Articles & News

30th December 2021

Seafish ID cards

Seagoing training certificates ID cards and certificates are available to fishing industry workers who have completed training. Find out how to order new or replacement certificates Mandatory training...

29th November 2020

Trawl net monitors - a brief introduction

Trawl net monitors have been developed by various companies for many years. Over the years the technology has improved - battery life has been extended and the functions have been improved, making the...

16th June 2020

A marine survey

Are you wondering how you can decide on your next boat and progress the sale? Or are you wanting to endorse your boat for sale advert with a recent marine survey? A full marine survey or a valuatio...

20th May 2020

Sailing by

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia UK Shipping map "Sailing By" is a short piece of light music composed by Ronald Binge in 1963, which is used before the late Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4. A s...

14th May 2020

The Pentland Firth

'The Pentland Firth is a strait located in the northern part of Scotland, separating the mainland from the Orkney Islands. It is one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the British Isles due...

12th May 2020

Seine netting revisited

Drone footage of the salmon on Parry beach2020 Seine fishing is a method of catching fish using a net that is hung vertically from a rope and used to haul catch from the water. The top is usually buoy...

15th April 2020

What is AIS?A simple explanation of how it works and how everyone can access it

AIS a simple explanation AIS Automatic Identification System was mandatory for vessels over 300 GT in 2002 Now all fishing vessels 15m and over must have one installed Over the years two class types...

28th March 2020

Navigating Lateral and Cardinal Marks

Navigating the channels, seas and waterways of the world can be a tricky business but ever since man took to the seas there has been a correlative system of piloting aids; from the fire and mirror lig...

28th March 2020

Safety Tips

It’s probably one of the most recurring questions that gets asked when using FAFB to buy a boat or to sell a boat; how to stay secure online when buying or selling a high-ticket item like a boat. Whil...

27th March 2020

Kelvin Diesel Marine Engines: A brief history

Founded in 1904 as the Bergius Car and Engine Company, Kelvin Diesels is a Scottish manufacturer of marine engines that are widely used in commercial fishing vessels and small tugboats. The founder, W...

5th February 2020

A Guide to Basic Diesel Engine Maintenance

Diesel engines are relatively straightforward to maintain and if you can cover the basics on a regular basis then you can be sure to prevent costly mechanical failures that could leave you, quite lite...

17th December 2019

Fishing Trawlers: The basics

Also known as draggers, a trawler is a commercial fishing vessel which is designed to pull (or drag) a trawl net behind it to catch fish. The net is known as the trawl and can be deployed at a specifi...

5th November 2019

Marine electronics explained: Depth/Echo Sounders/fishfinders

Depth sounders (or echo sounders) are a type of SONAR system used in marine navigation to determine the depth of the water or to locate and visualize objects beneath the waves. They are used as both a...

5th September 2019

A short history of fishing boats

A history of trawling. The United Kingdom has an affinity for the sea and its history of fishing is an essential part of our culture as an island nation. From the development of early coastal communit...

9th May 2019

Safety First: Surviving at Sea

Safety at sea is not something anyone can take for granted and, as well as some mandatory requirements for essential equipment, there are some things which should be common place, whatever size vessel...

1st May 2019

Marine Chart Plotters Explained

Marine technology is a diverse industry and ranges from advanced navigational tools to safety devices and, for the commercial fishing sector, products designed to increase yields from target fish stoc...

6th April 2019

The FAFB A to Z of Nautical, Fishing and Boat Terms Explained

Every industry has its own lingo and the commercial fishing sector is no different. In some ways, the language used can be more oblique with some nautical terms being derived from ancient times. We’ve...

21st March 2019

Basic Boat Maintenance

Whatever size, make or model you have, owning a boat comes with some routine maintenance requirements. The more often your boat is in use, the more wear and tear or accidental damage can occur so it i...

20th September 2018

Update on Prawn Trawl Gear Trials from Ben Collier

The Northern Ireland Gear Trials project is now into its second year of an initial two year long, EMFF funded programme that aims to design, trial and implement more selective fishing gears for the pu...

21st April 2018

Anti-fouling Time

Protecting the hull of your vessel is an essential part of the routine maintenance required to keep your boat in good service and applying some form of anti-fouling is inescapable to do so. But why do...

22nd January 2018

Read the book by Percy and Gary Mitchell, A boat builders story

Percy Mitchell the renowned and innovative boat builder from Portmellon near Mevagissey in Cornwall , wrote this book which is a detailed description of early wooden boat building in Cornwall , Ga...

13th December 2017

Fishing Methods Explained: Longlining

The methods of fishing vary greatly depending on the species of fish that is being targeted and the type of water being fished. Over a series of articles we take a look at some of the more common meth...

24th August 2017

The Shipping Forecast 150 years old

The shipping Forecast started as a public service 150 years ago 24 Aug 1867 It is the longest running weather forecast in the world The forecast is loved by many not only mariners but thousands find c...

24th April 2017

Which EPIRB Do I Need ?

An EPIRB is a type of tracking device that is used on board both commercial and leisure marine craft to provide assistance at sea in the event of emergencies. They can also be used as personal assista...