Charisma
Vessel details
Location: Amble
Certificate Number: MML-RF-0140
Age of vessel: 5
Size of vessel: 9.9 meters
Crew size: 2
Species caught: Prawns in winter, whiting and haddock in summer
Fishing method: Single boat trawl
Skipper details
Name: Mr Stephen Armstrong
Phone number: 01665 710038
Email: stephenarmstrong@hotmail.co.uk
How long owned: 4 years
How long fishing: 18 years
Agent details
Name: Northern Seafoods
Phone: 01665 353808
Other information
scope: whitefish / nephrops
Boat launched Feb 2003 as AJAX LH554 for a Fleetwood owner. My brother Neil bought the boat in March 2004 and renamed it Charisma BH27, a family boat name. I started skippering it in July 2006 after working on my own boat, Crystal River BH476, which I still own with another brother, Ian. This boat is also certified in the Responsible Fishing Scheme. Fishing has been in my family for many generations and today, still is with my father, uncle and three brothers still fishing. I started going to sea with my father in my school holidays and as soon as I left school started fishing on his boat. Having worked on crabbers, netters and seiners all owned over the years by my father, I've built up a good knowledge of the fishing industry. The seiner he owned, ProviderA ATL57 gave me a good insight into what good quality fish looked like and so I try to keep my fish and prawns up to a good quality as this is what the buyers want. I fish for prawns with a bycatch of whitting in winter months and whitting and haddock with a bycatch of cod in summer months using a single trawl, I have strong opinions against twin rig trawling, landing every day to keep the catch as fresh as possible. My home port is Amble but because of tidal restrictions work mainly out of Blyth. In summer months I only work Monday to Thursday to give fishing groounds a rest and never work on a Sunday because of religion. I believe there is a good future in fishing with a good government and a lot of common sense.