Aberdeen councillors will press forward next week with the creation of a memorial which celebrates the city’s rich fishing heritage.
Members will convene on Wednesday to discuss proposals for a monument at the harbour, following a campaign by local man Robin Youngman to commemorate north-east sailors.
It is expected councillors will approve the formation of a four-person working group, made up of two industry experts, Lord Provost George Adam and the authority’s own cultural policy manager, Lesley Thomson.
The group will subsequently set a budget for the statue and decide on its preferred location.
Last year, Aberdeen City Council set aside £50,000 for the memorial, but plans stalled when it was revealed external funding options had to be investigated.
In a report to be discussed next week, Ms Thomson has confirmed the public will be involved with the scheme.
She said: “The fishing industry has been recognised as having a significant long-term impact on the city of Aberdeen.
“It is likely organisations and individuals associated with the industry will be interested in the city’s intentions to commemorate this aspect of heritage, and what the completed art work will look like, including where it is sited.”
Mr Youngman, whose petition to the council calling for a memorial to be created has been signed more than 1,400 times, said the time was “now” to act.
Last night, he responded: “Sadly, we now have a generation who never saw a trawler in Aberdeen.
“The time has now come to rectify this. Let the few of us left standing have the dignity of knowing that we ‘switched off the lights” of a once proud industry with pride, knowing all that all who went before will be remembered.”
The 70-year-old former trawlerman had previously accused the authority of “dragging its heels” when it came to highlighting the role of fishermen in the region.