The Fishing Boats Story (Hardback)

Trained as a naval architect before changing tack and joining the building trade, I have always had a healthy interest in commercial fishing and, more specifically, their boats. Having skippered one such vessel, a converted Admiralty MFV used for chartering, and sailing her as far as the Canary Isles and then into the Mediterranean, I have owned a couple of fishing boats, culminating in the Lochfyne skiff Perseverance, built 1912, which I found in Portugal. Returning her to Campbeltown where she was built for her 80th birthday, I uncovered a whole wealth of history concerning the meagre herring. That was the catalyst to set up an exhibition about the importance of the herring fishery in Britain, first shown at the International Festival of the Sea in Bristol in 1996, and which today exists as ‘Kipperland’. Part of the exhibition is the smokehouse, known widely as the Amazing Travelling Kipperhouse, that produces exquisite kippers smoked slowly over oak. I have written widely for many magazines such as Boatman, Classic Boat, Classic Sailor and Maritime Life & Traditions, and the weekly newspaper Fishing News. I also edit the magazine Fishing Boats. To date I have written some 27 books on the subject, including Traditional Fishing Boats of Europe, Traditional Fishing Boats of Britain & Ireland, Herring - a History of the Silver Darlings and, more recently, Voices from the Shoreline. More are in the pipeline, including A Short History of Britain’s Fisheries which will appear in November 2023. You can find all my titles here...