The second of a two-part television programme produced by CBTV Productions for Tyne Tees Television about the declining traditions of inshore fishermen who use coble boats, unique to the North East coast, to fish. The opening title sequence shows fishermen at work at sea and men building a boat on land. Title: The Last Fishermen The film starts at Whitby Harbour as Whitby fisherman Shawn Elwick guides his boat out to sea. A view shows Shawn in the small cabin where he controls the boat....

The second of a two-part television programme produced by CBTV Productions for Tyne Tees Television about the declining traditions of inshore fishermen who use coble boats, unique to the North East coast, to fish. The opening title sequence shows fishermen at work at sea and men building a boat on land. Title: The Last Fishermen The film starts at Whitby Harbour as Whitby fisherman Shawn Elwick guides his boat out to sea. A view shows Shawn in the small cabin where he controls the boat. The commentary states that he is one of very few traditional fishermen working out of Whitby and his boat is also of a long tradition, a coble; a boat used for hundreds of years by fishermen along the North East coast, but very few in operation now. Shawn has been a fisherman since leaving school and is still enthusiastic about the work. Lights on board the craft help the fishermen prepare the lines they will use to fish for cod. The commentary says that each of the eight lines on Shawn’s boat has two hundred hooks baited with squid. Today the weather is favourable and marker flags are deployed, to show where lines have been cast. The fishermen will wait patiently before hauling the lines in. A hundred miles north in Boulmer, Northumberland, fisherman Main Stephenson looks out to sea from an overgrown sand dune near the village. The sea is too rough for him to work from his coble, which is anchored and bobs up and down in the sea just off shore. Off camera Main says the wind is his main concern and creates poor conditions at sea for small boats. Two miles off Whitby, Shawn Elwick and his crew are hauling the lines in much fairer weather. Seals are nearby and they are also interested in the fish being caught and are taking some of the fish that are attracted by the bait. The raid by the seals could significantly affect the success of this trip, but there is little Shawn can do. On screen a woman walks by a beached coble in the harbour. Of camera she introduces herself as Gloria Wilson, a writer specialising in the commercial fishing industry. She’s making a trip to Whitby to see a new coble which has been built by local boat builder Lennie Oliver and Steve Cook a coble specialist. The film shows the vessel, named ‘Bay Joe’ and the registration number WY 810. Gloria is documenting the building of the 23-foot vessel, possibly the last new coble to be built. Gloria takes notes from Lennie Oliver as she asks questions about engine make. Off camera with views of the completed coble, she enthuses about the shape and finish of this new but increasingly rare boat. The design is based on partly the refined shape of the Northumbrian coble and the bulkier shape of a Whitby coble. The commentary says when coastal fishing was at its peak specialist boat builders along the whole length of the north east region constructed cobles to their own individual designs. As Gloria wanders past moored fishing cobles off camera she explains that although cobles have common features a specialist would be able to tell you where, on the north east coast, a coble may have been built. Views follow of cobles in Northumberland and those at Whitby, showing the more bulky lines of the Whitby coble, possibly due to the addition of an on-board engine and a small wheelhouse. Title: Lennie Oliver – Boat Builder On camera with his new coble in the background, Lennie outlines what needs to be added to complete the project. ‘Northern Pride’ Main Stephenson’s coble sits on a trailer in a large shed, the weather too inclement to put out to sea. So Main concentrates on some annual maintenance in this farm building in Boulmer, which includes having the boat repainted, which is done every year. The film shows a man working to repair a gunnel, or gunwale the top edge of the boat’s hull. Title: Main Stephenson – Coble Fisherman Main describes what needs to be done to the boat, including the addition of anti- fouling paint to the underside to prevent plant and barnacle growth. The Northern Pride is the boat he uses for crab and lobster fishing during the winter, then he moves to drift net fishing during summer months. Main is grateful for the use of the farm shed for the work. John Maclean, Main’s crewman paints the exterior of the boat in white just below the gunnel. Title: The Last Fishermen With better weather Main sits near the tiller of his boat as they head out to sea to fish. John, his crewman sits in the covered area of the boat. They are using pots to fish for crabs on this trip. The area Main is fishing is known as Craster Carrs and is seven miles east of Boulmer. It’s a good area to catch brown crabs. Each haul is emptied from the pot. The pot is refreshed with bait and stored at the stern of the boat until ready to go in the sea again. Main prepares the lobster pots as he speaks off camera about the low numbers of lobsters caught. Out at sea from Whitby, Shawn Elwick’s ‘Charisma’ waits patiently for the cod to take the bait on their long lines. The men on the boat begin to haul the lines in. On camera Shawn outlines what he would like to see as the lines are hauled in, but he knows what the reality might be. He explains the lines must go down to the sea bed where cod like to feed. One of the other crew members explains off camera about their life as a crewman and fisherman. Shawn outlines what he considers to be a good catch, which is 30 stone or over. Main Stephenson fishes closer to the shore with his coble hoping for a good catch of lobster or crab. Main puts elastic bands around a lobster’s powerful claws before putting it in a box. Off camera he explains most of his lobster catch will go to London markets. He says there is a huge difference in the money paid for the catch and the cost to the consumer. Main and his crewman empty the pots of crab and put them into storage boxes. He also explains that locally the pots are known as crees. The view changes to some crees piled up at one end of a small building, where Bill Smales repairs pots. Bill also makes them for Main Stephenson. Unfortunately Bill died shortly after the film was made and with him local expertise in this ancient craft was also lost. Main takes his coble across the sea as the commentary sates that the old ways of fishing and using the coble are in decline. It is already down to three boats working out of Boulmer. A view shows a blue coble being rowed out to sea by two men. Main explains that two young brothers are still fishing, but generally Main is uncertain of the future of fishing locally. As ‘Charisma’ enters Whitby harbour Shawn Elwick says there are now mainly only three boats operating out of Whitby harbour. The commentary explains that changes in salmon fishing rules could be the final straw for the fishermen. Title: Adrian Ostler – Maritime Historian Adrian offers his view of the future of the coble and fishing, particularly salmon fishing. He concedes that he finds it difficult to see a future for the coble fishermen. Main Stephenson thinks there will be a lot more pressure of fishing for lobsters and crabs, if the salmon fishing rules change. Shawn Elwick says that he always manages to make a living from his line fishing he would be very concerned if that were to disappear. The commentary indicates there may another threat to the fishermen where grants may be offered to fishermen to decommission their boats. Title: Gloria Wilson – Fishing Writer On camera Gloria explains that an EU directive has decreed that there are too many boats in the British fishing fleet and that some should be removed, and compensation awarded to owners. A condition in the scheme is that their boat must be destroyed. Title: Amateur Footage The film shows a coble being hoisted by a crane, and then dismantled. Gloria explains that fishermen are dismayed and upset to see perfectly good craft destroyed when they could be put to another purpose. However, the compensation scheme is attractive to some. The amateur film shows more of the boat being cut up or dismantled. The film returns to the newly built coble at Lennie Oliver’s boat building yard. Gloria doesn’t think it would qualify in the scheme because of its length. However, she thinks if the rules change the compensation scheme might include smaller boats like this new one. The film shows several cobles parked out of the harbour as Gloria continues with her views on the situation which she believes lies firmly with the government. Title: Amateur Footage Another coble is hoisted out of harbour water to be destroyed. The commentary goes on to say that fishing heritage may not be lost entirely in the region. Adrian Ostler explains that a coble appeared recently at the Royal Show and that Beamish has some in storage. He believes that the region is aware of its fishing heritage. On camera he says whether we will be successful in saving it is an open question. Gloria hopes the skills in coble building won’t be lost for good. Main Stephenson is asked that given how things are turning out would he have done anything differently; he explains that he would not; he would still take his chance with fishing. Main and crewman John row out to sea. On camera Main says he would just start over again. Shawn is out on his boat at early morning throwing out his long lines, saying he still enjoys his job and doesn’t want it taken from him. Main says every day is different and you take it as it comes. Credits: Narrator Mary Wimpress Camera Lee Sutterby Graphics Jon King Dubbing Mixer Andy Ludbrook Editor Dave Hindmarsh Jane Bolesworth Producer Charles Bowden © Tyne Tees Television Ltd 2003 A CBTV Production for Tyne Tees Television Granada