Trawlermen (2006) s01e04 Episode Script

Starting Out

1 Tonight, Jimmy's at risk of blowing his boat out of the water.
This is really dangerous.
John faces his final challenge when he takes his fish to market.
That's not very good.
And new boy Ryan has his sea legs tested to the max.
It's all in a day's work for the men who do the most dangerous Job in Britain.
Only 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle, on the deck of whitefish trawler, Ocean Venture, the temperature has plummeted to minus 10.
I hate snow.
The crew are exhausted after working 18 hours every day for the past week.
We're treated like animals out here.
We're treated like animals.
(Laughs) After catching some valuable Greenland halibut, and filling 95 boxes with expensive redfish, the crew should be leaving the Atlantic and heading for home.
But skipper John Buchan can't resist one last haul.
And this time they really hit the Jackpot.
0h, yeah.
Full of cod.
Aye.
That is a better sight to see.
Yeah, there's cod in there.
That's what we want.
(Laughs) Beautiful.
Gold dust.
Gold dust.
Eh.
Deckhand Jonathan is delighted.
This is the last haul of the trip.
The best haul we've had of cod.
Lovely big, fat cod.
Beauties.
Where's all your pals, eh? Where's your pals, eh? It was a big boost getting that cod just now.
It will make all the difference in our pay.
How many fish suppers? Give us a clue, eh? Have a guess.
(Laughs) This one haul could fetch more than £5,000 at market.
We've done our bit.
It's out of our hands now.
It's up to the fish buyers.
If they could pay us plenty money one might have a a good pay at the end of it.
I hope.
200 miles east in the North Sea, the prawn trawler Amity is also catching a lot of fish.
But for skipper Jimmy Buchan, that's a problem.
He should be catching prawns.
Under EU regulations, fish can only make up 65 per cent of a prawn boat's total catch.
If Jimmy catches any more than that, he's legally obliged to throw the fish overboard.
My biggest fear is if there's more fish here, I've got to go down onto the deck, face the boys, say, "Boys, you've gotta chuck 'em back.
" These guys have been through hell and back this week.
For theirselves and for me.
This haul is absolutely vital to me this trip.
Pull her up.
Sad, really, isn't it? Nice fish.
Not enough prawns.
I honestly don't know what to do.
I'm supposed to throw them back over the side and I just can't bring myself to do it.
To avoid dumping his fish, most of which are dead already, Jimmy is forced to make a tough decision.
To find prawns, he's going to steam 100 miles back to a fishing ground called the Devil's Hole, that he left nine days ago.
He caught almost nothing there first time around, but Jimmy's tempted to try again.
I still have a hunch about this place.
It's one of those places, me against Mother Nature, I guess.
If the prawns is there, my best advice to them is look out, Amity's after you.
(Radio) Cromarty, south 8 to severe gale backing southeast, rain, moderate or poor.
(Narrator) In the harbour, a record-breaking boat is preparing to leave port.
Over the past few years, whitefish trawler Ryanwood has earned a reputation for landing some of the North Sea's biggest catches.
This makes Kevin West one of the most successful skippers in the fleet.
But even he's not happy about going to sea today.
Looking for an excuse not to go.
(Laughs) I could quite easily go back home and just stay another day.
But needs must.
Ryanwood is heading for Norwegian waters, 118 miles away, but she's not going alone.
For ten years she's fished as one half of a pair, alongside sister ship Castlewood.
In 2005 they set a UK record, becoming the first pair trawlers to gross £2 million in one year.
Their success depends on the experience of their crew.
But on this trip, Ryanwood has a new boy on board 17-year-old Ryan Morrison.
It's cool.
- Hello.
- This is Ryan's first Job at sea.
This is my bed.
Here.
I thought it would be one big cabin I'd be in, but it's comfortable, it's cosy.
That's my girlfriend.
I'm too big here.
The roof's a bit low.
That's everybody's oilskins and boots.
In here is the toilet.
You just hold on with your hands.
And aim.
Aim for the toilet.
Sometimes it's quite difficult.
It's easier if you just go outside.
Overall, quite pleased with the boat, it's quite comfortable inside.
Er Ryan's been attracted by the lure of big money, but having only done a 12-week course in fishing skills, he needs to prove that he's good enough to win a permanent Job aboard the best boat in the fleet.
Above all, he needs to impress the skipper, Kevin.
There's nothing stopping Ryan, nothing stopping Ryan making it in the fishing industry.
But he'll make up his own mind this week.
Bring on the cod! Back on Ocean Venture, John and the crew are packing the last of their bumper catch of cod.
(Laughter) Nine days ago, this hold was completely empty.
Now it's full with over 65,000 fish of all varieties.
Deckhand Alan is thinking of payday.
I'm gonna have a new car, I'm gonna have Sky TV, I'm gonna have a new kitchen.
Right now, we're going home.
H-0-M-E.
Home.
Beautiful day, good fishing.
What more do you need? Eh? It's a great life.
Any of you wants to sign up, just give me a call.
(Laughs) (Sings Hawaii Five-0 theme tune) Ah, brilliant.
Can't beat it.
Great feeling when you're through the pier heads.
Home at last.
It's good to be back on dry land, but you always find even the first day or so, you still find yourself swaying back and forward in the house.
True enough.
You stand in the kitchen making yourself a cup of tea and you'll go like this.
And then you think, "Ah, no, I'm on dry land, I don't need to do that any more.
" Ten days of hard graft is finally over.
But they know that it will all be for nothing if their fish doesn't sell for a good price at tomorrow's market.
The pair trawlers have Just entered Norwegian waters and they're about to start fishing.
Pair trawlers tow one giant net between them.
It covers more of the sea bed and should catch more fish than two single boats.
But sharing the net means the trawlers have to come together to exchange ropes.
And lining up a pair of 200-ton boats isn't easy.
Even though he's done it many times, skipper Kevin remains cautious.
The main thing to look for when you're pair trawling is to make sure the boats don't come together.
Cos, er if they do come together, it could be quite dangerous.
There has been boats when they've collided together, they've actually sunk.
Attaching lines is a vital part of pair trawling, and it's something Ryan's keen to see if he can make it up on deck in time.
Head up! Finally.
By the time Ryan arrives on deck, all the work is done.
Now the boats move half a mile apart to tow the net between them.
With the net in the water for the next four hours, the crew can relax.
( Lively Jazz on TV) But Ryan's staying on deck.
(Retches) (Seagulls cry) (Spits) Wait.
Got seasickness.
0h.
100 miles away, Amity has arrived at the Devil's Hole.
It's a last-ditch attempt by skipper Jimmy to catch some prawns.
It's getting so serious now I'm starting to look for those large prawns with my binoculars.
I'm beginning to wonder if that's one passing now.
First mate Kevin wants to end the trip with a bang.
What he finds in the net isn't quite what he had in mind.
We're just heaving up, I've just seen a small torpedo in the net.
I'm quite nervous about this cos I don't know whether it's live or not.
This could be very dangerous.
If it's live, we're all in trouble here.
- Come away behind.
- All right, leave her, leave her.
Whoa.
I don't want her to blow up here.
Be very careful with this.
It's not too often we pick up the likes of this, but this is really dangerous.
If this blows up now, I am a goner.
Think I'll stay up here.
Jimmy.
I think we're quite safe.
I see a lot of water in it.
To prevent other vessels from picking up the torpedo, Kevin stores it until Amity reaches port.
She's full of water.
I'm pretty sure it's a dead one.
I think if it was live, I would be out of here.
I've laid it at a bit of an angle, so if it does go off, she can go that way.
(Jimmy laughs) 0r if I fall out with the skipper, I'll turn it the other way and face the wheelhouse.
Just going back to say a prayer now, to say that I'm still alive and I'm glad, I'm happy now.
Jimmy's not so happy.
He's still praying for prawns.
(Bird squawks) After towing for the past four hours, the pair trawlers are hauling their net.
And this time Ryan's made it out on deck.
(Groans) I just got soaked.
I'm freezing.
Skipper Kevin has a bigger problem.
They've caught very little.
A worrying start for two of the most successful boats in the fleet.
No, it's a waste of time.
Waste of time.
Instead of the 70 boxes Kevin expected, this haul will barely fill 20.
I need two baskets.
In the gutting room, Ryan's been given two simple Jobs.
First, washing the fish.
And second, tipping them down the chute to the fish room, but only on Martin's cue.
Ryan! - Good luck! - Cheers.
- And watch the ceiling.
- Yeah.
0i! 0i! (Martin) 0i! Ryan! He just put the fish.
Put the fish down without shouting.
It just lands on the floor.
You've just got to pick it up again.
He was last in the line when the brains was dished out.
(Gulls calling) Peterhead is the biggest whitefish port in the UK, with catches worth more than £90 million landed every year.
The fish market opens at 7am sharp.
(Hubbub) This morning the market is packed, but high competition means low prices.
£55.
That's bad news for skipper John Buchan.
He needs to sell Ocean Venture's fish for at least £30,000 in order to make a profit.
Well, when I when I looked at the tally at the door, I saw the market was full, I was depressed a bit.
If the market is full, fish buyers tend to be oversupplied, and they just pick and choose.
£35.
£35.
51, 51, 51.
With John's haddock - coley - 92.
92.
and monkfish all selling at rock-bottom prices, he's barely covered the boat's running costs.
It's not a very good feeling at all when you see poor prices for your catch.
It's not very good.
If you steam 1,000 mile, you have to pay for the fuel to steam 1,000 mile.
John took a risk this week, travelling to the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
It added over £10,000 to his running costs.
But he's the only skipper to have landed deep-water fish, and he's hoping to corner the market with his Greenland halibut.
John needs them to sell for £110 a box.
Bidding starts at £100.
100.
Five, ten 15, 20, five, 30, five, 40, five, 50.
150, five.
160 sold.
That's very good.
160 for a box.
That's very good.
Big, big money.
I wasn't expecting that.
So I think we'll go to the deep water next week and catch halibut again.
John's plan is working.
His other deep-water catch, redfish, also sells well, making an unexpected £5,000.
- Delighted.
- Skipper smiling.
You want a lot next week? And as the icing on the cake How many fish suppers? John's cod sold privately for another £5,000.
This means that for ten days at sea, Ocean Venture's six-man crew will share more than £20,000.
Delighted with that.
The gamble going to deep water has paid off.
Big time.
(Laughs) 150 miles away from home, and eight days into a frustrating trip, Jimmy's finally found some prawns.
Look at this.
Quality prawns.
Look at the size of the prawns in there.
Beautiful prawns.
These are the babies we're after.
I'm excited.
For first mate Kevin it's a welcome sight.
These are the best prawns we've seen all trip.
Look at that.
Just absolutely crackers.
The restaurants pay a lot of money for that.
Get that on a plate, they're paying up to £40 for it.
Unbelievable money.
For now, the crew have to settle for more basic rations.
That's another haul over, that.
Another haul closer to home.
But before the crew can even think of going home, they need to fill all of their 400 boxes with prawns.
Jimmy's keen to know the tally.
- How much did you fill, Kevin? - Hold on, hold on.
Hold on.
I'm holding on.
This is getting exciting now.
This is the tense bit.
This is the bit I always want to know.
Have we made the grade for this haul? We've got 179.
Same again for next several hauls, we'll be doing all right.
Yesterday, it was doom and gloom, and today it's We're on the up again.
Feeling positive at last, Jimmy immediately shoots the net again.
But there's a problem.
During the trip, Amity's net has pulled up a number of stones.
This has finally taken its toll on the winches, which have failed.
Jimmy manages to fix them, but if they break again with the net in the water, he will have to leave £30,000 worth of fishing gear lying on the sea bed.
I'm taking a big risk because if we pick up another stone and it's in that side, which is the side without the hydraulics we're buggered.
If Jimmy's worst fears come true, he'll be forced to head home.
With his boat half-empty, he won't make enough money to pay the repair bill, let alone pay the crew.
Like Jimmy, the pair trawlers haven't had a decent catch in days.
Of their 1,500 boxes, they've only filled 50.
It's Castlewood's turn to haul the net, and once again, it's disappointing.
Ryanwood's skipper, Kevin, is starting to get anxious.
Hey.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys.
Now we're getting a bit itchy.
That's the poorest one this week, so far.
Just diabolical.
Kevin wants his net in the water as soon as possible.
It's all hands on deck.
But trainee Ryan is missing.
There's no point.
Shit, man.
Some young men come away to this and when reality hits it hits big style.
He realises maybe the the fishing industry's maybe not going to be the job for him.
But if I don't start taking more fish, I'll maybe have to start thinking about (Laughs) Thinking about doing something different myself.
Ryan's only made it as far as the wheelhouse.
His lack of enthusiasm is beginning to frustrate the skipper.
It's no use in coming out here if he's getting bothered with sore heads and and, er maybe not able to do what he's supposed to be doing, so medically he needs to get himself sorted out first before he thinks about coming back out.
Maybe it's I think it's something to do with my eyes.
Right.
That's enough.
That's it.
Kevin decides it's time for a quiet word with Ryan.
Shout if they want.
I don't think, er he thinks much of the of the job just now.
I think he wishes he was back home with his mother.
Tomorrow on Trawlermen Ryan has to make a career choice between fish and chips.
I'd rather be fishing than peeling potatoes.
And Jimmy finds himself trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Looks like the devil's beaten me this time.

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