Looe boats bypassing fishmarket

A spokesman from the Looe Fishing Protection Association has warned that the future of the town's fishing industry could be in jeopardy unless the recent change by some trawlers to direct landing instead of using the local fish market stops.

About five boats, which is 25 per cent of the Looe trawling fleet, are bringing in their fish already sold before they are landed, to a Newton Abbot operator, working on behalf of several supermarket chains, who are paying above the current lower auction prices on the quay market.

Mr Bill Hocking, chairman of the Looe FPA, and a fisherman from the port for over 55 years, says this winter's fishing has been the worse the Looe trawlers have ever known , and is already 28 per cent down on last year. He said crews with families are feeling the pinch and you couldn't blame them for trying to earn more money. However he says that in his view this is a very short sighted attitude because in time it could lead to the undermining of the stability of the fish market. He said fish were already scarce but if the five merchants permanently based in Looe, and the daily buyers coming to the auction were faced with even less fish to buy, then eventually they would take their trade elsewhere. 'If that was to happen then everybody loses out' said Mr Hocking.

He said that when the new fish market in Looe re-opened in 1988 it was a wonderful market for several years, but now it had levelled off and basically the prices fetched had become approximately the same as Plymouth and Brixham.

'The beauty and attraction of the Looe catch has always been its freshness and variety' he said, 'in comparison with other ports where the fish on some markets can be a week old before auction. But now our price has dropped down in line when we had been used to getting a premium price for our top quality product. The top price I received for lemon soles on the Looe market for the week ending April 9, was £3.60 for large,£1.50 for small, but the direct buyer was paying considerably more.'

However, Mr Hocking said that on the market this Tuesday the Looe prices came up to the supermarket buyers.

'They will pay more when the prices are low, but not when they are going up' he said, 'so everything is fluctuating, and the boats selling elsewhere might as well stay with the Looe auction, and help to preserve their long time future'.

Mr Hocking said there had been a gentlemen's agreement in the port when the fish market started, that to ensure its success all boats would land on the market with the exceptions of shell fish and pelargics such as herrings, mackerel, sprats and pilchards.

He has blamed the scarcity of the fish on the minimum size allowed to be caught which he says is far too small for the British fleet, and he says the Spanish are landing 1,000's of stones of even smaller fish illegally.

'That is what is killing the industry. If the Spaniards fished according to the law our fishing here could last for an eternity, and would start to improve year by year' he said. 'Conservation is the main thing for our future'.