A Day In The Life Of: CFPO's Young Fishermen Network co-ordinator Matilda Phillips

“I enjoy meeting the young fishermen and seeing how passionate they are about their work,” Young Fishermen Network (YFN) co-ordinator Matilda Phillips told Fishing News. “It’s uplifting for me, and makes me feel so positive – seeing that passion and excitement.”

Born into a fishing family in Cadgwith, Cornwall, Matilda knew from a young age that she wanted a career in the industry. “My dad has been a fisherman his whole life, and my two brothers now fish with him as well. I’ve been born and bred into fishing.”

After studying marine biology at Falmouth Marine School, Matilda joined the CFPO as the YFN co-ordinator in September 2023. “I knew of Chris Ranford, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO), through my dad, who is a member of the PO.”

The YFN evolved out of the CFPO’s Youth Board as a fun, sociable way of highlighting the value of fishing as a career, whilst providing a platform for young fishermen to connect with one another. The network is the first of its kind in the UK.

One of Matilda’s main responsibilities as co-ordinator is to raise the awareness of the network – with a focus on platforms where a younger audience is engaged.

“One day a week I’ll go out fishing to film content for the network’s Instagram account (@youngfishermennetwork), advocating the diversity within the fishing industry and enabling the young fishermen to get to know one another, encouraging the growth of connection at upcoming events.

“My day normally starts around 8.30am when I leave Cadgwith. I’ll drive to whichever port the fisherman I’ve arranged to work with is based at. I’ve been to a variety of ports across Cornwall so far – Port Isaac, Looe, Newlyn, Cawsand… Then it’s a case of jumping onboard and documenting their day.”

For Matilda, the aim of producing the content is twofold. “I want the audience to connect with the characters themselves – the members of the network. I also want to highlight the variety of different fishing practices – so the audience can learn about the options when it comes to fishing.

“If someone wanted to get into fishing who had tried a particular method before that wasn’t for them, I want to showcase possible alternatives – whether that’s handlining for mackerel, netting for crawfish, potting for lobsters, crabbing, cuttlefish…”

“Being aboard many different boats, I’m learning different types of fishing, improving my own knowledge on the industry I am so fond of. I had only really fished from Cadgwith before, so it’s been great to see how different ports fish differently to target certain species.”

When filming, Matilda aims to authentically capture an insight into the working day of a young fisherman. “There are no scripts involved – it’s all completely natural. I jump onboard with just my phone – and I can also set up some microphones if it’s windy or particularly loud. I then film the fisherman as we go, and ask questions about their day.”

With filming complete, Matilda’s next task is to edit the footage. “I’ll head back to the CFPO office in Newlyn, where I’ll edit the videos. They normally follow a timeline of heading out to sea, sunrise, morning coffee on the boat, hauling, rebaiting and then shooting away, etc.

“The fisherman naturally chats as they go along, explaining what they’re doing. That’s the most interesting way to produce the videos – the fisherman talking about what they’re doing whilst they’re working, rather than them simply stood talking to the camera.”

The next step is to post the finished video to Instagram. “I have a social calendar where I have the different projects for the year. So on my spreadsheet I have all the methods I want to showcase, the person I’m filming with, the date the filming will take place, and the dates I will edit and post the video.”

The CFPO-hosted YFN is funded by The Fishmongers’ Company and Exeter University’s Sustainable Development and Resilience of UK Coastal Communities project. Here, Matilda is pictured at the network’s first event in April, held in Porthleven. “The young fishermen showed how exciting and enjoyable fishing is. They haven’t lost the feeling they had when they caught their first fish – they still get that level of excitement every day.”

As well as producing content for Instagram, Matilda spends a lot of her time working on the network’s forthcoming events and meet-ups through the season.

“Events are great days full of learning and exchanging knowledge, designed by the young fishermen themselves – whether that’s fellow network members or from our mentors or more experienced characters within the industry.

“The sessions are led by David Warwick, the gear innovation manager for Seafish, and Freddie Bates, a Seafood Cornwall Training instructor. By attending our events, fishermen can expect to progress their personal skills, for example rope work, net- mending, filleting fish, cooking seafood – a range of different skills within the industry.

“The events also work towards another of the YFN’s principles, which is to strengthen fishing communities and form a social network between ports far and wide.”

With her day coming to an end at around 5pm, Matilda heads back to Cadgwith Cove – to experience firsthand the sense of community which she is building for the YFN.

“I’m normally on the water when I get back home – either gig rowing or taking part in one of the fishing competitions. All the small boats will go out at 6.30pm and target one species for the evening – and whoever catches the biggest one wins.

“We’ve such a community in Cadgwith that we make things happen – we always have fun somehow!”

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.

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