General Information
During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster &
Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that
feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster
Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district
at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit
the information page. If you find a caption is
wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D
J Clark.
Date:
August 23rd 2000
Location: Morecambe Bay
Photographer's Diary
Wednesday 23rd August - Shrimp Trawling in Morecambe
I thought I was late, rushing my wellies on and running down the Prom to find
a single fisherman waiting to go out to sea. "Is it Ray ?" I asked,
but got a short negative reply. This was Alan the only other full timer left
in the bay. He laughed at my project "that won't take long then" and
from here on to the end of the day I got nothing positive from him. Raymond
arrived shortly in a smart van with his fish shop blazoned across it. He couldn't
have been more different. Bouncing full of life and keen to wind up his fellow
fisherman.
We set out to sea on what was to turn out to be a beautiful morning. Ray kept
me laughing with jokes and tales from the Bay many at the expense of his fellow
fisherman. The industry was declining and the shrimps were not there any more.
Ray wondered if the industry would still be around in another ten years. We
trawled for a few hours and Ray sorted the fish. With the light being filtered
by a little haze the photographs felt very strong.
At the end of morning we pulled the two boats together and the two men set about
sorting their catch. Sieving them for the right size shrimps and then boiling
them on deck. It was a precise but simple affair using the sea all the time
for wash and waste. The waiting gulls were happy to finish off anything that
remained.
I left the boat and went with Ray to the shop to get some photographs of the
Shrimps being prepared for sale. It seemed a huge task to pick each shrimp by
hand but that is what they did. I rushed back to the Midland Hotel after, to
get a couple more pictures including the large bedroom the manager was keen
to show me. As I left my phone rang and a planned trip in a plane was once again
postponed due to poor visibility but at the same time I was given the opportunity
to go up the Crane in the City Centre.