Also in the news / Jim’s lifetime achievement, fishermen to go it alone, folk festival returns and more…
RETIRED Shetland Times news editor Jim Tait has been recognised with a prestigious lifetime achievement journalism award.
Tait picked up the Barron Trophy at the annual Highlands and Islands Media Awards last week.
He retired last year having started out at the paper as a typesetter in his youth before moving into the news.
The Shetland Times was also a finalist in the newspaper of the year category, which was won by the Stornoway Gazette.
The paper’s Ryan Nicolson was nominated for the reporter for the year prize but the award went to Alasdair Fraser of the Inverness Courier.
SCOTTISH fishermen are to fund additional surveys of North Sea stocks as anger grows over the failure to tackle the issue of poor science.
Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) and the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) have teamed to organise what they say will be “rigorous, transparent studies of key fish stocks that are fit for purpose”.
The associations will reach out to international partners in both Norway and Denmark to ensure the work covers the entire Northern North Sea.
Skippers from both associations met in Aberdeen last week to explore a new initiative amid indifference from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and fisheries managers towards the urgent need for reform.
James Anderson, chairman of the SFA and skipper of the Alison Kay (LK57), said: “Skippers are at the end of their tether – we’ve all had enough of a failed fisheries management system that is putting viable boats at risk.”
SHETLAND Folk Festival has confirmed it will return this spring after being cancelled over the last two years due to the pandemic.
The committee has decided to go ahead with in-person events over the weekend of 28 April to 1 May.
It says there will be some changes for 2022 but there will be the usual “first class” concerts featuring visiting and local artist.
More details will be announced in due course.
SHETLAND Arts is welcoming partners from Das Letzte Kleinod theatre in Bremerhaven to the isles this week in the first phase of a joint youth theatre project.
Juliane Lenssen and Jens-Erwin Siemssen of Das Letzte Kleinod will meet Stephenie Pagulayan, director of Shetland Youth Theatre, and the Shetland Arts team to explore Shetland, its historic trading links with Northern Germany and its industrial past and present.
Later in the week the Das Letzte Kleinod team will also meet Shetland Youth Theatre members for workshops and development sessions.
It is one of seven projects in the UK that were awarded up to £20,000 to work in partnership with at least one participating German organisation.
THE THEME for Safer Internet Day 2022 today (Tuesday) is All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online.
The campaign is led by the UK Safer Internet Centre and this year celebrates young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that’s whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers.
Locally Safer Internet Day 2022 is supported by the Shetland Public Protection Committee, which organises events throughout the year, including internet safety sessions in Shetland schools, as well as Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) training.
The Our Peer Education Project (OPEN) in Shetland will also be sharing social media posts this week about online safety, covering themes such as grooming, sextortion and online reputations.
PC Carole Smith of the Shetland Public Protection Committee said: “With more young people involved in online gaming, connecting with each other and creating communities, the messages of Safer Internet Day 2022 are very relevant. Online gaming can develop useful life skills like concentration and teamwork, and social media can help young people to express themselves and to connect with friends.
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