Dangers without rewards

Anyone who has seen an episode of the television series focusing on the Alaskan king crab fishery will appreciate why this is the case. However, you do not have to venture into Arctic waters to encounter the many dangers that a watery workplace can throw at crabbers, trawlermen, longliners and all other categories of fisherman.

The Channel waters which surround this Island, with their immense tides, powerful swells, strong winds and threatening reefs, are more than capable of sinking vessels and taking lives. Indeed, all those who go to sea around the Island are all too aware that too many Jersey fishermen have paid the ultimate price while practising their trade.

Those who understand fishing also know that further dangers are presented by the heavy gear that must be handled and the machinery which helps to handle it.

Against this background, landsmen might wonder why anyone is tempted to fish professionally. The truth is that the sea is in some people’s blood – to the extent that they feel almost compelled to earn a living afloat. A further truth is that working a small boat offers a tremendous sense of independence and self-reliance.

On the other hand, the financial aspects of fishing are at present challenging – even if it has been highly rewarding in the not-too-distant past. Boats and gear are expensive, fuel prices have shot up in the past couple of years and pots do not catch anything without quantities of bait which must be bought.

Most significantly, fish prices do not keep pace with the cost of overheads. Lobster is a pricey commodity, but its value to the primary producer has not mirrored the rise in the cost of living for as long as most can remember. Edible brown crab, meanwhile, can be worth as little as 75p a kilo to the man who lands it.

In spite of all this, most fishermen just get on with the job, produce the goods for our hotels, restaurants and export businesses, make a far from insignificant contribution to the Island’s economy and keep alive an activity that is an indispensable part of our heritage.

Clearly, what fishermen do, how they do it, and the difficulties and dangers that they face should be on the minds of anyone who sits down to a posh fruits de mer or tucks into deep-fried cod from the local chippy.