Values: way of life, locale, environment.
The new entrant fishers are young people who recently graduated from university and studied marine biology. While their family lives in a fishing community without being involved in fishing, they have some knowledge of the sector, having grown up in the area and have always been fascinated by it. This resulted in the choice of degree, and having completed university, a wish to find work in fishing rather than in the city like many of their friends.
They haven’t fallen into fishing because of being unable to find anything else to do but have made a conscious choice to pursue a career in fishing because of the freer lifestyle, a love of nature and a passion for the environment. They see the lack of many other young people in the industry as an opportunity and think that with their education they can succeed even if others their age aren’t interested. They are confident of being financially successful by acting as a protector and steward of the marine environment on which catches depend.
They are self-starters, and preparing a small business plan have encouraged a local businessperson to lend them the modest amount of money needed to invest in an under-12 m vessel, and equip it with modern technology and the fishing gear (pots and fixed nets) they want to use. They hope to repay the faith shown in them and pay back the loan over the next three years, and then upgrade to a larger vessel.
The fisher makes short fishing trips not too far offshore. Their target catch is high-value demersal and shellfish species, only using passive gears, and while they have only been fishing for less than 6 months they have already developed a network of trusted sales outlets with expensive restaurants in the area, and chefs have come to rely on the quality product provided. The restaurants even share information with their customers about them as a local success story given the growing demand for locally-sourced food. They easily manage to sell the rest of the catch through direct sales using social media developed for this purpose, personally delivering catch to local customers.
The days are long and hard, but they feel completely fulfilled and justified in their choice of career. It provides the lifestyle they want and value. Based on their experiences so far, they are confident and optimistic about the future and that of the sector as a whole and have plans to become more involved with the Fisheries Local Action Group. Caring deeply about the marine environment and the future of the sector, the fisher actively works and campaigns to encourage other young men and women to enter the profession.
This list of fishers’ profiles today is not exhaustive. It is meant to capture a broad range of characteristics in order to inform the next phases of the project. Possible profiles of future fishers will be published at the end of the study.