Latest news with #localFishermen
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
From sea to supper: Mark Hix cooks up a feast with scallops, lobster and octopus
Growing up by the sea, I've always felt spoilt when it comes to seafood. We had easy access, often swapping shellfish with local fishermen for my grandfather's tomatoes or his gardening tips. My school snacks were unconventional – freshly caught queen scallops from my friend's dad, splashed with vinegar and eaten in one bite. Sadly, those queenies have vanished from our coast, but scallop diving is prolific, which is great news for seafood lovers. I used to have half a dozen lobster pots but I don't get out on the boat as much anymore, so I passed them on to a fisherman friend. I loved hauling them in at the end of a trip – whether it was a good day or not, there'd usually be a crab or lobster (or two) for supper. Catching your own shellfish is incredibly satisfying, though nowadays it's more likely I'd be landing octopus rather than lobster. A few years ago, a fisherman friend of mine asked if I fancied some octopus. 'English octopus? I said. 'No thanks, they're chewy and tough.' He laughed. 'These are actually Mediterranean ones. They're eating all the lobsters!' Sure enough, when I went out the next day, the first few pots held only lobster shells. But then, there they were – two octopuses happily tucking into my catch. Many seafood lovers don't realise these invasive predators have moved into UK waters. They're hammering our shellfish stocks, and they're not leaving anytime soon. The buffet's rich and plentiful – though maybe not for much longer. Since My Octopus Teacher, the 2020 Netflix documentary of a filmmaker's unusual friendship with an octopus, public fascination with these brainy creatures has grown. But while our admiration for these creatures has risen, so too has the urgency to act. The sea is changing, and fast. I recently saw Ocean, David Attenborough's latest film, with my daughter, and it honestly brought a tear to my eye. When you've spent your life connected to fishing, those changes (for the worse) hit hard. And it's not just invading octopuses we need to worry about. After The End of the Line documentary was released in 2009, Bluefin tuna were labelled unsustainable. Now even mackerel are listed as endangered. Commercial fishing mates tell me sea bass are hugging offshore wrecks, hiding from predators – making them much harder to catch. These shifts in marine life are part of the ocean's natural rhythm, but climate and environmental changes are speeding things up, as is overfishing. It's time to rethink how we eat seafood, choosing species that can be sustained and treating them with the respect they deserve. My dishes here are perfect for making the most of what the sea's offering right now.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Crab crumpets
For some reason, crumpets were a rare treat when I was a kid – maybe my grandparents, whom I lived with, just weren't fans. Oddly enough, fresh crab dropped off by local fishermen was more common at teatime than crumpets. Later in life, I had the idea to combine the two into a seafood starter or bar snack, and it turned out to be an absolute winner. If you're buying prepared crabmeat, make sure it's freshly picked – not pasteurised. Pasteurised crab just doesn't have the same flavour or texture. And if you're using a whole fresh crab, even better – you get a bonus meal out of it by turning the shell and leftover bits into a lovely bisque.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Ship carrying thousands of sheep capsizes
Horrifying footage has captured the moment a commercial livestock ship reportedly carrying two thousand sheep capsized in The Gulf of Aden near Yemen. The incident, which occurred on April 25, saw flocks of helpless sheep struggling to tread water as local fishermen desperately tried to save them. Footage shows the vessel tipping as sheep spill out of the sides, desperately trying to find something to hold on to. They can be heard bleating as swarms of local fishermen do their best to pull them onboard their tiny boats. The bodies of sheep who drowned can be seen scattered across the water, while others remain trapped inside the overturned vessel. According to reports, the ship had departed from Somalia and was heading towards Djibouti when it overturned near the Red Sea. More than 160 sheep reportedly died in the incident which is believed to be due to overloading. In 2020, en route to China, New Zealand's MV Gulf Livestock 1 live export ship capsized in the East China Sea, killing 41 crew members and 5,867 dairy cows. The devastating loss of lives was reportedly caused by a combination of engine problems and rough sea conditions. A ban on the export of live animals by sea was announced in New Zealand the following year, with its phase-out period ending live export by sea from New Zealand in April 2023. In 2022, over 15,000 sheep drowned in the Red Sea after a ship crammed with livestock went down. The vessel had 15,800 sheep on it despite it having a 9,000 capacity when trying to export the animals to Saudi Arabia from the port of Suakin in Sudan. Only 700 of those animals were able to be rescued. The lost livestock was estimated to be worth around $4 million. Just last year, The Australian federal government announced it would end Australia's live sheep export trade by 2028. The move was welcomed by animal rights groups, with the RSCPA WA chair Lynne Bradshaw celebrating it as an 'historic day for animal welfare in Australia'. 'Australia's live sheep trade has resulted in multiple animal welfare catastrophes and publicly documented cruelty over the past forty years,' Ms Bradshaw said. However, WA sheep farmers tasked with carrying out the policy say it will destroy livelihoods and crush regional communities.
