The big, new commercial longlining, Narooma-based vessel the D&D unloaded its first ever catch on Wednesday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Skipper Todd Abbott and his brother Ryan were very pleased with the vessel’s 10-day maiden fishing voyage and the catch of 96 yellowfin tuna, as well as a range of other species including marlin, dolphinfish, swordfish, rudderfish and mako sharks.
They took the vessel north and fished the continental shelf between Newcastle and Wollongong for five days.
“It was excellent and we are absolutely rapt with it,” Todd said.
The vessel had three times the space of their former vessel the Fisco II.
“It’s so much more comfortable to work from and we can work in just about any weather,” he said.
“This is a much bigger vessel and we are not so dependent on the weather and the forecast and can sail off just about anytime.”
The large size of the vessel was a challenge coming in through the narrow bar and the night before was Todd’s first night crossing in the D&D.
“The bar looks even narrower in the dark,” he said.
The Abbotts chose the catamaran design for its shallow draught and it drew about the same amount of water as their previous vessel.
The family hopes to make Wednesday their regular unloading day as that gave Hayley and her mum Vicki enough time to process the catch for the markets up in Canberra.
The plan on doing regular eight to 10-day trips working out as far as Lord Howe Island.
The vessel will now be in port for a few more days for maintenance and to iron out any minor issues before departing on its next fishing trip.
Checking out the proceedings was the vessel's namesake and the sibling’s grandfather Des Creighton, who was one the first commercial fishermen to operate out of Narooma.
The vessel was named after Des and his wife Dot.
The 25-metre, state-of-the-art catamaran D&D was built by Calibre Boats in Port Adelaide last year and is one of the largest commercial fishing boats built in Australia.
The vessel arrived in Narooma back in November to much fanfare and has been a fixture at the Narooma town wharf for the past four months while the Abbott family worked on its final fit out.