Traditional Fishing Boats of Britain & Ireland

The definitive volume on Britains traditional fishing boats, by the author of Herring: A History of the Silver Darlings. The Coasts of Britain and Ireland are surrounded by some of the most tempestuous waters in the world and are among the most diverse too. For centuries, the inhabitants of these isles have harvested the rich bounty that lay just offshore. As a result of the diverse nature of the coast, each area of the UK and Ireland has developed its own unique fishing craft, ideally suited to its own local environment. Mike Smylie examines the roots and development of each native design. Many illustrations, drawings and diagrams portray the boats in their halcyon days. Mike Smylie introduces us to the background of the once great fishing fleets that sailed British waters and looks at the catches and markets for fish, before setting round the coast describing each fishing boat design, introducing them to the reader, explaining how each design suited its local environment, as well as telling us the story of the fishing industry in each locality.

Mike Smylie is a regular sight at fishing festivals in Britain and Europe, smoking herring and talking about fishing boats. He is the acknowledged expert on British traditional fishing boats. He is the author of thirteen published books and the co-founder of the 40+ Fishing Boat Association which was founded in 1995 against the background of the scrapping of decommissioned fishing vessels. He is the editor of their thrice yearly magazine entitle Fishing Boats. He is acknowledged as one of the experts on Britain's fishing industry and has been interviewed on both television and radio about the subject. He lives in Bristol.