Walk along the quay of a fishing village in the UK and you will spot the ubiquitous lobster pot stacked up in huge piles - a familiar sight on harboursides from Tobermory to Clovelly. The creels will mostly be made from a plastic-coated steel frame, with plastic rings, rope and netting. Yet even modern traps have a romance about them - probably because they are the tools of local fishermen, a sight that reminds us that, in some areas, fishing is still thriving.
However, these modern pots are not a touch on their predecessors. Study old photographs of the British coastline and you will spy lobster pots constructed from willow. These woven withy pots are particularly beautiful, leading many to view them as decorative remnants of a now obsolete practice. But traditional lobster-pot maker Dave French, based in W Plympton, Devon, insists they are as relevant today as they were a century ago - perhaps even more so.
Dave and his apprentice Sarah Ready are on a mission to ensure that not only does this critically endangered craft endure, but that it is a skill mastered by today's young fishermen and women so they can catch lobsters and crabs in a more sustainable, less destructive way and help the small-scale fishing industry survive. "It is vital to keep this craft alive, especially now with all that is happening with plastic in our oceans," says Dave. "Sometimes you have to look to the past to figure out where you have gone wrong with things. Fishing is no exception."
AN INHERITED SKILL
Fishing with woven baskets dates back centuries, although there are no records to tell a true history. Before boats were commonplace and many people could swim, coastal families would catch food from the sea by wading out into low tides with baskets. "I've seen a 16th-century painting with one of these pots, but they go back way beyond that," Dave says.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.
TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS
Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight
The taste of England
Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses
How to eat 30 plants a week
As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target
RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK
Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia
SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument
GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.
Pumpkin patches
Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.
