Alarm: The siren sounds. The sailors in their oilskins and rubber boots get on as fast as lightning. The helmet already on the head. It’s on deck in no time. The fish must be heaved. I am staring spellbound at the sea, with four seasoned sailors next to me. Now everyone has to pitch in: Fish farmer Denny Engelbrecht, 19, and helmsman Kai Rogge, 25, as well as the two Portuguese fishermen Antonio Pontes, 48, and Manuel dos Santos, 43. The fifth man, Captain Charly Heiber, 45, calls out from the bridge short commands.
About 30 hours ago I went on board the “Bianca” in Bremerhaven , one of the five coalfish fishing vessels of the “Kutterfisch-Zentrale” in Cuxhaven. Their pollock fishery will be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) this year. She receives this award for her sustainably managed catch, with which she does not overfish pollock stocks and maintains a healthy marine environment.
Now the ship is rocking on the North Sea at the Danish-Norwegian border, a full net in tow. Very slowly it rises from a depth of 120 meters from the seabed. No sign of the fish yet. Suddenly, about 500 meters away, the end of the trawl becomes visible. A gigantic “bag”, filled to the brim. Its shiny contents sparkle in the sunlight.
“Hiev op!” comes the voice from the loudspeaker on the bridge. The men use two cable winches to bring the trawl net closer to the ship. Chains rattle, ropes are tightened and wire ropes are pulled on deck. Antonio fastens a thick hook in the net. Every move fits. A quick signal to the bridge and Charly heaves the bag on board. To do this, the former non-commissioned officer with the steel-blue eyes has to operate a few buttons and levers. Everything fully electronic. Nevertheless, his full concentration is required. The first dripping wet bag of coalfish of this journey is hanging on a mighty rope. The salty, spicy smell of the sea water fills my nostrils. With nimble fingers, Antonio undoes the knot at the “stert”, the end of the net. Around two tons of coalfish fall onto the deck. The men stand in the midst of wriggling fish. The slippery animals slide through a hatch into the belly of the cutter. The network will be suspended again shortly. After all, such a trip must be worthwhile for the seafarers: their income is calculated according to the catch.
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Put on hold
The fishermen have little time for a breather. The catch must be processed quickly. Denny and Kai are already below deck, in the so-called “factory”. They gut the fish on two machines with razor-sharp knives that look like circular saw blades. While the men put the coalfish into the machines with a deafening noise, I discover a lot of other fish while catching. Most often cod. This by-catch has to be cleaned out by hand because the machines are not designed for this. A bloody job. Nothing for me. I flee and make my way to the fish room, one deck below. The gutted catch arrives there via eight conveyor belts and a sorting machine that sorts the fish by weight. Antonio and Manuel work here in arctic temperatures. They stack pollock by weight and bycatch by fish species in large plastic tubs sandwiched between layers of crushed ice. Depending on the amount of catch, the men are busy for up to four hours. In total, more than 80 tons of fish fit into the “Bianca” .
In the meantime, Charly is taking care of the routes on the bridge that will take us to the Bergen Bank near the Shetland Islands. At the moment we are towing. The cutter pulls around 700 meters of net and lines behind it for around six hours. The captain mainly has two screens in view: the echo sounder provides information about the number of schools of fish that are moving on the seabed. The second monitor sends a picture of the amount of fish in the net and the condition of the ground rope. With its help, the trawl rolls across the seabed. While Charly is still evaluating the screen data for himself, Denny hands him a piece of paper with the catches that have just been processed. “The beasts again,” I hear Charly swear. I mean the cod. Not that he doesn’t like him. The law limits the amount he can take on board as bycatch throughout the year. This quota is important to ensure that cod stocks are not overfished. He can still land a little more than four tons in the next six months.
“If we continue to get so much into the net, we will have exhausted our cod quota by the end of August,” explains the experienced seaman. Anything they catch they have to throw back into the sea. Dead fish that are of no use to anyone except perhaps the hungry seagulls. This so-called “discard” could be avoided if bycatch could be taken despite overfishing of the quota. A goal that the independent experts at the MSC are also pursuing. In principle, Charly has nothing against quotas. However, he and his colleagues do not always understand the complicated handling and its reduction by the federal government.
Real sea dogs
After a week we have a total of 50 tons of fish on board, which we bring ashore in the Danish port of Hanstholm. The coalfish travels to Cuxhaven in a refrigerated truck in a few hours for filleting. For the crew there is only a short shore leave after unloading. The next evening we are back on the high seas.
Although the men are away from their families about 270 days a year and have to work hard around the clock, they would not want to trade their jobs with anyone else. When I experience a fantastically beautiful sunrise on the bridge on the last morning, I know why.
The MSC SEAL certifies fisheries and their management for their sustainable catch. This is checked again and again by independent experts. Over 200 fish products are currently available in German supermarkets. Saithe is coming this year.
ORGANIC FISH from organic aquaculture grows according to strict rules. Additives – such as genetically modified feed, growth regulators or hormones – are prohibited. Medicines are hardly given. Conventional aquaculture does not work according to these standards.
