This Fishing Trip Went Very Wrong…

A stalwart of the West Coast fishing industry for decades, hit rocks and broke apart last week. The fishing vessel Mako was one of only three ever built with a unique fibre-glass hull, and she’s been part of our coastline story for a long time. Now none are left. She ran aground in Westport, New Zealand in the 1980s, but was refloated. Now she has come to grief and been smashed to pieces - luckily the crew made it off safely. At 21m long, the Mako was built in Florida and brought to New Zealand in 1978. I’m putting together a historical video in memory of her for Westcoast Rippers—telling her story from when she was built, her time working the Coast, right through to today. If anyone has photos, videos, or stories of Mako (or her sister ships the FV Independence and the FV Shadbolt), I’d really appreciate you sharing them. Let’s preserve the history of a true West Coast legend. You can email me @ [email protected] Thanks