Chef and eco-friendly restaurateur Arthur Potts Dawson is passionate about the environment and sustainable food, and not exactly a fan of trawler fishing - boats fish with huge nets and catch vast numbers of fish, the majority of which ends up dead back in the ocean because they cannot be sold.
Trawlermen risk their lives on a daily basis battling the forces of the ocean. But with fish stocks in crisis, many environmentalists want to put an end to commercial trawler fishing. For the men who carry out this incredibly physical job however, it's all about economic survival.
In a bid to understand the realities faced by the trawlermen who are trying to make ends meet, Arthur takes to the seas for one week, living and working alongside lifelong fishermen on a commercial trawler and testing his ethics as he sees first hand the struggles faced by commercial fishermen. He has to find his sea legs and work round the clock to help deliver the right catch while tackling the rough seas.
Will the experience challenge Arthur's preconceptions, or will he still believe that a fisherman's methods and way of life need to change for the good of our seas?
Last night's programme onboard the cornishman was great, to see arthur's first anti trawling stance,then to turn to one of respect and understanding was good for the industry and he was dead chuffed to be treated as one of the crew come the end of the trip. Well done peter and the crew of the cornishman and to arthur for seeing it through.
ReplyDelete