The owners of a Fife lobster fishing boat which was deliberately sunk when holes were drilled into the hull say they’re now “relieved” that the boat has been re-floated.
The incident at Methil harbour was caught on CCTV – in what appears to be a targeted attack. A substantial reward is still being offered to help find the culprit.
CCTV caught a man jumping over a security fence, armed with a power drill, and heading towards the Tina Louise boat.
In the footage, he disappears from view before climbing back onto the pier and fleeing the scene.
The family are still coming to terms with what happened and after four weeks, the Tina Louise has been retrieved from the bottom of the harbour.
Ross Coventry, fisherman for the Tina Louise, said: “It’s been quite a considerable impact for a small business like ourselves, particularly at this time of year.
“It’s the peak of the season, so we have missed out on that and we also have the onshore side of the business, so we have had to source shellfish and lobsters from other boats.
“They have been really helpful which is great but again that makes an impact on the profits of the business.”
Ross fishes for lobster and crab throughout the year and his wife Tina sells the catch on to restaurants across Fife. The pair have worked here for around 16 years.
Tina said: “It’s not going to stop us from fishing, it’s what we do and it’s what we have always done.
“Whether we repair the Tina Louise or we get a replacement Tina Louise, Tina Louise will still be fishing.”
It’s not the first time they’ve been targeted – thousands of pounds worth of lobsters were stolen at the end of last year. And there have been other reports of suspicious activity around Methil docks.
Police say enquiries remain ongoing.
Ross said: “There is a substantial reward out there for anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the person or persons behind this being convicted.
“So if anybody has any information, we’d appreciate that being put forward and hopefully give us some resolution anyway for what’s happened.”
Meanwhile a crowdfunder set up by customers, has already raised over £7,000 to put towards repairs or a new boat.
Ross and Tina say that support has spurred them on, after a difficult few weeks.
Tina added: “It’s been really, really hard but we’ll come back”.
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