Cornwall: This Fishing Life: Episode 2 (BBC Two Friday 23 October 2013)

Cornwall: This Fishing Life: Episode 2 airs Friday 23 October 2013 on BBC Two.

What is this episode about

Pilchards have been a mainstay of the Cornish fishing industry for hundreds of years. Drift nets would haul in thousands of them, and then they’d be salted and shipped to Italy. However, in the 1960s, the drift net fishery, which had been the backbone of the Cornish fleet, all but disappeared as demand dropped. However, in recent years, the once-despised pilchard has been rebranded as the highly-prized and lucrative Cornish sardine, and hundreds of drift netters have been replaced by just 15 hi-tech ring-netters. Sardine fishing is completely unique. In the warmer months, sardines make their annual trek to Cornwall’s coastal waters.

The sardine boats use a method called purse-seining, which is distinct from setting static nets or trawling. As they move, they encircle entire shoals and scoop them out. The crews do most of their fishing at night, stalking their prey stealthily in the shadows. Newlyn is Cornwall’s largest fishing port, and it is home to eight fishing boats. Ocean Fish, a company that operates as both a fish processing plant and a fleet of four orange boats, dominates the industry. The Mayflower, one of their largest ships, is captained by the seasoned veteran Pete Buckland. Pete has worked ten sardine seasons, five of which he was the skipper, but that hasn’t made finding the fish any easier.

James Roberts, the team’s new skipper, is in for a big year. His promotion from deckhand to captain of Ocean Fish’s oldest and smallest vessel, The Resolute, is long overdue. He must now ensure the safety of the ship and the well-being of his crew. James is going to have a tough season because he has a new family and a sizable mortgage. The Lyonesse is one of four privately owned boats that pose a threat to the Lyon. Will Treneer is the youngest captain in the fleet, and his crew is the youngest. The Serene Dawn is piloted by David Pascoe.

David, as an early adopter of ring-netting in Newlyn, has seen the industry flourish. He no longer shares the excitement of his younger competitors because he is worried that it has become too large. The Cornish sardine industry is a shining example of success. A multi-million-dollar industry, fishing has been on the rise since the early 2000s. The fishery has earned the respected Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for environmental responsibility. Due to their relatively abundant populations, sardines were never designated as a quota species. All along, the captains have been able to bring in as many fish as they have caught.

However, for the first time ever, strict control over the sardine catch is essential. Researchers have found that sardines from Cornwall represent a distinct genetic lineage from those from further south. The highly sought after MSC label assumes that all of the sardines came from the same stock. In the meantime, the MSC has requested that the fishery institute a catch limit. The sardine fishermen, who are typically in competition with one another, have been forced to cooperate. The sardine fleet in Cornwall may be in for some rough evenings.

Series 1 Episode 2 of 6

When can we see the episode

Cornwall: This Fishing Life: Episode 2 airs Friday 23 October 2013 at 4:15pm on BBC Two

Featured Image Credit: BBC Two