0:00:02 > 0:00:05For hundreds of years, small fishing boats have set sail
0:00:05 > 0:00:09to bring home the riches of our coastal waters.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13He's got one! He's caught a monkfish! He has!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But fishing has changed.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Deep sea trawlers now catch most of the fish we eat.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Stocks are in decline, and fishermen are getting a bad name.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Hour after hour, day after day, I've lowered fish through that hatch.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Can that level of fishing be sustained,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36long term, into the future?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Rising costs and stringent regulations,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41have left our fishermen in crisis.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Can they survive the threats to their future?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47None of us really know what's around the corner.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Everything's up in the air. It's a worrying time.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Marine biologist, Monty Halls, is going to explore the challenges
0:00:55 > 0:00:57facing our fishing industry.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59But, from the INSIDE.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03As the autumn storms blow in,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Monty heads out on one of the biggest boats in the Cornish fleet.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13This is all happening on a massive industrial scale.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17For eight days and nights, he'll live and work round the clock,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19as a deep sea trawler man, in brutal conditions.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm told I'm being a total lightweight.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26HE VOMITS
0:01:26 > 0:01:29There's nowt worse than being sick out here.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33What impact are these boats having on the marine environment?
0:01:33 > 0:01:36One stone of dories!
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Do deep sea trawler men really deserve their bad reputation?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44You know, we're just honest working men,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47doing an honest working day, you know.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01It's autumn, in Cadgwith Cove, Cornwall.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Since the spring, Monty has been living and working here
0:02:04 > 0:02:06as an inshore fisherman.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09The eight small boats of the Cadgwith fleet
0:02:09 > 0:02:12form the heart of the community.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15For 700 years, generations of men have sustainably fished
0:02:15 > 0:02:17the local waters.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It's early evening, and the beach is deserted.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25All the skippers have headed home, except one.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Danny Phillips has invited Monty out netting.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34As well as fishing on his own,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Monty has been crewing with the other Cadgwith skippers,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39to learn about their low impact methods.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46So you've set nets over the course of the afternoon?
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Yeah, we've set some a couple of hours ago.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49And Red Mullet, as a fish,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52is that sort of a premium product for you?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It is, yeah. It makes good money.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57But they're a bit scarce this year.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59And the idea is to just catch it more or less
0:02:59 > 0:03:02as soon as it's gone in the net, so it's in top quality.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It's red mullet season.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The warm waters of late summer have attracted the fish to the cove.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Only available for a few months each year, red mullet are highly prized.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18So, what sort of kilos would you hope to come in with, Danny,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21on a good night of red mulleting?
0:03:21 > 0:03:2320 or 30 kilo.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And what will you get for all this effort?
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Well, they're around about 12 quid a kilo.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Wow, that's not so bad. is it?
0:03:30 > 0:03:32To fetch the best price,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34each and every fish must be delicately handled.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Danny, I've noticed you're always very careful with your fish.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Presumably, catching such small quantities, it's got to be pristine?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I mean, that's beautiful, look. Not a scale missing.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Absolutely beautiful, in he goes.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51That's why I cut the net.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Cos I will take the scales off, otherwise.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Danny, why are we out here this time of day?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Well, I don't know, I've been asking myself that.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07HE LAUGHS Many, many times.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The idea is that the red mullet,
0:04:11 > 0:04:12most of the time,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16they'll swim between the two lights.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17So dusk and dawn?
0:04:17 > 0:04:21We'll see. The last one, we'll do it in the pitch black,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- and we'll see if there's any difference.- Yeah.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28It's properly the witching hour, now.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32The sun's just gone down, and this is really when the fish are moving.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So, we're now going to pull one of the nets.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40This is the kind of optimum time, and it's nice, really.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Proper artisanal fishing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Jumbo, look at that one.- Wa-hey.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Little beauties, aren't they? - It's a LOVELY-looking fish.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58This is why I love it. You just get a couple of tiers, I guess.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59I absolutely love it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01This kind of fishing,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04working close to the shore, burning minimal fuel, and using gill nets
0:05:04 > 0:05:07that specifically target certain species,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10has minimal impact on the environment,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and the fish Danny catches are of the highest quality.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18They're really sort of full bodied fish, aren't they?
0:05:18 > 0:05:19They are, yeah.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22But this is a particularly good spot, is it?
0:05:23 > 0:05:25That's why we're doing it in the dark.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26HE LAUGHS
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- Even you can't see where we are. - Yeah.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- You'll be telling Nigel, otherwise. - That's right.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- BEEPING - We're here.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43- Shall I just crack on? - Well, you might get wet.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- Doesn't matter, doesn't matter. - You sure?- Oh, yeah!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51HE LAUGHS
0:05:51 > 0:05:52Poor old Monty.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Cheers, Monty. Did you get wet feet?
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Small inshore boats like those in Cadgwith are only responsible
0:06:15 > 0:06:18for a fraction of the fish landed in the UK.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Large boats working in deeper offshore waters
0:06:21 > 0:06:23catch the vast majority.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Monty wants to see the other end of the fishing industry,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31so he's arranged to work aboard one of the biggest boats
0:06:31 > 0:06:32in the Cornish fleet.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34He sounds out Cadgwith skipper, Tonks,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and fishmonger, Jonathan Fletcher, about his plans.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42What went through your head, when I said I was going on a beam trawler?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46I wondered how far a search and rescue helicopter could fly.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- Would you do it, Tonks?- No.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Why not?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It's the type of fishing
0:06:53 > 0:06:56that has never interested me.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Jonathan has strong opinions about beam trawlers.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Beamers are from Mars, and crabbers are from Venus.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Beamers are very aggressive, and voracious,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and crabbers are passive.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16We use guile and intellect, and trickery, to catch fish.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Beamers use fuel and power,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and hound the fish till they can't run anymore.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28But, at the end of the day, we're all fishermen.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Whichever way you chose to do it,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- we're all here to make a living. - Yeah.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37To go aboard a beamer for eight days, you know, fair play to you.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Deep sea trawling is a world away
0:07:41 > 0:07:44from the small boat fishing Monty is used to in Cadgwith.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Totally different, full on fishing, you know.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52It's two completely different jobs. What we do and what they do.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55It WILL be a steep learning curve, that one will.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00Pursuing huge catches is a deadly game of risk and reward.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Working far off shore, in all weathers, round the clock,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06it's one of the most hazardous and physically demanding jobs
0:08:06 > 0:08:08in the world.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Very, very dangerous environment.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13A lot of very heavy equipment crashing around.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- I- wouldn't like to do it, anyway.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Though big industrial boats, over 18 metres in length,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24make up only eight % of the British fishing fleet,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28they land more than three quarters of our total catch.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32If he wants a whole overview of the job, he needs to go and do it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35To see what the other guys do go through...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38..to earn a living.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44In the cove, the weather has turned.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Unable to launch from the beach, the Cadgwith fleet are grounded
0:08:48 > 0:08:49for the time being.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52But, for bigger boats working from harbours,
0:08:52 > 0:08:53the weather acts as NO deterrent.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59I can just hear the wind outside,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and the branches whipping against the windows,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06which is normally quite a nice sound.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07But it's not a nice sound today,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11because I'm heading out for eight days on a beam trawler.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17So, thoroughly out into the unknown for me.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20This is going to the front line of fishing, really.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31HE LAUGHS
0:09:31 > 0:09:37I think deep down he knows what he's letting himself in for.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And he probably doesn't really want to be doing it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45You know, a lot of people in his position would probably
0:09:45 > 0:09:47bottle out of it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57'There are warnings of gales in Humber, Portland, Plymouth
0:09:57 > 0:09:59'and Southeast Iceland.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'The UK outlook for the next 24 hours.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'Strong to gale force Southwesterly winds, but becoming stormy.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:11'It's going to be very, very hard work.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16'Even the guys in the cove have said you're in for a tough time,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'you know, this is a tough, tough working environment,
0:10:19 > 0:10:24'but I think you can just get out there and give it your best shot.'
0:10:29 > 0:10:35Just 30 miles from Cadgwith is the industrial fishing port of Newlyn.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38AUCTIONEER SAYS PRICES
0:10:38 > 0:10:439,000 tons of fish worth nearly £20 million are landed here every year.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48It's among Britain's busiest fishing ports with more than
0:10:48 > 0:10:50190 vessels working out of the harbour.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54One of the biggest is the Billy Rowney,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58a 90-foot, 180-ton beam trawler.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00The boat's skipper is Steve Mosley.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- All right, Steve. - Hi, Monty, mate.- How are you?
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Not bad, yourself?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Good, good. Thank you for having me aboard.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Nah, nah mate, looking forward to it?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Haha. Can't wait, I'm beside myself. Shall I climb aboard?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Come on down mate, watch yourself down the ladder.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Cheers.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- You're the one that's crewing with us?- I am, I am.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22I'm Danny, nice to meet you.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Hiya, mate. Nice to meet you, Danny. How's it going?
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- Good, I'll show you where... - Brilliant, thank you.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33At 43, Steve is one of the youngest
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and most successful skippers in Newlyn.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37For the last few years, the Billy Rowney
0:11:37 > 0:11:40has ranked as one of the port's highest-grossing boats.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Time to go back to earn some pennies again.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50See how well your Monty performs for a week. Confident enough, so...
0:11:52 > 0:11:54But they're all like that when they first come.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Within 24hrs, we'll soon know what our Monty's made of.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02He'll appreciate where his fish and chips come from by the time
0:12:02 > 0:12:04he's finished this week, I should imagine.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10This is basically home for the next eight days and nights.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13That's my bunk in there.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15I've been told that's my...
0:12:16 > 0:12:20This little sort of coffin-shaped cupboard,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and, essentially, in this space here,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27five men live for the whole eight days.
0:12:27 > 0:12:34It's not a glamorous life, beam trawling. The men who do it
0:12:34 > 0:12:38are quite kind of revered as being hard men, getting out there
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and doing the job, but no-one does it for the glamour, believe me.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45FOG HORN BLASTS
0:12:47 > 0:12:50The Billy Rowney has a crew of six on rotation,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54with four aboard and two ashore for each trip.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57We try our best to keep that boat turning over.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59It only ever spends one day in the harbour.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02The more you can keep that boat at sea, the better it is
0:13:02 > 0:13:05financially for everybody, not just myself,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07because these things aren't cheap to run.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Monty will work on deck alongside three other crew.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Charlie Downing, is second mate, engineer, and deckhand.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Born in nearby Mousehole, Charlie's been fishing since his early 20s.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Grimsby-born deckhand Jamie Vickers and deckhand
0:13:24 > 0:13:26and cook Danny Fisher from Fleetwood, both moved
0:13:26 > 0:13:30to Newlyn after the fishing industry in their hometowns collapsed.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Once a fisherman, always a fisherman.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36It's in your blood, always has been.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I mean, my dad was a fisherman, me granddad was a fisherman,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42me great-granddad was a fisherman, me great, great,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45great-granddad was a fisherman, you know, me brother's a fisherman.
0:13:45 > 0:13:53So it's, like I say, it's in your blood...and I just love the job.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Steve's under pressure to find richly populated
0:13:58 > 0:13:59fishing grounds quickly.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Every mile he steams before deploying his nets
0:14:01 > 0:14:03burns costly fuel.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Aye-aye, mate, aye-aye. Just coming up past the trees here, cap.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Just wonder what all the news was, mate.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12He radios another skipper in the hope of information.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER
0:14:18 > 0:14:20All right, thanks a lot, mate. Catch you later, cheers now.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Some of the skippers will tell you the honest truth,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27some will tell you a little bit of truth.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And you've got to pick your bones out of it.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32He's told me he's on five to six stone of monk
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and a basket side of flats.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Which, this day, is a good living, like, you know, so to me, now,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I'm thinking, well, that'll do, that'll do for me as a start.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Over the next eight days, Monty will work alongside men whose
0:14:46 > 0:14:52activities many believe are giving the fishing industry a bad name.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55They're often portrayed as the villains, the larger boats
0:14:55 > 0:14:59that are trawling, and hopefully over the next week or so,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I might be able to find out why,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06and tell their story as opposed to just the smaller boats.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Obviously concerned about sea sickness,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17but more concerned, I think, about giving a good account of myself.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I don't want to let myself down and I want to be a valid
0:15:20 > 0:15:22member of this crew.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24I want them to say it was good having me onboard because
0:15:24 > 0:15:28he actually did a bit of work and he lightened the load on us.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Monty has suffered from chronic sea sickness in the past.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Deep sea trawling is going to push him to the limit.
0:15:36 > 0:15:42If his sea legs hold up, he'd be all right, you know, because he's
0:15:42 > 0:15:48keen to learn and when he gets a job he does it no problem, you know.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51But the sea legs problem
0:15:51 > 0:15:56and the green gills problem might sort of let him down a bit.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02I'm gonna evens bet at the minute, I wouldn't like to go either way.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09The Billy Rowney is now 50 miles south west of Newlyn
0:16:09 > 0:16:11heading for it's fishing grounds in the deep Atlantic waters
0:16:11 > 0:16:13south of the Isles of Scilly.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23Far from the protection of land, conditions quickly deteriorate.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The tail-end of Hurricane Katia, a category 4 storm, which has battered
0:16:27 > 0:16:31the east coast of the United States, has crossed the Atlantic.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43At last, we're about to deploy the trawl and this is all happening
0:16:43 > 0:16:47on a massive industrial scale and Steve's basically said to me
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I need to stay up here on the bridge wing and just watch it happen.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52All these huge bits, pulleys, winches,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55hydraulics thrashing around as the deck moves beneath me
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and this is definitely the best place to be I would say... CLUNK
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Listen to that.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09While fishing out of Cadgwith, Monty has used static pots
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and nets which lie in wait for the fish to swim into them.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Trawling is entirely different.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20A beam trawl consists of two nine-metre metal beams with chains
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and nets attached which are lowered to the ocean floor
0:17:23 > 0:17:25below a moving boat.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29As the beams are dragged along, the heavy chains
0:17:29 > 0:17:33scrape the seabed, scooping up everything in their path.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The target fish are those that inhabit the sea bed
0:17:39 > 0:17:41such as plaice and sole.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45They bury themselves in sand and mud but the chains flush them up
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and into the net.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58Beam trawling is seen by many as one of the most environmentally destructive forms of fishing.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01But towing trawls or nets is undeniably efficient.
0:18:01 > 0:18:0490% of the fish landed on our shores is caught using this method.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08The nets are now fishing
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and a relentless round the clock work pattern will soon begin.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17We will haul those nets every two to three hours without fail
0:18:17 > 0:18:19and get them back in the water as quick as we can.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24You'll then process your fish, pick it up, gut it, clean it, stow it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28That's gonna take you an hour, so you'll get an hour back after
0:18:28 > 0:18:31if you're lucky, if there's no trouble - no splits in the nets -
0:18:31 > 0:18:35you'll get an hour back aft to have a cup of tea, have your fag,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37bit of scran, and then I'll be calling you out
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and we'll be doing the same again.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Constant operation, 24/7.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Catch your sleep when you can, meals when you can.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50That's what it's all about, you're not out there to sit down
0:18:50 > 0:18:54and wait for the fish to come to you, you're going to the fish.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58The more hauls you can get in, the better for everyone.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03The thing about this job is there's no night or day
0:19:03 > 0:19:05when we're out there, it's just work.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09It doesn't matter if it's three o'clock in the morning or the afternoon -
0:19:09 > 0:19:12we're working until the minute we get back to the harbour.
0:19:13 > 0:19:1612 hours after leaving Newlyn, the nets are ready to be
0:19:16 > 0:19:18hauled for the first time.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25The first shift in rough seas will be a real test for Monty's sea legs.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35There we go.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41HE COUGHS
0:19:43 > 0:19:45HE VOMITS
0:19:49 > 0:19:51HE WRETCHES
0:19:58 > 0:19:59- MAN BURPS - Excuse me.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12Incapacitated by seasickness, Monty cannot contribute.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Unable to continue any longer, he leaves the deck.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22In the wheelhouse, Steve is unimpressed - and unsympathetic.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26How's Monty been doing? How HASN'T he been doing, I should say.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Not very well at the moment, by the looks of it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34I'm afraid at the moment he is stuck, because we ain't going back
0:20:34 > 0:20:41until we've got wages and the boat with fish in it, you know, so...
0:20:41 > 0:20:44that boy's going to have to get his sea legs somehow or later.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49You just feel a complete muppet.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Deeply humiliating. It's crushing!
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Unless you can make it on a fishing boat
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and work effectively, the fishermen out here, you know...
0:20:59 > 0:21:03They don't really respect you unless you can do that.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Some passenger is just hurling over the side
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and lying in his bunk pointless, just dead weight.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13When the trawler's on the surface it's not earning money.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15After fishing for three hours,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19it takes the crew just 15 minutes to empty and redeploy it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28At 3:00am, just two hours after the last haul, Monty is back on deck.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32You'll find it easier facing forward rather than aft.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Right. Right.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40- Sorry Charlie, I'm going to have to take a second.- Are you all right?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Despite his best efforts, he succumbs to sickness once again.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- Ooh... - MONTY RETCHES
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Nice roll...
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I don't know whether you're praying for fish or what there...
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Praying for something. - Praying for something.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01There's nowt worse than being sick out here. Sea sickness.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- Charlie, I'm just going to have to sit here, sorry.- Yeah, all right.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Just got to get better, you know.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20I'm 12 hours into this, and this is eight days.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And I've got to contribute as well -
0:22:24 > 0:22:27it's no good being like this all the time.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Pathetic.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31Out for the count.
0:22:35 > 0:22:3870 miles off shore, and with no hope of returning to land soon,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42the next week will be the toughest of his life
0:22:42 > 0:22:45unless his condition improves.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Worse weather is forecast in a few days.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Monty battles through the next 18 hours.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- How many hands you got, Monty? - Two.- Righto.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Individual species are sorted in separate bins.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Anything that has no commercial value is thrown back.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Come on Monty, two hands. Come on.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27By the second evening, Monty has begun
0:23:27 > 0:23:32to acclimatise to the boat's motion, and his condition is improving.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Dare I say I'm starting to feel a little bit better, you know.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Each haul, I'm just trying to do a little bit more.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43But now's the time I need to start digging in
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and actually contributing.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53This is monk, these are turbot.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Megrims, plenty of crabs...
0:23:57 > 0:24:01The waters off the southwest coast, warmed by the Gulf Stream,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05are the most diverse fishing grounds in the UK.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10I'll catch anything from monkfish, Dover soles, lemon soles,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14megrims, ling, cod, haddock,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17ray, eels, gurnards,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21pouts... It's really good for us, we're never actually
0:24:21 > 0:24:26targeting one species all the time. It is good.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Like all fishing boats in the EU,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33the Billy Rowney operates under strict quota restrictions.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38But because she has quota for a wide range of species,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40she can spend as many as 300 days at sea each year.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Boats in less diverse fisheries can go to sea for far fewer days.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53- Hold him like that.- Yeah. - You get your fingers in behind him
0:24:53 > 0:24:55right in the gill...
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Just try and get everything out -
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- swim bladder, gall bladder...- Right.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04There he is, nice and clean. That's it.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- Is that all right?- Yeah.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10The fish will not be sold on the market for another eight days,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13so it must be iced and stowed below decks.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18- Four monk...- Monty relays how much has been caught so far.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23- Two of plaice...- Two of plaice.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- One haddock...- One haddock.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29This information is critical for Steve
0:25:29 > 0:25:33in deciding whether to stay put, or to steam elsewhere in the hope of a better return.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- One bag of shells.- One bag of shells.- That's it.- Lovely.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Unlike inshore boats, restricted to fishing their local waters,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47these trawlers can travel large distances in search of a bigger catch.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Steve decides to remain where he is, for the time being at least.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Able to eat his first meal since leaving Cadgwith two days ago,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Monty's hard work has only just begun.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15Over the next six days, he'll be expected to complete a further 40 shifts.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Day 3. Monty begins to understand the true demands
0:26:22 > 0:26:24of working on a deep sea trawler.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Sort of between hauls at the moment...
0:27:06 > 0:27:09It feels rather like someone's
0:27:09 > 0:27:11shoved a cheese and onion crisp
0:27:11 > 0:27:13under each eyelid.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16This is a little haven for me -
0:27:16 > 0:27:18just come back to this little space,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22to the coffin-like compartment,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24and just try and get a bit of sleep
0:27:24 > 0:27:26and get ready for the next one.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34Right, let's get this show on the road here and get the man up.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Day 4, 2am.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Charlie has been on watch, and wakes up Monty for the next shift.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Monty, it's time to get out your pit.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- All looking good.- All good?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Beam trawlers are non-selective, ploughing the sea bed
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and indiscriminately scraping up everything in their path.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Many of the species landed on deck have no commercial value -
0:28:19 > 0:28:22these are known as by-catch and are not kept.
0:28:23 > 0:28:2727 million tonnes of by-catch, one third of the total global landings,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29are dumped overboard every year.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41The amount of fish that's being brought on board,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44compared to the amount that's being shovelled back over the side -
0:28:44 > 0:28:46the by-catch essentially, the discard -
0:28:46 > 0:28:48was a bit of a shocker, actually.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50And to be doing it myself,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53to be physically shovelling the stuff back over, you know,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55I found really difficult,
0:28:55 > 0:29:00and in a way I almost shut down quite early on
0:29:00 > 0:29:04and thought, right, I just need to get on with it and get the job done.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07One stone of doris!
0:29:07 > 0:29:10- Two gurnard.- Two gurnards.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14One and a quarter of turbot.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17The crew are now halfway through the trip.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18This evening's tally
0:29:18 > 0:29:24has covered the fuel now - with a bit of luck, if the price is OK.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26It's covered the fuel plus a little bit extra,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29so for the next four days, if everything goes all right
0:29:29 > 0:29:34and we don't break down or nothing, now we're starting to make wages.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35Fuel is so dear at the moment.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39The running costs, just the fuel alone is shaping up £1,000 a day.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43I've got to find that before anybody gets a penny. So, er...
0:29:44 > 0:29:48The crew have now caught £10,000 worth of fish -
0:29:48 > 0:29:52just enough to cover fuel costs for the boat's eight days at sea.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Fuel prices are constantly rising - fish prices are not.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Today's trawler skippers are under pressure to fish harder
0:29:59 > 0:30:01and for longer than ever before.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08The bad weather has abated, for now at least.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14- Just make sure all that is inside. All right?- Yeah.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16About the ties first cod end,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20he's been practising on a bit of twine in the galley.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- So nothing can come through.- Yeah.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27The cod end of the net contains the catch.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29If the securing knot fails,
0:30:29 > 0:30:34three hours of fishing will have been in vain and hundreds of pounds lost.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39Now, the time of truth is here, eh? Seven o'clock, we'll soon find out.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42For the next three hours, I think all of us will be
0:30:42 > 0:30:46on tenterhooks waiting to see if the cod end comes undone.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Marine or no marine, we'll kick his ass all over the deck.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Monty is nicking crab claws to prevent them from fighting
0:30:53 > 0:30:57and becoming damaged when stored.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Skipper Steve is keeping a watchful eye.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03He frightens me doing them crabs.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07He's forcing the knife, he's got the claw and he's forcing the knife,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and if he slips or the claw shoots, he'll stab himself.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11He's there like this at the moment.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14What's going to happen, it's happened loads of times,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16the top claw will come off and all he'll do,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20his hand's there, it will go straight into his hand.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21And we'll have a mess.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26You're not just five minutes down the road from any medical facility.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28This far off, it's a helicopter,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30there's no other way they'll get to you, you know.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35You're constantly watching them, afraid they going to do something.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38There's so many things that can go wrong in this job.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39You have to be so alert with it.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42They think everything is OK and it's not.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46So, for me, if that man comes with me,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50for the first six months or more, I'm on edge,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54wanting to know where he is, what he's doing, making sure he's OK.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00There are more injuries on deep sea boats than any other fishing vessel
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and three quarters of all fatalities in the fishing industry
0:32:03 > 0:32:05occur on boats like the Billy Rooney.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09What you're towing on is 23...
0:32:09 > 0:32:15I think ours is 23 or it's 26 mil warps - wires. You know.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20They port, they could chop you in half. No messing.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25If one of them ports and hits you, you're dead straight away.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27There's no ifs or buts.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30It's one of them jobs where
0:32:30 > 0:32:33if you turn your back on it for a second,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36it can hurt you and real hurt you.
0:32:39 > 0:32:45Aboard me, I've had a few broken bones and a few slips and hurts.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51I haven't had anything major, and I don't like talking like that
0:32:51 > 0:32:54because it does, in my eyes, I don't like tempting fate
0:32:54 > 0:32:57and I think it is when you start talking along those lines.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01The nets are brought to the surface once again.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05It's time to see if Monty's cod end knot has held.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08The relief is considerable.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11HE LAUGHS
0:33:22 > 0:33:24OK! Below!
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Plunged into darkness, the deck, because the generator has gone.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39And it's... One of the things that comes across very powerfully
0:33:39 > 0:33:44- is this whole operation...- Stay where you are.- Yeah. No problem.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46BEEP
0:33:46 > 0:33:48There you are, generator's back on.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50If the generator doesn't work,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53if it breaks and can't be fixed, end of fishing.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56If the ice machine breaks and it can't be fixed, end of fishing.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58The hydraulics go and it can't be fixed.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01So the whole thing does run on this knife edge, all the time.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06We're on that generator at the moment.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10That one there has shut down. We can only run one at a time.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Charlie has been forced to switch to the emergency generator.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16If this fails, the boat will be without power
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and the trip abandoned.
0:34:20 > 0:34:25Cod fishing requires a lot of skill in a lot of areas.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27Because the numbers of the crew are dropping.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31So, you don't just have a dedicated mechanic and that's all he does.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Like Charlie, he does watches, he's a mechanic, he's a deckhand,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38and that's the way it is around the fleet.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42A lot of skill involved in being a modern fisherman on one of these big trawlers.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Day six.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49As the weather freshens, Steve listens to the shipping forecast.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51'The area forecast for the next 24 hours,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55'White, Portland, Plymouth - variable three or four at first in White.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58'Otherwise, West or Southwest 5 to 7.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01'Rain or squally showers, good, occasionally poor.'
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It's not good news.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Probably similar to what it was the first 24 hours we were here.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Er, I think it's best we keep that quiet.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Just tell him it's going to be a nice 2 to 3,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19he'll be happy then, he'll keep smiling.
0:35:21 > 0:35:2440 mph winds and rough seas are imminent.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36For 48 hours, Monty and the crew battle against the elements.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Extreme weather is simply part of the job for these men.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45But the crew often endure far worse conditions.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Frightening. Really frightening.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55When you've got 40, 50 foot waves smashing over you,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57and it's filling the deck up.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02It's not for the fainthearted. Put it that way.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06You know, when one wave hits across the deck, you can be knocked
0:36:06 > 0:36:11off your feet, washed overboard, you can be knocked about the deck.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18'No, it's not very nice weather to be stuck in. Things can go wrong.'
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Everything board the boat is put to its maximum stress
0:36:21 > 0:36:25when you start getting tons and tons of water drop aboard the boat.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30I'm told...
0:36:30 > 0:36:33I'm told I'm being a total lightweight about the whole thing.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35If you were with the Cadgwith boys now, mate,
0:36:35 > 0:36:40you'd be tucked up in a pub with a nice pint in your hand.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42It just makes life so much trickier, you know.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45You're staggering around the deck.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50People pay thousands and thousands of pounds to come out here,
0:36:50 > 0:36:51you know, on cruises.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55- So, you'd classify this as a cruise? - Yeah.
0:37:05 > 0:37:06Just, uh,...
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Just got in...
0:37:08 > 0:37:12from, uh, the worst one yet.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Sunday, I'm so close to finishing. But...
0:37:15 > 0:37:20That was force six, gusty force eight, uh, force eight.
0:37:20 > 0:37:26Steve said they know the cabin wind is force eight. That's gusty.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Massive seas. And you're just all over the place.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34You're thrown from side to side and you're knackered, anyway. And...
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45Most of the other boats fishing in these waters have headed for the shelter of harbour.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47But Steve is undeterred.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Bad weather is a good thing for me.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Because I'm on a slightly bigger vessel than most of them,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58in the bad weather, smaller boats will be left
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and can't work the weather.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Less fish on the market. That's good for me.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06If I can come in with mine, they want it, they need it.
0:38:06 > 0:38:07Good prices.
0:38:09 > 0:38:10It's the evening of day six.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Deckhand Danny has a roast in the oven.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Until recently, boats like the Billy Rooney had a dedicated cook.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Danny, may I say, outstanding chef.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23He has a rare gift, this man, he's wasted.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26You haven't seen nothing, yet.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Originally, there would have been six men on that boat, working all the time.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33But with rising costs, we had to change with it.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39We couldn't keep six men because six men weren't getting a viable wage.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43We had to go to five. Then eventually, we went to four.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I get the impression, you're sort of on the bare bones, now.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49The minimum number of boats manned by the minimum number of people
0:38:49 > 0:38:51to operate effectively.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- Yeah.- If we lost one more person from this crew,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58I can't see how you could operate with a three-man crew.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02- You couldn't.- Yeah, it would just be a man breaker.- Well, you could.
0:39:02 > 0:39:08You could. But you'd be up all the time, you know.
0:39:08 > 0:39:15You know. If you're up 18, 19 hours a day, it's a long day.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- You know me, Danny, I can deal with that.- Oh, yeah.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I know you can, Monty, yeah.
0:39:21 > 0:39:27But like I say, you could work this boat three-handed. But...
0:39:27 > 0:39:29You know, if Steve turned around to me and says,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33"We're going three handed," I'd say, "Sorry, Steve, I'm not going."
0:39:33 > 0:39:35- You know.- Just, you think it would be too much?
0:39:35 > 0:39:39It's not too much, it's too dangerous.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44- Yeah.- Someone will get hurt and they will get badly hurt, if not killed.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57The weather has calmed.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00Steve has asked Monty to take a watch in the wheelhouse.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02That's your two track plotters,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06that's an olex system which is a 3D ground mapping system.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Right.- You've got two radars in this wheelhouse.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12You've got your sounder which tracks the bottom
0:40:12 > 0:40:14and your obstructions will come up.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18You've basically got six screens and you've got to watch them all.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Dragging the beam trawls over wrecks or rough ground
0:40:20 > 0:40:23can cause thousands of pounds of damage.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26In the worst cases, can terminate a trip.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Basically you've got a giant set of scales here.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31If you get two weights on one side,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35if you flick one off what happens with your scales? They'll roll.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36You'll be fishing along, nice weather,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39going along and all of a sudden the boat will stop.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42She'll tip and all of a sudden you're fast into something.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- I've had boulders aboard here the size of a mini.- Right.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49I've dropped aboard and they're not fun to get either.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52But it does happen, you know.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54What are you about to hand over to me,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58for me to do my two hour watch, financially?
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Financially, probably about a million quid.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04But more than anything,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I'm handing over to you my life and the rest of the crew's life.
0:41:07 > 0:41:13Which to me, is more than any monetary value at all.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- She's all yours, mate. - Thank you very much.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- Right, see you in a bit. - Smashing, cheers.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24For the next three hours, Monty is left in charge of the boat.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28There's a wreck on the plotter there and I've got all fixated on it.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33The old auto-pilot there is quite sensitive, such a big vessel
0:41:33 > 0:41:37and I'm just trying to guide her the other side of that wreck.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41There's a big...container ship, HUGE container ship
0:41:41 > 0:41:44and a little vessel in front of the container ship as well.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48The fishing vessel is the Aaltje Adriantje
0:41:48 > 0:41:50and the container ship is the Camellia Ace.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56You'd think having all this technology would make life easier,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59but actually for me personally,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02it's just making life ten times more stressful.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09The Billy Rowney is 40 years old, but the technology aboard her,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, is state of the art.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Fishermen use this not only to navigate, but also to hunt for fish.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21High tech systems now allow skippers
0:42:21 > 0:42:24to visualise the precise contours of the sea bed in 3D
0:42:24 > 0:42:27and identify shoals of fish with pin point accuracy.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Britain's fleet may be aging and stocks declining,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35but today's fishing boats are more efficient than ever.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41The technology has got so great and so easily available,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44that people are losing their skills.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47You should, as a fisherman, be able to go out there
0:42:47 > 0:42:51and catch a fish without any of that stuff.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53As long as they can press the buttons
0:42:53 > 0:42:55and understand how the electronics work,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58they can catch all the fish that I've took a lifetime
0:42:58 > 0:43:00to create me own knowledge.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03It would be ideal
0:43:03 > 0:43:07if we could step back to the end of the Second World War. You could do very nicely,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09there was plenty of fish to catch
0:43:09 > 0:43:13and you didn't need a lot of technology to do it.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17The fish were practically jumping in the boat.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20We can't go back to those days.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24You can't go back in the same way you can't go back to a countryside
0:43:24 > 0:43:26that's not littered with motorways.
0:43:26 > 0:43:32You can't un-introduce smoking into the country,
0:43:32 > 0:43:36you can't turn the clock backwards.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42After completing his watch, Monty is back on deck.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46To protect stocks, cod quota is severely limited in these waters.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Boats can't land more than 150 kilos per month.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53With the Billy Rowney's quota reached after just two hauls,
0:43:53 > 0:43:54the crew have had no option
0:43:54 > 0:43:59but to throw back every extra cod they catch, most of it dead.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02But Steve has now received a Telex from the boats owners,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06informing him that they've managed to lease more cod quota.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10It's all very nice, we've got 300 kilos to catch extra,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14but it's a pity we didn't get it till yesterday.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18All week, we've been chucking cod away.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20We must have chucked, I reckon,
0:44:20 > 0:44:24in the region of nearly 400/ 500 kilo of cod away this week.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Declining fish stocks means ever more stringent quotas.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32The only way for fishermen to legally land more fish,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34is to lease more quota.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37There is quota that's on the market to buy and sell
0:44:37 > 0:44:39of different species of fish.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Some is easy to come by and some isn't,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44but it looks as if our office
0:44:44 > 0:44:49has managed to find a little bit of private cod leased quota to buy.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Rising costs and restrictive quotas
0:44:53 > 0:44:55means growing numbers of deep-sea fishermen
0:44:55 > 0:44:58are choosing to sell their boats but hold on to their quota,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00making a much easier living simply by leasing it out.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Yeah, it's definitely a financial investment to own quota.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11If you've got ten ton of cod that you could sell,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13you've got a really good investment.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15It's a money-making thing, you know?
0:45:15 > 0:45:18The system brought in to protect fish stocks
0:45:18 > 0:45:21has evolved into a valuable financial commodity.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Making a living from the deep sea has never been tougher.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27In the past 25 years,
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Britain's offshore fishing fleet has almost halved in size.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36They had 23 beamers when I first came down here, there's not 23 now.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40I think there's only about nine, ten, if that.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45In another ten years, I don't think there'll be a fishing fleet here.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Some people have just had enough, you know?
0:45:48 > 0:45:51There's so many laws now,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54it's not a simple case of just going out, shooting nets,
0:45:54 > 0:45:55catching fish and coming in.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58There's a lot of paperwork that if it isn't done right,
0:45:58 > 0:45:59there's a lot of big fines.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03A lot of people just don't want that,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06people used to just go out, fishermen, go out,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09go and do what they had to do, catch fish, come into the market,
0:46:09 > 0:46:10land it, lovely,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13but it's just not quite as cut and straight as that any more.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17After eight days at sea,
0:46:17 > 0:46:21the nets are ready to be hauled for the last time.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26You'll notice with any crew,
0:46:26 > 0:46:30from the moment I say, "Last haul, boys, we're on the way home,"
0:46:30 > 0:46:34everybody's mood raises hundredfold, you know?
0:46:34 > 0:46:36They call it getting the channels,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39and you'll get people who'll be tired all week, won't speak,
0:46:39 > 0:46:43won't talk to nobody, and the moment that gear comes aboard,
0:46:43 > 0:46:44everybody's best of mates
0:46:44 > 0:46:47and everybody's talking all the time, can't stop.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51# Every day would be the first day of spring... #
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Oh, what a voice!
0:46:53 > 0:46:58# Every heart would have a new song to sing... #
0:46:58 > 0:47:01There you are, Monty, hidden talents, pal.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02Blimey!
0:47:02 > 0:47:06After being struck down by seasickness
0:47:06 > 0:47:08at the beginning of the trip, Monty has survived the week,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11completing more than 40 shifts on deck.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17For hour after hour, day after day
0:47:17 > 0:47:22I've lowered fish through that hatch, big tubs full of fish.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26This is a phenomenal fishing machine that I'm on at the moment,
0:47:26 > 0:47:27a beam trawler,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30and it's fished non-stop for seven days, 24 hours a day,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34and of course it's just one of a fleet of vessels
0:47:34 > 0:47:36working this water at the moment.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38The scale's beyond anything I've ever seen before,
0:47:38 > 0:47:41certainly way beyond anything at Cadgwith,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45and you do have to ask questions about the sustainability of that.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47You know, can that level of fishing
0:47:47 > 0:47:49be sustained long-term into the future,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52can the environment deal with it?
0:47:53 > 0:47:5413 of haddocks.
0:47:54 > 0:47:5613 of haddock!
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Four octopus.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Four octopus!
0:48:00 > 0:48:0418 species fill 165 boxes.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Amongst them are two tons of megrim sole,
0:48:07 > 0:48:12over a ton of monkfish and 300 kilos of highly-prized Dover sole.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Four and a quarter of cod!
0:48:17 > 0:48:18Tally ho!
0:48:20 > 0:48:23In total, the Billy Rowney has caught six tons of fish.
0:48:24 > 0:48:29Over eight days and nights on deck, Monty has grown close to the crew,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33men who are becoming increasingly vilified for the job they do.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39There is a bit of a reputation down here, you know.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43The trawling fleet in particular are made out to be
0:48:43 > 0:48:44the kind of villains and all that.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49How do you feel about that, personally?
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Well, I wouldn't call us villains myself.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58You know, we're just honest working men doing an honest working day.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03A villain is someone who breaks into someone's house or who stabs people,
0:49:03 > 0:49:07who causes trouble, they're villains.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09We don't cause trouble.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12we're like a farmer, we're reaping the sea bed.
0:49:12 > 0:49:13Yeah.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16You don't class a farmer as a villain
0:49:16 > 0:49:17because he's reaping the land.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Us, they're calling us villains cos we're reaping the sea bed.
0:49:22 > 0:49:23Yeah.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28I wouldn't say there's the abundance that there was 20 years ago, no,
0:49:28 > 0:49:33but on the same token there's still plenty of fish out there,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35there's still plenty of fish to be caught.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37I've got another 20 years of this game.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Hopefully I'll win the lottery before I get that far,
0:49:42 > 0:49:46but, yeah, you know, I want it sustainable,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48so does every other man that's down that pier
0:49:48 > 0:49:50wants a sustainable fishery,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54we just need to find that happy medium
0:49:54 > 0:49:57between the science and then the fishing,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59and we will, it'll be OK eventually.
0:50:14 > 0:50:21I must say that all week on board Cadgwith has seemed a million miles away,
0:50:21 > 0:50:24literally and figuratively as well,
0:50:24 > 0:50:25and suddenly it isn't.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28That's the Lizard Lighthouse just out there,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31and obviously, just around the corner, it's 6.50am now,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34so the boys will just be pushing the boats off the beach,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and the Cadgwith fleet will be coming to life,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38getting ready for another day's fishing.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42I think I've got better perspective on that fleet now than I've ever had.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43Ah...
0:50:43 > 0:50:48This is an operation on an entirely different scale,
0:50:48 > 0:50:52we've caught as much this week than the Cadgwith fleet will catch
0:50:52 > 0:50:56in it's entirety during a course of a week like this,
0:50:56 > 0:51:00and I just can't wait to get back there and back to Razorbill.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12I was horrified when the first trawl came up
0:51:12 > 0:51:16and I saw what was on the deck, and unequivocally,
0:51:16 > 0:51:22you had carved a furrow in the sea floor and removed that whole eco-system
0:51:22 > 0:51:26and unequivocally, there's a big impact there.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28As the week went on, I began to appreciate,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31to catch fish in that volume and feed the market,
0:51:31 > 0:51:35you have to fish on a massive scale, you just have to do it.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37The demand's not going to go away
0:51:37 > 0:51:39and somehow you've got to feed that demand.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Trawlermen are hard-working men and they operate within the rules,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48they're the victims of a flawed system,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51but...
0:51:51 > 0:51:54to tar this whole group of men with this same brush of saying
0:51:54 > 0:51:57they're all villains and environmental hooligans,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00they're not, they're definitely not,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03'they're fishermen and they're decent men trying to earn a living.'
0:52:03 > 0:52:06- Thank you so much for having me... - You're welcome.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08..really, really appreciate it.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10- All the best.- Take it easy. Bye now. See you later.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19He did well, Monty, I'd sail with him again.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22I would, you know,
0:52:22 > 0:52:27cos he was a bit slow, you know,
0:52:27 > 0:52:32but, I mean, you don't have to go at it 99 miles an hour, you know.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Yeah, he done very well. It was a pleasure sailing with him.
0:52:36 > 0:52:42Early the following morning, the catch is processed ready for market.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45All this furious activity you can see going on behind me,
0:52:45 > 0:52:50you've got to bear in mind it's from one catch from one boat
0:52:50 > 0:52:51the Billy Rowney.
0:52:51 > 0:52:56How reliant all of these guys are on boats going out and working,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59and how many jobs each trip creates.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03It's estimated that every fisherman at sea creates four jobs on land.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09350 to start, 350, 360, 370, 380...
0:53:09 > 0:53:11380, 390...
0:53:11 > 0:53:17The auction is underway and high prices are being paid for the Billy Rowney's catch.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Steve's decision to work through bad weather has paid off.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Today, his is the only trawler selling on the market
0:53:24 > 0:53:26and the fish are fetching top prices.
0:53:26 > 0:53:2960 to go here, 9lbs, 850.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33- 880.- 880, 890, 890 and 9.
0:53:33 > 0:53:39He landed 160 boxes, made 32,000. I mean, I was delighted, you know.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42I didn't expect that, to be honest with you. Er, yeah.
0:53:42 > 0:53:48Because there wasn't that much fish there and there hadn't been that much fish though the week
0:53:48 > 0:53:49because we had had bad weather.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53It worked in our favour that when we did get there, the boys wanted it,
0:53:53 > 0:53:57they needed it to fill their orders - good for me, lovely job.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01We rubbed our hands, we went away with a week's work everybody was happy with.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03The only thing that killed us is the fuel in that trip,
0:54:03 > 0:54:08the fuel cost me a fortune that trip. If we hadn't have had them good prices that morning...
0:54:08 > 0:54:12that could have been a disaster for us, to be honest with you.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16After expenses and the owner's cut is subtracted, the trawler's crew members
0:54:16 > 0:54:21receive their share, around £2,000 each for the eight-day trip.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26Many small boat fishermen would be lucky to earn this in a month.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29For now at least, there's still good money to be made fishing off shore.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33I mean, money's not everything,
0:54:33 > 0:54:40it's the satisfaction of doing the job and being in a successful boat,
0:54:40 > 0:54:44you know, it's job satisfaction,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47that's how I look at it.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Back in Cadgwith, Monty is heading out with Nigel his mentor
0:54:59 > 0:55:01and skipper of Razorbill.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Morning, Nige, I'm back, the trawlerman's back.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05How did it go?
0:55:05 > 0:55:09Just don't ask, because I don't even want to talk about it..
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- You survived. - ..like a combat veteran.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15- Yeah, I mean first couple of days...- Earring, earring yet?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18- Not as yet, no.- Tattoos? - Working on the beard.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20I'll smoke rollies now.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25Totally different motion of the boat and again, it just polished me off, but after that...
0:55:25 > 0:55:28- It's just different world, ain't it?- It really is.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31And you know, despite what they might say about those big boats,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34you've got to take your hat off for those boys doing what they do.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37- They are hard men.- They are doing and working, they are working.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42I just can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be back.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46Well, when I used to turn over at night and just sort of switch the electric blanket off,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49- I used to think, "I wonder where those boys are now."- Oh!
0:56:03 > 0:56:05Look at that, look at that!
0:56:05 > 0:56:08I've lost none of my magic! LAUGHTER
0:56:08 > 0:56:11So are you signing up for another trip then, Mont?
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Never!
0:56:13 > 0:56:17I said all credit to them, hard as nails.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21He may never go out on a beam trawler again,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24but at least Monty's seen how one boat
0:56:24 > 0:56:29in one fishery works under one set of regulations,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34and he now looks at Cadgwith in a very different light.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38'I really have returned here
0:56:38 > 0:56:42'a different man from the man who went out on the beam trawler.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46'I think I've got a much better appreciation of what goes on
0:56:46 > 0:56:49'with this little fishing fleet out of Cadgwith.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52'To return to a place that fishes entirely sustainably,
0:56:52 > 0:56:57'fishes on a daily basis, that uses static gear, that is a model
0:56:57 > 0:57:00'of an environmental approach to fishing,
0:57:00 > 0:57:04'is just an absolute pleasure.'
0:57:04 > 0:57:08There's an overwhelming impression as I stepped off the trawler
0:57:08 > 0:57:10and that's that this is a large scale of fishing,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13which does pay off financially,
0:57:13 > 0:57:18but of course you've got that big question of sustainability around it,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21and as you look at the boats behind me here,
0:57:21 > 0:57:23that simply isn't a question.
0:57:23 > 0:57:31The way the Cadgwith fleet operates is low impact, sustainable style fishing, but does it pay?
0:57:31 > 0:57:37The one thing I hear again and again is that financially, the fleet are struggling,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40and in a perfect world it would be lovely to marry up
0:57:40 > 0:57:45that sustainable form of fishing with a decent economic return
0:57:45 > 0:57:48or even just making a half decent living out of it.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52That's a question I really think I'd like to pursue in the future.
0:57:55 > 0:58:01Next time, Monty meets one of the most successful inshore fishermen in Britain.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Hey! Whoa, look at that.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10He follows fish from the sea to the city.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14I've been chucking that dog fish over the side of my boat
0:58:14 > 0:58:16ever since I started fishing.
0:58:16 > 0:58:22And he heads overseas to look for new ways of supporting our small boat fleet.
0:58:22 > 0:58:23I take pride in the fish I land.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27This fish will be right to the consumer by this afternoon.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30- Right. In and out, no messing about, fresh fish.- Yep.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd