Farewell to Aalskere K373

That the Parliament extends its best wishes to Orkney fisherman Iain Harcus and his family as their whitefish trawler, Aalskere K373, is sold to new owners in the Faroe Islands; notes that the state-of-the-art vessel rigged for stern trawling was built by Kynde & Toft AS in Thyboron, Denmark, in 2020 for Iain, his wife Elizabeth, his father John and the Don Fishing Company of Peterhead; understands that the vessel was the namesake of the previous Aalskere, which Iain and John bought in 2000 from Shetland when she was known as Vandal LK337; recognises that the Aalskere became a national TV star on BBC2’s Fish Town documentary in 2019, which followed the lives of those involved in the fishing industry around the UK; acknowledges that Iain has made the decision to sell the vessel after a long career, but in the face of what it sees as immense challenges facing the wider fishing industry, including rising fuel prices, tight quotas and what it considers poor post-Brexit arrangements; regrets that this has reportedly also prompted the departure of Orkney whitefish trawler Keila K121, which has left Westra Fjord K193 as the last remaining Orkney-registered whitefish trawler; pays tribute to Iain and his family's dedication to Orkney's whitefish industry and his outstanding generosity to local charitable causes, including regular donations to BBC Radio Orkney's Children In Need appeal over the years; believes that the Aalskere will have a prominent place in the history of Orkney's whitefish industry and that her presence in the islands will be sorely missed; acknowledges what it sees as the bravery and commitment of the Aalskere's crew over the years, including co-skipper William Brown; and wishes Iain, Elizabeth and the Harcus family all the very best for the future.