Long-time fisherman shares tales of the high sea

For more than 40 years, a trawler boat has been John Savige’s office. He tells us why he wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.

Trawler fisherman John Savige aboard KCD. Picture: Dominika Lis

JOHN Savige reckons he’s got the best office in the world, especially when the weather’s good.

He’s been a trawler fisherman for 45 years, enjoying some spectacular sunrises and big catches in that time, but also weathering some dangerous storms.

“We’ve been caught up in some serious storms, with 60 knot winds. That’s pretty scary, but they don’t last long,” John says.

He recalls big waves breaking over the boat, and the occasional sunken vessel, but laughs and says he was younger then. When the prawns and fish are there — the crew just has to head out.

The Bribie-Island based fisherman says, for him, it began with his father who realised it was his calling after a chance meeting.

“My father was working as a logger at Scarborough, back in the day, and met a guy with a net boat who invited him to go fishing and he loved it,” John explains.

Trawler fisherman John Savige aboard KCD. Picture: Dominika Lis

Three generations of the Savige family have now worked in the industry with John and his three sons following suit.

“I’ve been fishing for a long time … it was a good lifestyle in the day. Just the feeling of being your own boss. It’s getting tougher with government changes, the paperwork is tough,” he says.

The hours are long, they usually head out about 6pm and return at 7am, but if the prawns are still there, they’ll work later into the day, sometimes 24 hours straight.

“If you’re doing what you love, it’s nothing,” John says.

His vessel, named KCD after the original owner’s daughters, is used to catch mostly prawns until the beginning of May each year, when the focus turns to tailor and sea mullet.

COPYRIGHT WARNING for Moreton Life ONLY. Phone Kylie Knight 3480 8226. Trawler fisherman John Savige aboard KCD.

John says fishing days are more physically demanding than trawling days, as six people race to bring in 20 tonne of mullet as fast as they can so they manage to catch the fish coming in behind them.

He supplies the family seafood business, mullet to Supafin in Brisbane, but also tries to support local outlets as much as possible, providing seafood and bait.

There have been many changes in John’s time, including tighter regulations and warmer sea temperatures which have brought king salmon into the bay and more barramundi to the Caboolture River.

So, what’s John’s favourite part of what can be a long day?

“When you’re starting to fish, you have a good feeling about being out on the water, when the weather’s good,” he says.

“You just take it all as it comes and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”