Ayrshire Saints

We still have a few pots in the summer and lobsters are indeed at good stock levels. The velvet fishery explosion in the 80s and 90s helped a lot (smaller pots simply couldn't catch the biggest breeding lobsters). Still get a great Buzz hauling a pot not knowing what it might contain. One of life's little treasurers on a fine summers evening.

The UK does import lobster but not really for the reasons you give. The imported Canadian / US lobster comes mostly as a processed or part processed product. It's these lobsters you see frozen in supermarkets and as tiny wee lobster tails which you see in Morrison's fish counter for a scandalous £6. This isn't due to a lack of native UK lobsters. Nearly all the European demand for fresh live lobster is from the continent primarily Spain and France. It's almost impossible for the European live lobster market to be supplied from North America. Logistically impossible and cost prohibitive. So we supply the European live market while our comparative tiny demand is satisfied via cheaper processed imports. Its an unusual, almost unique circumstance. As for Scottish lobster stocks they are recovering well, it's a sustainable fishery with a level of demand from Europe such that it still can command a premium price whilst conservation (V notching of pregnant females now developed into a more widespread return alive policy) is well observed on the whole with no "by catch" and undersized lobsters always returned alive. When my family were fishing commercially and I was young (40 years ago) I well remember summers on the boat where every lobster was kept and "smalls" we're regularly kept for personal consumption. Thankfully education and self policing won the day but it has taken a long time !

In a word greed. Do you think the bleating Peterhead trawler owners want Brexit and what they see as an end to them being told what they can and can't catch to stay where they are financially ?. They catch their quota easily enough as it stands but they want to catch more despite their being no demand for it other than as an industrial commodity. To do that they either have to stay the same size but work harder or they will advance their operations technologically meaning bigger more efficient boats.

What do you understand to be "Scotlands fishing industry" ? If you mean the white fish and pelagic fisheries, these guys have never had it so good. Greedy bastards who's boats have made them millionaires and if it weren't for EU quotas they would press ahead with bigger more advanced boats that would allow them to catch every fish in the sea if they could get away with it. There is no consumer clamour for more fish, it would be industrial fishing with the catch processed into fertiliser or fish farm food ! The shellfish industry on the other hand will be CRIPPLED by Brexit. They rely on free trade with the EU who buy nearly all their catch, there is next to no UK market for it. Christ knows where your knowledge of the industry is coming from, sound like the "Scottish" Daily Mail / Express.

Don't ever move to Green Bay !!! We all have a choice but yes the crowd will be affected on what already is traditionally a poor weekend attendance wise. Ricky won't be pleased as his projected average dips ! That said the crowd would be a darn sight worse if postponed until a Tuesday night in February. It's Scotland in winter, the weather is a total lottery we just have to adapt even if that includes taking a personal decision to give it a miss.

The forecast has improved considerably overnight. Just light sleat / snow now with just showers on the Ayrshire coast. If correct should be in no danger (unfortunately ).

This and the forecast is deteriorating so not impossible. If it is off get it done early too, no pissing about post noon given the travel involved.

Shull will advocate we offer him a contract now !!!

Is Jackson "quality" - not seeing any great evidence of it myself. If the chairman has said the turnaround will be bigger than that performed by JR you have to assume they mean in numbers. On that basis if only a couple come in then the numbers will be made up by outgoings. Personally can't see it that way round myself so for the chairman to have said something like this they must have preparations made and players / agents sounded out about moves out as well as in. We could speculate until the cows come home lets just concentrate on trying to pick up what we can before that and see what happens.

Yes a community based football club should be handing money to a convicted drug baron who was sentenced to 6 years jail. Just shut up you fool !

Really Elvis, you don't say !!!!

Signing players on 2 year contracts in January when embroiled in a relegation battle is difficult. More difficult than when Ross managed it simply down to the wage gulf between Prem and Championship. It will be signings specifically to keep us up then a stock take in the summer dependent on which division we find ourselves in. No idea why anyone thinks we are gone when we are not even bottom. All still to play for do why on earth would we plan as if relegation is a formality. The negativity from some of our supporters is astonishing. ETA the negativity part wasn't aimed at you Ricky despite me quoting your post, was making the initial point about signings.

Expensive bouncer / doorman !!!

1st choice keeper will be going nowhere ! I reckon Smith's days in Paisley are numbered

The inflation point is very valid point I am making is that they are able to generate over double the turnover charging similar prices on similar crowds. The tv / prize money even at their level is eye watering by comparison. If Walsall were to win their equivalent of our Irn Bru diddy cup, they would earn more than double what a club would get for winning the Scottish cup (prize and tv cash). You could argue that Walsall are only charging what they are at the gate due to revenue from other sources, it's almost subsidised.