Land a place on course to gain fishing qualifications

Town-based Anglo-Scottish Seafish Training Association (ASSTA) is running another round of the Introduction to Commercial Fishing course.

The three-week tutorial is offered free of charge and gives attendees the chance to obtain the necessary certificates to go to sea as a crew member aboard a fishing vessel.

These qualifications include sea survival, fire-fighting, first aid and basic health and safety.

Participants will cover topics such as gear and catch handling, net mending, rope work, navigation and boat handling.

Upon completion of the course, students will be helped to find berths aboard suitable fishing vessels, so that they can then go to sea and put their new-found knowledge into practice.

Dennis Osborne, manager of ASSTA and whose office is based at Amble Marina, said that the course is suitable for school-leavers wanting a career in the commercial fishing industry, as well as older candidates who are looking for a career change and want to try commercial fishing as an occupation.

The course has been running for a number of years and it has helped graduates land places in the industry in the past, including one successful trainee who bought his own boat and licence and started fishing out of Amble as a part-time commercial fisherman.

Dennis said: “The course gives people the chance to obtain the mandatory certificates required by law without having to pay and will give people a strong footing to apply for jobs in the industry.

“We have run a number of successful courses in Amble resulting in many of the trainees going to sea as commercial fishermen. There was the lad at Amble who bought his own boat, while others who have completed the course have been employed at Craster, Hartlepool and Ireland, among other places.”

The course is made possible by the funding provided by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Marine Coast Guard Agency.

The next course is starting in Amble on April 3. To register your interest, call Dennis on 07702 042551.