grift Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 This statement by Josie Simpson, which seems to attempt to justify the blackfish landings, makes me wonder about his integrity. From http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/3442-caught-up-in-a-catch-22.html He [simpson] explained that once illegal landing began, it rapidly turned into a vicious cycle. “When other black fish is being landed that depresses the market because the buyer is getting cheap fish,†he said. “Once that happens the only way to compensate for the poorer price is to land more tonnage and the more tonnage you land black, the more you depress the market - so it’s a complete Catch 22 situation they got themselves into.†So, according to Simpson, the "only" way for the industry to deal with illegal landings is for everyone to get involved to level the playing field?? Surely, given the sophistication of the operation(s), if the only reason blackfish was being landed was to compensate for a depressed market due to other blackfish being landed, the brains behind the operation could have worked together to stop blackfish alltogether? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 ^^ "Least said, soonest mended" might have been wise on his part all things considered. Too many hats all round again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrobbie99 Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 The sad thing about all this is that Shetlands good name and reputation have been dragged through the mud.This was one of the lead stories on news at ten last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoots Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Muppet, you may be wrong on this one, as to how they were caught. No reports I've seen said that, and Sherlock certainly didn't seem to think so either (posts on page 3). You make out like the fact they paid tax makes it okay. Seems to me that's Fred-the-Shred "Greed is Good" mentality that ruined the banks and economy. I mean, I bet none of them were exactly on the breadline, before they started this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 It was accountants who provided the evidence that something was going on http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/3441-a-black-day-for-fishing.html Fisheries officers had long suspected that over quota fish were being landed illegally at some of Scotland’s eight pelagic fish factories. However it was only when they hired financial experts KPMG to examine the companies’ accounts and compare them to the notified landings that they put two and two together. After studying the figures from 1 January 2002 to 28 March 2004, they found that Shetland Catch – Scotland’s largest fish factory – and Fresh Catch could not justify their earnings from the landings they had declared. If the earnings were in their accounts they would have been paying tax on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoots Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 You have to wonder... Set up an incredibly complex and very clever physical set up, to cover your illegal acts, committed on a massive (financial) level, and then go and declare all (? ) your ill-gotten gains to the taxman??? It's like robbing a bank then asking a copper to hold the loot while you take off your balaclava and unlock your getaway motor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odddjob Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Wiz it that complex? Looking at the photos in the press if the fishery officers had moved 20 metres from the scale they could have counted all the fish very easily, coming off the packing lines in 1 tonne units. They had fulll access to all areas of the factory. I understand that's what they do now. If they had done this simple process back then perhaps all this hassle and expense could have been avoided? You have to wonder why they didn't bother. After all that's what they were paid to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciseman Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 You have to wonder... Set up an incredibly complex and very clever physical set up, to cover your illegal acts, committed on a massive (financial) level, and then go and declare all (? ) your ill-gotten gains to the taxman??? It's like robbing a bank then asking a copper to hold the loot while you take off your balaclava and unlock your getaway motor... not really - they were trying to be clever - trying to make the money obtained by criminal deception appear to be obtained by legal means by hiding it in their declared earnings. It just means that they paid tax on money they shouldn’t have had in the first place – in effect they were getting away with swindled money after tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoots Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Oddjob, I thought the reports said there was a vital section (with the true weights) which they WERE denied access to? Exciseman, thanks for that. Suitably enlightened. Still seems pretty dumb to me. As though they were hoping all the authorities weren't as clever as they thought they were... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciseman Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Oddjob, I thought the reports said there was a vital section (with the true weights) which they WERE denied access to? ..At Shetland Catch in Lerwick, one of Europe's largest fish processors, the company installed a duplicate conveyor belt when its new factory was built, fitting a secret weight-reading device in the loft and a computer in an engineer's workshop "a considerable distance" from the factory floor.from http://www.guardian.co.uk/envi.....al-catches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odddjob Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Fishery officers have and have always had fulll access to all areas in a fish factory. Check the legislation. Fair enough things can be hidden from them. But they could still have looked if they wanted to. However the area where they check now is only yards from that scale and was hardly out of reach by any stretch of the imagination. If they wanted to do a proper check they could easily have done. Why didn't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoots Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Maybe cos when you put your car in for an MOT, they expect to find the engine in the engine compartment, not hidden in a specially created compartment in the boot? Maybe they had a reasonable right to expect the factory owners of being HONEST, or is that such a strange concept? I can just imagine the conversation at breakfast. "Bye darling, I'm off to Shetland, to inspect the fish factories". "yes dear, don't forget to check the loft for secret weighing devices, or the engineers shed for the computer with the real weights readouts. After all, you know how cheeky these fishermen can be!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odddjob Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Or alternatively, "I know it's pretty boring but please don't just fall asleep in front of the computer today, why don't you get up and have a look around, after all that's what you're paid for. It's just a few yards and then you can confirm everything is legit, it won't tire you that much, then I'll run you a nice hot bath when you get home. I know it's hard work!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoots Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 The loft, man! They built it in the loft. To me that's obviously dishonest. But you're blaming the Fisheries guys, it seems. You've implied a couple of things, with no citations, as requested. All your posts have been on this topic... A vested interest or do you just genuinely feel that these 'poor souls' are victims of ineptitude on part of the Fisheries, rather than being hoist by their own petard, over their own criminality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odddjob Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 I guess maest folk on shetlink join when they want to comment on a particular issue. Coorse I ken folk involved, wha in shetland dusna? And off course it was totallly and unequivocally wrong. A terrible slur on the industry. But it's no as simple as being made out and it's surely valid to present a counter view. That's what these forums are all aboot, or so I thot. Seafish, HMRC, all idder official agencies that took levy and payments fae dis and off course the fishery officers hardly being proactive - dus kind a suggest a possible conspiracy worth questioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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