Sustainable fishing and co-operative working underpin the survival of this ‘Jurassic coast’ fishing community, reports John Periam West Bay, the fishing harbour at Bridport, is one to be approached with caution, especially when an onshore wind is blowing. In the…
Skippers Ian Shearer and Malcolm Reid and the crew of the latest addition to the Shetland fleet, the single-rig whitefish stern trawler Courageous LK 470, quickly started to prove the fishing credentials of their new vessel earlier this month, reports…
The UK’s independent Marine Accident Investigation Branch is uniquely placed to advance fishing safety, reports John Periam Set up in 1989, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is part of the Department for Transport and is entirely independent of the…
Preventing accidents starts with getting to grips with risk assessment, explains Mark Lennon from the MCA Survey and Inspections team Commercial fishing carries high risk to health and safety. Accident, death and serious injury rates are over 20 times higher…
Home and Dry – the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG) campaign sharing vital messages about safety at sea – is launching a new man-overboard (MOB) prevention campaign this week to remind all those working on fishing vessels to take three…
In 1971, photographer Alec Gill began to document the life of Hull’s Hessle Road fishing community, building up a collection of over 6,600 black and white negatives. Here he shares some of the memories evoked by his pictures… Having hitch-hiked…
The fishing community in Ramsgate has a long history – but an uncertain future, reports John Periam Ramsgate harbour, built between 1787 and 1795 by John Smeaton, has the distinction of being the United Kingdom’s only royal harbour. Like many…
Worfolk boats were built to last – and now another centenarian is being restored. John Worrall reports… Walter ‘Chappie’ Worfolk was a Yorkshire lad. Born, in 1864, in the small village of Stainforth near Doncaster, he was one of several…
Joseph Kay, who spent the majority of his career as a fisherman, latterly as second skipper on the Donvale, shares memories of Shetland’s restored sailing Fifie Swan, and stories from those who crewed the Swan and similar vessels in their…
Exactly 85 years ago, swashbuckling Scottish skipper Dod Orsborne made a massive April Fool of his bosses when he stole the Grimsby seine-netter Girl Pat and sailed her into an 80-day, 5,000-mile chase that made him a worldwide celebrity. Brian…