Falmouth Working Boat oyster dredging 2006

Where do you have to go to see fishermen working under sail? South America? The Philipines? Japan? The headhunters and fishermen of Borneo?

The only oysters that can be caught in the Carrick Roads, Falmouth Harbour must be caught without the use of engines or engine powered machines. In other words this backbreaking work is carried out only under sail and muscle power in the winter months. That is despite the introduction of engines for boats on all other forms of fishing throughout Europe, if not the world. Does the work look attractive in this sunny photograph? Just a few days before I took it in March 2006 the fishermen were deep in snow. There was a gale of wind and rain the day before and the day afterward this photograph was taken. In other words this work is not for the weak or faint hearted.

The main advantage ~no, the whole point ~ is conservation of oyster stocks. This comes about with limiting the fishing hours, a winter only dredging season and strict controls on the size of oyster shell fish caught. The minimum size is two and a half inches (about 6cm) across. This is measured with a special ring issued to each fisherman with their dredging licence from the Truro Harbour authorities (no, not Falmouth). In fact the fishermen are more like farmers ~ they tend the oysters and oyster beds until they plough (or dredge) a crop of suitable legal and marketable size. A1 quality oysters are nice and ‘thick’ too.

The fishing is not so good this year as there is a lot of seaweed on the oyster beds. As a result only about six Falmouth Working Boats are dredging for oysters. On better years as many as fifteen or twenty boats can be seen sailing up and down the Carrick Roads, Falmouth Harbour. The fishing stocks are cyclical, some years better than others.

This fisherman has been working on the oyster beds for about forty five years in his ninety year old boat. Another I met who sails ‘Shadow’ built in 1885 has been sailing for sixty years since 1945 and intends to continue for years yet. He did not want me to photograph ‘Shadow’ as he had a problem with the paint work. “I’m still learning” he said.

In the Summer a few of the active dredging boats compete in the famous Falmouth Working Boat racing. However a lot (but not all) of the competitors have never caught an oyster in their lives and their boats are often new racing machines that look like Falmouth Working Boats. Some are even made of glass reinforced plastic. Every November 5 th there is a race that can only be won by an active fishing boat and fishermen. (A picture of past fisherman’s race will be published on tallshipsandsmallships.com soon).

Do Falmouth Oysters taste better for not being caught with the use of engine power ~ only sail and muscle? Visit the Falmouth Oyster Festival in October to taste and see. Otherwise you might have to go all the way to the Far East to eat these highly prized aphrodisiacs, because that is where most of them end up these days.

This photograph looks best as Size D-30"x20" displayed on a wall.