Tributes / Dr Ian Napier (1966 – 2024): Loss of passionate supporter of local fishing industry a ‘huge miss’ for Shetland
TRIBUTES have been paid from across the community to well respected scientist Dr Ian Napier who tragically died a few days after Christmas.
Dr Napier, from Scalloway, a keen walker, wild swimmer and paddleboarder, was reported missing from Shetland’s South Mainland on Friday 27 December.
His body was found in the water at Scousburgh the following morning.
Photo: SFA
The 58-year-old had been working as a senior fisheries policy adviser at UHI Shetland, formerly the NAFC Marine Centre in Scalloway. He joined the then North Atlantic Fisheries College as a young fisheries scientist in 1995, almost 30 years ago.
Described as a “stalwart supporter of the local fishing industry”, Dr Napier was well known for his very readable papers on complex fisheries science matters.
He was also instrumental in drawing up the Shetland Regulating Order, which required an act of parliament in 1999, and devolved control of inshore fisheries for shellfish to a local body.
He further served as a trustee on Shetland Charitable Trust, which administers some of isles’ oil funds, between 2013 and 2023. He was among the first batch of eight independent trustees appointed during a period of major reform of the trust.
Former Shetland MSP and now chief executive of industry body Salmon Scotland, Tavish Scott, went to school with Ian.
Paying tribute, he said: “He was one of the brightest and most thoughtful of our class at the Anderson High School, ideally suited as it transpired for the role that seemed made for him.
“In my time in the Scottish Parliament he was an invaluable source of intelligence both on fishing but also broader Shetland matters.
“His annual economic analysis of Shetland fish landings was a bible I quoted to demonstrate to central belt policy makers the importance of seafood to the UK economy.
“I will miss Ian’s intelligence, his sense of humour and above all, in countless meetings, the determination to ask a pertinent question that others had baulked at posing.
“I last saw him in December at a meeting in the Shetland Fishermen’s Association office. On that day all these qualities were to the fore. The fisheries college will not be the same place without him.”
Having been one of the driving forces behind gaining the regulating order for parts of Shetland’s inshore fisheries, Dr Napier served as chair of the board of Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO) for many years. The local management body is regularly heralded as the global standard for sustainability in fisheries.
John Goodlad, who was the chief executive of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) at the time the regulating order was granted by the Scottish Parliament, said Ian made a huge contribution to the Shetland fishing industry.
“Although a fisheries scientist by training, more recently Ian became a policy analyst, often advising the SFA on fisheries policy issues,” Goodlad said.
“His attention to detail, his diligence and his hard work were all evident in every project he worked on and in every paper he wrote.
“If Ian said he would do something you could absolutely sure it would be done to the highest standard and on time. He will be a huge miss.”
UHI Shetland principal Jane Lewis said staff at the university were “devastated” by the loss of their colleague and “valued member of the marine science team”.
Professor Lewis said she was “distressed to lose a close colleague” and added that Dr Napier would be “greatly missed”.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Professor Lewis said.
SFA chairman James Anderson, skipper of the Alison Kay LK57, said Dr Napier had been “stalwart supporter of the local fishing industry” who so often had leant “Shetland’s fishermen the benefit of his intellect, expertise and experience over many decades”.
“Ian was passionate in his support of fishing, and literally wrote the book on Shetland’s fishing history,” Anderson said.
“He possessed one of the greatest analytical minds of our time, and his work on fisheries policy was well known and respected far beyond Shetland’s shores.
“He was exceptionally gifted at presenting complex science with extraordinary clarity.
“We are so fortunate to have had a man of his calibre so committed to the isles, and Shetland’s fishing community will feel the measure of his loss for a long time to come.”
Shetland Charitable trust chief executive Ann Black said: “Ian was extremely diligent in his approach and he contributed passionately to so many of our debates.
“A keen eye for detail meant that new policies and procedures were put through an extra layer of examination to meet his exacting standards. That sort of dedication and rigour was of great value to the trust at a crucial time in its evolution.”
Offering his condolences to Dr Napier’s family and friends, the trust’s chair Robert Leask added: “News of Ian’s passing was very sad.
“His contribution to Shetland in his professional life was significant and he made a very large contribution during his time on the charitable trust. His insightfulness and thoughtful interventions were valued greatly.”
Editor’s note: This is an updated and extended version of a tribute first published on 30 December 2024
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