Deep Sea Fishing . . Deep Sea Fishing from Newlyn, Cornwall by Damian Bird All of our advertising is certified by Google and therefore may be viewed safely. Frank and William have been fishing since they were 14 years old. Frank at the rear of the photo, was recently off work for six months after two tonnes of fishing gear (see metal object in water) landed on his right hand and crushed it, breaking six bones. William in the foreground has a very bent nose - the result of being caught in a winch. His right shoulder was dislocated in the same accident. Both men now suffer from their injuries but love fishing and can’t see a life away from it. Steve fixing a broken metal beamer trawling net. When you are 100 miles off shore and something breaks you either fix it or loose pay. Each pay packet comes from the overall catch worth, divided up between the crew.  No catch, no pay. This photo was taken at three in the morning. Whilst at sea, the fishing never stops, day or night. The beamer trawler’s nets are lifted and emptied every few hours. The fish glisten like money in the mornig light. All three crew members are reviewing their catch.  Each different type of fish has a very different value, rather like different coloured bank notes. January weather makes working on deck very treacherous and uncomfortable on the beamer trawler. Many brave fishermen are swept overboard each year and this type of work is not only one of the hardest, but statistically is also one of the most dangerous. Steve, the youngest member of this three man crew (far left) told me that he earns £15K a year and although it wasn’t much in return for all the hard work, he would rather work on the trawler than be in a dole queue! The crew work together all hours of day and night and their job is not only to work hard catching fish and mending their gear, but also to keep each other alive and each others spirits high. I spent my week at sea with terrible sea sickness due to the rough weather and recieved only kindness and support from the crew. The captain Frank, seen here in the middle of the shot even gave me a pair of wolly socks for comfort, after all mine were soaked. However old things are on the boat and however broken they are, ingenuity, team work and bloody minded determination are used to fix them. William is passed retirement age but keeps working to satisfy his lust for BMWs. He uses the extra money he earns from fishing to buy the lates models, with the biggest engines available. He loves these cars so much that all the hard work is well worth it! This photo was taken at four in the morning.   Fishermen, working as a team to keep their vessel fishing. A monk fish can be seen here in the foreground. The fishermen handle these monkfish with care, because their teeth point inwards to prevent their prey from escaping and they also carry poison and break off in human flesh, creating festering wounds. William and Steve can be seen here sorting valuable fish such as lemon sole from less valuable specimens. The roll of the boat can be seen here in the blurring of the shot. Food on board is very important to the crew, to keep morale high and as fuel for a very physically demanding job. Trawlermen become very strong due to the tough manual labour. Bill can be seen here effortlessly weaving steel as if it were straw. A choice selection of valuable fish being eyed up by Steve. Steve explained to me that his work keeps him fit and strong and he never needs to visit the gym. A good sized monk fish. A cod being tossed in the ice that it is kept in on board the fishing vessel at sea to keep the catch fresh. This is the beamer trawler net at the end of the week I spent at sea with the deep sea fishing boat crew. The three man crew were exhausted, but still repaired their nets before leaving for a good long sleep (Williams’s wife arrived to collect him in his gleeming two year old four litre V8 BMW 5 series). The fish are gutted and cleaned on board before being stored below deck in ice, in a large freezer. A good selection of high value fish. Frank, the Captain, can be seen here throwing a large monkfish to separate it out from less valuable fish. Whilst onboard the trawler the crew ate plenty of caught-the-same-day fish. They made me their speciality monkfish in sweet and sour sauce - delicious.