John Luff and John Woodford on Fishing

Lisa: How was the fishing regulated then?

John L: Well, you always had a Fishery Officer who could check on what you were selling and if it was the right size. It was normally a local chap.

I think Freddy James was at one time, Brian’s father, and another thing that the Fishery Officer used to do, you know cormorants? Well he eats about seven pound of fish a day, little fish. So, what they used to do, they used to pay fishermen or pay anybody to kill cormorants and they used to give him so much a head. I think it was half a crown a head.

You’d chop the head of the cormorant. Lucky if you could find one dead on the beach (laughs) but that’s what they used to do because they ate so much of the small stuff and I suppose they still do.

John W: They still do, yeah.

John L: There’s no boats down there now. There used to be a dozen or more down by the Lifeboat Station, all gone. Not one down there now. It’s only ‘cos they’ve … I can still catch prawns but that’s the only thing you’d get, make any money at. Nobody catches prawns any more, they don’t bother.