BUILDS A LEGACY O
INDUSTRY LEADER BY KEITH INGRAM
n February 21 Stark Bros launched their new 16.8m steel fishing trawler Legacy. Designed and built by Stark Bros at its Lyttelton shipbuilding facility for Ocean Fisheries, the fishing trawler was named in recognition of Stark Bros founder Frank Stark and his legacy of successful boatbuilding, ship repair, transport, and commercial fishing businesses. Starks' chief executive Andrew Stark says she is the company's first new build since Frank passed away in 2008. The launch also coincided with the retirement of John Hall, Stark Bros' boatbuilding foreman, who joined the
company as an apprentice in 1963. John has built well over 50 boats in the 49 years with Starks where he has always been recognised as a talented and skilled tradesman. Legacy was christened by Liz Stark. The first boat Liz launched for Starks was when, as Frank's fiancée, she launched Bluewater back in 1967. Bluewater was the first commercial fishing boat Stark Bros built for the then fledging new fishing company Ocean Fisheries. Amid an ongoing drought of new trawlers in New Zealand, Legacy is the latest in a line of new coastal fishing vessels from Stark Bros following Frontier in 2004, Jubilee in 2008, and the Nessie J in 2009. This is is no mean feat, especially when we look around at the state of many of the dying fishing fleet who now look to be years past their use-by date.
Liz Stark
Clearly if the inshore fishing industry is to survive those who control the quota are going to have to ease up on the purse strings and allow fishermen to make money. More importantly, for fishermen to commit to new vessel builds they need to know they have secure quota at an affordable price. In this regard while Ocean Fisheries own some quota, which when combined with their LFR provides approximately 70 percent
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Tim, Cam, Liz and Andrew Stark
8 Professional Skipper May/June 2012