It was a dreich day in the waters surrounding Skye when it became clear to skipper James Robertson that his unlikely young apprentice, Brooke Lamond, “had what it takes” to become a master fisherwoman.
The captain of the Kayvari, a prawn, lobster and crab fishing vessel from Elgol, watched as his long-haired 20-year-old trainee wrestled with a heavy creel.
“It was such a poor day out there. Brooke was carrying a creel from one part of the boat to another. They’re heavy. Creels can be 20-30 kilos. She was trying to manoeuvre around with one when she tripped, fell, and landed in a box of crabs!
“I saw her bottom lip going for a second, but then she just carried on. She’s definitely got the right – stubborn – personality for the job.
“Creel fishing is incredibly physically demanding. She’s got what it takes. I’m sure of that. Although she didn’t believe that about herself, to begin with.”
Young Brooke looked ready to join family business
Granddaughter of boat builder George Lamond, and daughter of renowned Skye trawler fisherman Kenny, being out on the water is in Brooke’s blood.
“I’ve had her out on the boat since she was wee,” said Kenny, “just like I did with my old man.
“She was regularly out with us for the whole day, and showed quite a lot of interest in fishing when she was younger.
“You’d always hear people saying to her ‘come back and see me when you’re 18 if you want a job.’ But she was like most teenagers, her interests changed as she went up through secondary school.”
From Lochs to lipgloss, and back again
Brooke, who attended the now mothballed Elgol Primary then Portree High, turned her attention away from seafood and boats, towards a career in beauty instead.
“It wasn’t in my head to go fishing, really.
“When I was about eight or nine I went out on the Sea Ranger – the boat my granddad built – with dad, quite a lot.
“My dad has always spent a lot of time being on a trawler so my sister and I liked being out there with him. As I got older I stopped going out as much.
“I started thinking that maybe I could become a beautician. I really like hair and makeup.
“But that all changed last year.”
Search for winter work led Brooke back onto the water
Living on Skye, Brooke has, like many young people on the islands, a seasonal work pattern.
For the summer, she joined the crew of Misty Isles Boat Trips.
Run by the MacKinnon family, who take tourists to “magical Loch Coruisk”, Brooke has multiple roles.
“I book people on, do some admin, make teas and coffees. Sometimes I give a wee talk telling visitors about where we are.
“I really love it, but we don’t do the tours in winter so I was going to have to find winter work.”
It was then that James, 29, asked Brooke if she “fancied joining him for the winter.”
“I tried it, and honestly expected to hate it. I really didn’t think I’d be able to do it.”
‘I’m secretly so proud of myself,’ says Brooke
Brooke, who hails from Glasnakille in South Skye, still lives with her parents. Her sister Cori has moved off the island onto the mainland.
“Fishing is my legacy,” she laughs, “so that means I know how hard it can be.
“But my dad has been a fisherman for over 40 years, despite having a disability, and my grandad built boats from scratch in our shed.
“Hard work is a family trait too.
“I’m secretly really proud I’ve been able to handle it. Especially as so many people said I’d not be able to do it.”
Her dad is more than a little proud of her too.
“Fishing for lobsters, crabs and prawns is not easy,” he said. “It’s really manual work. Trawlers do long shifts but have heavy machinery to bring in the nets, creels have to be pulled in by hand and it can be relentless.
“We’re all so proud of her.”
Move over lads, there’s a new ‘fisherman’ in town
You can almost hear Kenny smiling when he talks about his daughter.
But if it feels odd, in 2025, for everyone to be surprised that a young woman can thrive in a what is still seemingly a man’s world, it’s for very good reason.
“She’s tiny,” James laughs. “She absolutely has the resolve and the willpower to work in fishing but everybody – absolutely everybody – is surprised she’s strong enough. I’d say the same of a young lad if he was built like Brooke is.
“She turns heads all the time. Somebody of her height and build shouldn’t be as capable as she is. It’s why I put her forward for an award.”
Petite, and just “5ft 6-ish”, Brooke just won Fishing News’ Trainee Fisherman of the Year Category.
No category mentions fisherwomen but that didn’t stop James.
On the nomination form he described her as a “rising star” who “quickly silenced doubters with her work ethic and determination.”
‘Every day is a hard work day,’ James adds
A fan of lobster days, Brooke enjoys learning about various marine species, but all days require strength and resolve.
“We stand side by side. I pull in the creels and Brooke has to rebait them and carry them to the other side of the boat to go back into the water.
“It’s 12 hour shifts in bursts of 40 minute, high energy work. And it’s all for live export. Which means there’s a load of work to do when we land as well,” James added.
Once back in the dock in Elgol their catch needs to be kept alive and repacked so it can be driven overland to Barcelona.
“Vans arrive to collect the lobsters, prawns and crabs. We need to pack them individually. Each box is 30-40 kilos.
“They then go to factories in Kyle and Fort William where they are stored in sea water containers and driven overland to Spain.
“Not for the faint hearted. It’s hard, hard graft.”
Continuing to surprise herself is Brooke’s next goal
But is the unyielding life of a fisherman – or woman – something Brooke has set her heart on?
“Well, I’m still interested in beauty. I was thinking of signing up to do a nail course. Maybe I’ll do that as a side hustle.
“For now though, I’m quite happy being on the tour boats in summer and fishing in winter. And hopefully I’ll keep surprising myself at what I can do.”
Read more Skye stories here:
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- Bog Myrtle on Skye: Meet husband and wife running quirky cafe redesigned by Banjo Beale
- Misty Isle Boat Trips: The multi-generational Skye family business, ages 11 to 75
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