Surrounded by crates of large Scottish cod, Dean Roberts and John Morrow can congratulate themselves on netting another good catch.
Just eight months ago their future could have looked washed up, after the pair saw Hull’s fish auction house Fishgate close.
Mr. Roberts and Mr. Morrow were auctioneers at the state-of-the-art premises until the Icelandic owners pulled the plug, with the loss of 16 jobs.
It was a huge blow to the fishing industry in the port, with the remaining business shifting to its market in Grimsby.
But since then the duo, who between them have 50 years experience in the fishing industry, have gained their own foothold in the market, setting up a trading centre called Norstar Trading Ltd, dealing mainly with Norwegian fish.
While it might not yet be up to Fishgate volumes, it’s not far off, with sometimes as much as 50 tonnes of fish coming through their doors from waters off Norway and Scotland and a smaller percentage from off Iceland.
John said: “When we started this everyone said we were mad because no one starts a business in the middle of a recession but at the end of the day if you have a bit of foresight and try to be confident about the future instead of negativity, things can work out.”
