Hi there Folks!
The Norfolk coast has a fine tradition of fisheries and fishing, particularly that of crabs and smoked herring, although technically crabs are crustaceans, not fish, so the crab ones should probably be called 'crustaceaneries'. It was a sustainable industry for centuries, until mass dredging came into practice in the mid twentieth century. This is not a red herring, it is something that is affecting many fisheries on the Norfolk Coast and forcing them to close. This video neatly articulates the struggle that small fishermen face in front of the EU’s stringent, unfair, and often flouted guidelines: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/last-fishermen-film
To celebrate the distinctive diversity of the Norfolk Coast and freshwater waterways, I have composed this short piece, which I entice, ‘I Dream of Bream’:
I had a dream
About a bream
In a stream
Drifting beneath a fallen beam
It made an obscene scream
Then joined the Olympic swimming team
And was the crème-de-la-cream
Maybe this will become a meme?
We can all dream
Some people enjoy sucking on a fisherman’s friend, and who are we to disagree with them? There are a lessening number of Hemsby Bloaters, a regular sight off our coastline until recently, with over-fishing by large trawlers owned by unethical companies decimating their numbers.
This video shows the effects of Greenpeace's campaign so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLFV_f4A1sI
We need to see fairer legislation for small fisheries and stop the unnecessary discard that the EU regulations at present enforce. Write to fisheries minister Richard Benyon now to propose these changes!: www.greenpeace.org.uk/beafishermansfriend
Stay Free (Willy)!
Tom Read, Norwich Greenpeace Member
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