North Suffolk fishermen's new shop

17 February 2010

A FAMILY of longline fishermen who catch off the Lowestoft coast will soon be selling fish directly to customers at a new shop.

Chris and Steve Wightman are due to open their shop near Snape, in Suffolk, next month.

It is the first such venture for family-run Maximus Sustainable Fishing, and all the fish will be sourced from skippers who catch in a sustainable way.

Chris Wightman, 34, said it was a necessary step for fishermen struggling in an industry controlled by quotas. He said going straight to the public and cutting out the middle man made fishing “economically viable as well as sustainable”.

“Increasingly, this is the next step forward for fishermen who want to continue in the job,” said Mr Wightman, from Yoxford. “Because the quotas are so tight, you have to add value in some other way.”

He has been fishing for 18 years, and before that his father and grandfather worked at sea. His 74-year-old father still helps out on shore and they have one of the last boats to fish off Lowestoft.

Mr Wightman's partner and his brother's partner will work at the shop once it opens at the Friday Street Farm Shop, near Snape.

“We will sell our line-caught fish like cod, skate, rock eel and smooth hound, that's similar to rock eel, and other south coast fish like plaice and John Dory,” said Mr Wightman.

The brothers are now sourcing fish for their shop and want to hear from other boats in the Responsible Fishing Scheme, whose members demonstrate a commitment to responsible sourcing of seafood.

“We're trying to source from smaller day boats so you get the quality and know it's not damaging,” said Mr Wightman. “I already know several local boats on the scheme but hopefully this will encourage other skippers to join as well.”

Contact Mr Wightman on 07980 000284.