An edition of the Tyne Tees Television rural affair programme Landmark presented by Eric Robson begins along the coast off the Farne Islands where Seahouses fishermen catch both lobster and crab. However, there is growing pressures as numbers of both shellfish are declining. The report looks at the possible reasons behind this from environmental, seals and the growing leisure activity of scuba diving. In the second part a report from Cove Harbour near Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television rural affair programme Landmark presented by Eric Robson begins along the coast off the Farne Islands where Seahouses fishermen catch both lobster and crab. However, there is growing pressures as numbers of both shellfish are declining. The report looks at the possible reasons behind this from environmental, seals and the growing leisure activity of scuba diving. In the second part a report from Cove Harbour near Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders where its future is unknown as the local council, Border Regional Council, has put the harbour up for sale much to the anger of both local fishermen and residents. Title: Landmark Eric Robson introduces the weeks programme from the Berwickshire and Northumberland Coasts. Aerial views of the Farne Islands heralds the item on shellfish fishing in the area, in particular the lobster. Fishermen from Seahouses haul in their lobster pots with their latest catch. ‘Dougie’ Douglas of the Seahouses Fishermen's Association speaks on camera about the current season where lobster catches have been good but crab less so. A fisherman throws lobster pots or crees, as they are known locally, overboard to try for more lobsters. In this region fishermen have fished for lobster and crab for generations, and an average day’s catch can be up to 30 to 50 lobsters. The lobsters are then sold on through dealers such as the Fisherman's Mutual Association in Eyemouth. George Walker from the association says the catches are down on what they used to be, but the value has gone up. He also says that the lobster fishing season is now very short, down to six weeks if not interrupted by bad weather and other factors which may affect a fisherman’s livelihood for the whole year. Crabs are often processed at the point of landing; John Swallow of Swallow Fish Ltd. prepares crabs caught locally he then supplies them all-round the country from his Seahouses factory. He is also concerned about the availability of crab in the current season. Shortage may be due to mild winters when crabs usually stop feeding, but they continue to feed which affects the availability of crabs in spring and summer. John Swallow also thinks the seal population is affecting shellfish numbers. Dr Julian Addison of the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries says research at the Sea Mammal Research Unit in Cambridge revealed that when seal carcasses were examined, for diet research not one seemed to have crabs in its gut. Lobster fishermen rely on the crabs to make up for lost income on the shortage of lobsters. However, when the crab catch is also lean it greatly affects their income and they revert to fishing for whatever lobster catch is available. Dougie Douglas says pressures on the shellfish stocks are not entirely from full time fishermen, there are part timers and skin divers who take lobsters and crab. At weekends many amateur divers come to Seahouses to dive out towards the Farne Islands and the area around Longstone lighthouse where there is a large seal population; divers are attracted to seeing seals underwater. Terry Hart of the Morpeth Dolphins Sub Aqua Club admits that some divers will take shellfish, but not all. Underwater views show a diver and seal amongst seaweed. The British Sub Aqua Club and local fishery groups now adhere to a code of conduct to avoid conflicts between fisherman and divers about taking shellfish from local waters. Terry Hart says any member of his club found robbing lobster pots would be banned from the club. Dr Julian Addison from the Ministry of Agriculture says divers generally take few lobsters and rarely take those which are officially undersized for capture. Dr Addison talks about a licencing scheme which may be introduced which will define who can fish and who cannot, and at what times of the year. The main problem of introducing such a scheme they are difficult to impose nationally and locally. Other options have been tried to regulate shellfish fishing, none of them fully meet fishermen’s needs. Dr Addison thinks the current regulation which increases the minimum size of animal to catch is relatively easy to enforce and may well help to overcome some of the current problems. Title: Landmark A report from Cove Harbour near Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders where fishermen are concerned about their future. In 1971 the cove was given to the county council by a local landowner. However, maintaining the access road to the harbour is proving to be expensive because of erosion. The Borders Regional Council has decided to put sixty and a half acres including the cove up for sale. Locals who thought the land and cove were given to the council for the local community are concerned. Bob Rae who owns a small holiday property thought it was a tragedy that the council had decided to sell the cove. Eric Robson asks how he would feel if a proposed marina development went ahead. Bob feels that the cove would be ruined by a marina. Only two boats now fish from Cove Harbour. Adam Gray a fisherman is defiant that he will have access to the harbour after a sale. An offer from the council to let the fisherman run it came to nothing. The fishermen have never paid harbour duty because they were never asked for it, due to conditions set when the harbour was built. However, Adam Gray is determined to fight it out; he is going to stay whatever happens. Eric Robson says that apart from rumours, there is no knowledge of who the new owners will be, but a sale is imminent. Eric Robson outlines next week’s programme and closes the current one. Title: Lobster Fishing Credits: Underwater Camera Richard Edwards Camera Peter Johnson Sound Steve Phillips Electrician Alan Fish Cover Harbour Camera Chris Sutcliffe Sound Ron Gunn Production Assistant Pauline Grant, Carole McKenzie Production Secretary Coreen Harvey VT Editors Amanda Baxter, Howard Beebe, Robin Sinton VT Assistant Editor Claire Storey Sound Postproduction Charles Heath Executive Producer Chris Potter Associate Producer Crispin Sadler Producer Charles Bowden Waterfront Productions for Tyne Tees Television© MCMLXXXIX