Indomitable UK fishing spirit - at sea, fishing to feed the nation

While the rest of the country takes on board and begins to comes to terms with the need to stay at home, practice social distancing and isolation our fishermen all around the coast are doing the same - only for them it's what they do every day - at sea, miles, sometimes hundreds, from home, out of sight and mind, whether singlehanded or in a crew of six fishermen have learned to spend most of their working lives under such circumstance. 

This time it's different. Skippers sailed this morning, prepared to do full trips, committing themselves to thousands of pounds of expenses to catch fish without being certain that when they land there will be sufficient demand for them to even pay the expenses for the trip.  The biggest of these vessels in the south west might burn up to £6000 worth of fuel per day, just one of the many bills to be paid before the crew see a wage.

One such boat is the Julie of Ladram, which sailed from Brixham this morning.

First mate Mike Smith aka Sprat had a few words for followers of Through the Gaps...

and its easy enough to follow the boats on any AIS app so the boats have promised to keep us posted on how the trips are going and what news they are getting from ashore re the effects COVID19 is having on their fish markets...

the Julie is not the only boat out there with huge overheads, right now David Stevens has the Crystal Sea...

away south of Newlyn trying to target the kind of fish UK consumers enjoy - like haddock but they will also be catching monk, lemon sole and other fish that UK consumers need to enjoy!

here is skipper David's haul now boxed and iced away in the fishroom!