Gone fishing

13th May 2019

Developing our crew is as core to us at Young’s as the beer that put us here, and with this in mind it was time to take our team of Chefs away from the kitchen to learn about the provenance of their plates.

It’s time to board the Mistress Linda. As Skipper Phil navigates us through the seductive waters of Pool Harbour, first mate Clive ensures everything on deck is shipshape. Clive is 68 years old and has been fishing in Poole waters since the age of 16 – (I’ll let you do the maths) but it’s safe to say if anyone knows anything about fish, then Clive will be our man.

It’s a while before our first catch, but Marquess of Anglesey Chef Laura is the first to get a bite, assisted by Skipper Phil we reel in the line, excitement soon drifts as our catch is not listed as sustainable and we throw him back in… You’ve heard the story of the one that got away right?

A few hours in and our catch relative to chefs is low. In fairness aside from Phil and Clive, our vessel is crewed with 9 chefs and a marketeer. It can take years to learn the techniques and skill you need to become a professional fisherman and with only a few hours out at sea it’s fast becoming clear that we’re very much the novices.

How attainable is sustainable? Armed with the correct knowledge and expertise sustainable fishing is a way of life for many.

Here at Young’s we’re proud to support the independent fisheries and fisherman sourcing sustainably caught day boat fish as part of our seafood offering. Our Skippers Catch is a regular feature across our pubs, caught on the day boats like ours, its returned to the harbour, delivered straight to the market and then direct to pub. It’s so fresh, we can even tell you the name of the boat and day and time it was caught.

Of course there is still a long way to go with sustainable fishing and caring for our oceans. There are a lot of global and industry changes still to be made, but with awareness around the subject rising and consumers demanding a a more sustainable and environmentally friendly product on their plates, for now at least it seems things are moving in the right direction.

Throughout the afternoon our team of chefs catch about another 10 fish – the split is about 50/50 in terms of ones we can keep and ones we throw back. An awakening glimpse into the graft and uncertainty that Fisherman can face on a daily basis.

DOLPHINS…..Sorry I may have got a bit overexcited. As we turn to head back to the harbour, we are joined by a pod of dolphins. A truly amazing experience and one that unquestionably brings home the importance of protecting our eco systems through more sustainable fishing methods.