's an overnight fix i'm sharing the crew's desperate disappointment and hoping the trip will turn around for them but so little is in their hands [Music] and daylight brings yet more problems something has got stuck in the nest and closed it this could have lost us one of their uh their daytime walls which are pretty valuable really i'm thinking it's probably just mud that we've picked up they're working with quite a lot of weight a lot of weight in this situation there's another tense moment as 275 meters of chains and nets are hauled back to the surface to the net could have been a stone could have been a piece of wire mending time again you're going to have spent more time sewing than fishing i think a saying person would have been off his head long by now after the bounty of fish delivered by the rose bloom this trip is a reality check for me gary needs prawns in the necks to get money to run the boat and pay the crew the crew has to get a pay from somewhere this week so where's that come from if we don't catch anything well someone else has to do without either the boat share or we've always got a bit put aside for our rainy days so we've had a whole week of rainy days this week the only thing keeping spirits up is dinner and what else would be on the menu except fish and chips but not everyone on board seems to be a fan i just started eating fish about three four years ago i didn't like fish before that you're joking no why i never tried it your father was a fisherman you've got three brothers who are fishermen all and you'd never tried it i never tried it before though it's bed and rest and i'm hoping for gary's sake we get a fresh start tomorrow [Laughter] waking at dawn the nets fixed and in the ocean it seems like a good day for fishing but after all our problems it's an act of god that's the final straw bringing our voyage to an end i'm looking at the weather forecasting i think we'll just call it a day enough's enough and we'll have this hall hopefully we'll get some prawns but either way we're out of here well so a lot of money riding on that potentially if i mean if you if you get a bumper hall you'll be a happy man it'll need to be a good haul big one no what would gets what we get as the sun goes down on my last day on board pleiades it's time for that crucial last haul could it possibly turn our voyage around we've had three difficult days fishing on board pleiades our net were ripped apart leading to a through the night repair operation stormy weather ahead means we could be heading home with little to show for all our efforts this is the last throw of the dice as we haul for prawns one final time it looks a bit heavy maybe maybe not it looks like we won't be going back empty-handed after all at last our luck has changed meaning gary's got a fighting chance of at least breaking even right off to do some processing i'm not a born fisherman but after all the setbacks this week i can see why the crew gets so excited when the nets come in full yeah it's a good haul probably the best wall of the week the last one it's just it's just exciting in general you know you're on your way home with something to show for three days of hard work we can head back to dry land with our heads held high so what do you think ben is i've been better last time i'll tell you there's a few more this time skipper [Music] as it stands we've got something for our day persistent flogging a dead horse that's what it's all about as we steam home i have one more question for gary so do you become a fisherman or are you born a fisherman i think it's to be in you i think it's to be on you it's maybe a silly gene in the family a brave gene i think it's more than just money it's more than just a job it's what do you do someone might ask you it's not your job you're declaring it's your life who you are it's what i it's what i am riding home ahead of the storm we're on our way to harbour we unload 45 boxes of prawns worth around 5 000 pounds and they'll be on their way across europe within 24 hours thankfully it's turned out to be an unexpectedly good end to the trip [Music] listen thank you so much that's been an amazing amazing experience out there no we'll see you again okay and welcome back anytime thank you bye we've landed our catch in frazebra 17 miles up the coast from peter head and there's another very different type of north sea fishing that takes place from here [Applause] crab fishing boats have sailed from fraserbrough harbor for centuries but today there are only a handful left one of the boats is run by john alexander he's been a solo crab fisherman for 12 years that's a lot of crabs sent from the north sea to all over the uk john hey this is the right you're john are you yes i'm ben thank you i've been here nice to meet you nice to meet you so this is the boat i'm going out on today this is the boy it's a bit of punishment for the deer she's a bit of punishment there's no hanging about we sail at 8am so john can make full use of the daylight hours ahead to earn a decent wage for the day he's looking to catch the best part of half a ton of crabs from fraserburgh we travel 15 miles into the north sea to one of john's favorite fishing grounds [Music] when i was out on the rose bloom and i told the crew i was coming out with you they all said that i would never catch them working on a boat like this it's far too dangerous i don't know who einstein because it is a dangerous job at 10 meters the chloe may is less than half the size of the trawlers i've been on so far john used to work on the fishing trawlers until he decided he wanted to be his own boss but his is a very risky business missing your finger sorry i didn't mean to point that out but you i think you showed that to me is that was that lost here that's the other was it i did nigging handle it i actually just went in top with it the rope just sliced off the flash afterwards and a white doon into the hollow anyhow it goes in there you can pick off the deck when you're finished so as simple as that stay away from it yeah the thing is never put your back to the rail never put right back to the rail if you start the stumble you kind of stop yourself falling backwards is that my safety uh introduction it's your cfd introduction don't you touch this it's the oh yeah back to the rail and don't go near the pots at the back [Music] john has previously left long chains of big baskets called creels deep on the seabed [Music] the crabs crawl into the baskets and can't get back out again what are they saving for them four to seven fathom and one fathom is six feet six feet away [Music] now it's time to bring the creels back on board that is the butt here's the first one sounds a stupid question do they not bite you as you take them out if you give them half a chance they will bait you but it's as simple as that so now it's your turn there's not much time to get fed up is that no you're it's like non-stop john's often out on his own seven days a week from dawn until dusk working alone is dangerous but it's the only way john can earn enough to make it worthwhile a decent hall of crabs might earn him around 700 pounds but that's definitely danger money it's pretty physical this if you lose your concentration for a second you know you're gonna go well you're gonna fall or you're gonna go overboard but you know for john to do this on his own out here just an incredibly physical dangerous job if an accident happened while john was alone at sea or if one of the waves knocked him overboard there's literally no one to save him i mean i've done some stuff in my time but pastor said working the ocean the farmers out here in the north sea for another breed now it's my turn to get hands on with the crabs do i have here it comes here comes do i just need to look bloody hell there's a lot of crabs in here [Music] come on let go i just wet your fingers oh yeah he was going for me what's this a lobster what are you doing with this one [Music] this is a massive pink one girl's ben that's again the lake [Music] you must be bringing a bit of luck today this is i assume this is a good hole the fishing's good and that's another lobster john's always pleased to see the lobsters as each one is worth seven times as much as a crab you've got a crew and you're supposed to do that just keep it close then stick your finger in them lobster apparently up and down [Music] with my lobster tied up and the hard work done there's finally time to answer a call of nature so john this might seem a silly question but is is there a lou on board i've win big lou it's all round about yeah you can take your pick over the side over the side [Music] now that's easier said than done [Music] nice well i feel better now it's been a good day's work as we turn for home we've got half a ton of crabs ready to be sent south to market [Music] have you ever been to london have you ever seen where your crab goes no i've said for about the last five years i've been getting down to buildings gate market and see them actually been sold but i still haven't got there yet you haven't no i'm getting a couple of days off yeah isn't it a bit too easy and how much longer do you think you'll carry this on for probably as long as i can stand couldn't imagine myself working in an office or nothing was like it is just an avoidance away a life and i wouldn't miss it sometimes i think i wouldn't but i knew i would as the lights of frazerberg come into view they herald the end of my journey as a north sea fisherman stay safe i don't think i'm cut out to be a fisherman but then i could see the romance out there i could see that [Music] that beauty of being close to the ocean to the elements harvesting the sea [Music] i may have been sick as a dog at times cold wet tired and missing home but i survived and i've come out with a newfound respect for the north sea fishermen the last true hunters in britain [Applause] i have to say these are hard working guys we certainly reap the benefits of what they catch without that the next time you eat your fish and chips and i'm looking forward to a full night's sleep [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Our Stories

Views: 1,539,602

Keywords: Our Stories, Documentary, Observational Documentary, Real Stories, Full Episode, Full Length Episodes, Full Documentary, Fly On The Wall, Yearbook, Real Life, Documentaries, Real Lives, Behind The Scenes, north sea fishing, fisherman, trawlermen, trawlermen's lives, ben fogle, north sea, fishing, fishing documentary, trawlermen documentary, dangerous catch, ben fogle documentary

Id: n-Pj8l0d2TI

Length: 46min 38sec (2798 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 17 2021