The Gloup fishing disaster memorial.
After the Paris attacks last night it was a sad day, it was heartbreaking news, an atrocity. While they are completely different in context and reasons, it found my mind turning to thoughts about fishing disasters and the sudden, devastating loss of so many lives. This memorial is for the Gloup disaster in Yell, in July 1881 58 fishermen were killed by an unexpected summer storm coming from the direction of Iceland, wiping out the entire male population of the community. I find this strong, stone, woman looking out to sea a moving and courageous reminder of loss and the hardships endured by those that are left behind.
As I am here inside listening to Storm Abigail arriving, due to be an amber warning and the schools are closed tomorrow here in Shetland. The winds and rain are sounding around the house, my thoughts again turn to being at sea. I have just taken my dog out for a walk in the dark and we listened to the roar of waves while feeling the gusts of wind and I just imagine how it is out in the deep water, on the swell and it really brings it home, the risks of being at sea, the strength of the sea, the unpredictability of the weather and the demanding, perilous conditions that fishermen often had to work in.
So thinking about that I will continue on my boat names list:
Jesse Sinclair
Margaret Rose
Cornucopia
Joey
Swiftwing
Northern Light
Press On
Responsive
Utopia
Maid of the Mist
Spec Vera
Brighter Morn
Enterprise
Constant Friend
……..and more
What does Pelagic mean, in Shetland it means Herring and Mackerel. A cheap source of protein, now largely exported to former communist countries and Africa, Nigeria being a huge market.
Into lists today, maybe because we had a meeting at Mareel this morning. Among my many lists I am compiling there is the boat names list:
Serene
Ocean Reaper
Harvest Gold
Sunshine
Venture
Antarctic
Research
Guardian Angel
Evening Star
Replenish
Tea Rose
Prevail
Dauntless
…..and more
This morning I visited Shetland Catch, pelagic fish factory in Lerwick, the largest of its kind in Europe, they are sponsoring the sculpture project. At the moment it is mackerel season and a busy time with the factory in full operation. The Zephyr trawler was docked and the fish were being pumped directly from the boat and into the factory. It is difficult to get a gauge on the sheer volume of fish that come through in one day, hundreds of tonnes, walking through you start to get a sense of the amounts, it is a constant conveyor belt of fish being moved around the factory, on a complex system and network of belts, channels, pipes and forklifts zooming around all to get the fish packed, stacked, quickly and out. At Shetland Catch they are cleaned, sorted into sizes and frozen ready to be exported around the world.
It is a place of multiples, stacked packs, blocks of flat boxes, walls of frozen blocks of 20kg packs of mackerel.
And refrigerated rooms at -24!
