Family of missing fisherman told of Norway body find

Relatives of a Scottish fisherman who disappeared several years ago have been informed after a body was found in Norway.

Fraserburgh skipper Joe Masson, 73, was last seen on his creel boat near Cairnbulg Harbour in Aberdeenshire in October 2021.

A body was discovered on the island of Sula on the north west coast of Norway last month.

Police Scotland said inquiries were at an early stage and formal identification was yet to take place, however the family of Mr Masson has been informed.

"Officers are liaising with the relevant authorities," a statement said.

"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."

Mr Masson had left Cairnbulg harbour on the morning of 16 October 2021 on board his creel fishing vessel Goodway.

He was later seen working a fleet of creels outside of the harbour but his phone disconnected from the network at 13:40.

His family raised the alarm when he did not return home when expected, and an air and sea search was launched that evening.

The upturned hull of Goodway was discovered close to Cairnbulg Briggs reef but Mr Masson could not be located.

An investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) later concluded that his boat may have overturned while he was trying to free creels that had become entangled in rocks.

The report noted that the boat was not fitted with an emergency position beacon and the skipper had a personal locator beacon which did not meet regulations.

Mr Masson had worked on a wide variety of commercial trawlers throughout his 50-year fishing career.

He had always owned a small fishing boat for use as a hobby and to earn extra money between commercial trawling trips.