The only skipper who has been fishing the Wash and Norfolk coast to provide local vendors in recent times with fresh brown shrimps (as the alternative to the pre-frozen pale substitutes) had an accident at sea in his engine room the other day. Lost one leg and the other is endangered after getting caught up in his prop shafts. I have been trying to persuade other local fisherman to take over his unique rig to keep supplies coming and also contribute something back to him whilst he recovers.
It is not the best time of year unfortunately as the sand are currently infested with hoards of the ‘jelly blob’ creatures that discourage shrimp from gathering. They might be a species in their own right or one stage in the development of Jelly Fish which I saw rife in Dunkirk last week. As a general point, the North Sea and Channel are the healthiest I have seen them for years and the herring are back in numbers off the Norfolk Coast and are as ‘cheap as chips’ If more consumers would buy and eat this very healthy and nutritious fish, we could get more boats out to catch them! They mostly supply pike fishers these days which is a crying shame. Forget the so-called ‘Sea’ Bass, there are no freshwater Bass in Europe and this is an Americanism. Most of these are farmed on non-sustainable fish meal after hoovering up the Asian seas these days. Buy and eat herrings and lots of sea food. Pickled herrings (from Roys of Wroxham’s deli) are a substitute for the lazy who still want a long and healthy life…
