Third-generation fisher Logan Murman, 27, has landed the honour of being the inaugural Sunderland Marine Young Fisher of the Year. The award, a collaboration between Young Fish Aotearoa NZ, founding sponsor Sunderland Marine and the NZ Federation of Commercial Fishermen, celebrates the early-career achievements and hard work of fishers under the age of 35. Murman’s fishing career began when he was 17, working as a deckhand on a Leigh cray boat and longliners.
At 20, he got his skipper’s ticket and continued working around Leigh until 2019, when he headed to the West Coast to broaden his experience. There he did stints fishing for tuna and a few months as a watchkeeper on a hoki trawler. Murman returned to Leigh and bought the 14.
2-metre FV Unity in 2021, which he now skippers, rotating between fishing for crays and longlining for finfish, depending on the season. He is a well-respected member of both the Leigh Commercial Fishermen’s Association and the Federation. Young Fish co-founder and award creator, Ben Pierce, says Murman was chosen as the award’s inaugural recipient for his range of experiences, openness to innovation and resounding positive feedback from several people in the Leigh fishing community.
“We were impressed with how Logan has continuously challenged himself to broaden his horizons by fishing in different regions of the country for different species. His multiple nominators praised his willingness to continuously adjust his fishing methods – for.
