A life on the ocean waves with Scots fishermen

The story of Scotland’s – and the UK’s – biggest fishing port continues on television tonight.

James Cosmo is the narrator of Fish Town, a BBC Scotland series, which features the real-life stories of people working on land and at sea to put the fish on our plates.

In the second episode of Fish Town, the trawler Reliance is halfway through a fishing trip off the Shetland Isles when skipper John Clarke spots a broken rope that could lead to the boat losing its net.

The crew fix the problem and put out the nets again, but they are hit by a rogue wave which rips a two-tonne metal bar off the top of the boat. While John and the crew are clearing up from the accident, the boat’s main hydraulic pipe breaks, leaving the boat unable to pull in its fishing gear. If it can’t be fixed, they’ll have to cut the net free.

John and the crew manage to fix the pipe and recover the net, and the boat has to sail back to Peterhead for emergency repairs.

Reliance skipper John Clarke (right) and his son David (Photo: Firecrest Film/BBC Scotland)

In the remote Norwegian sector of the North Sea, the trawler Rosebloom and its sister ship the Boy John are looking for hake. Fishing is good while the weather is fine, but the arrival of heavy fog leaves the boats empty handed.

Back on land, fish buyer Jason Jack is on the floor of his family’s factory, trying to make sure that the fish he’s bought get processed and packed up in time to be loaded onto lorries that will take it to customers across the UK and Europe.

Fish Town will be broadcast on BBC One Scotland, from 7.30-8.00pm.