Article from Country Living magazine, June 2008: www.allaboutyou.com

Dorset fisherman Fraser Christian believes catching your own fish is the key to self-sufficiency. We joined him aboard ship to discover his line of thought...

When the little town of Lyme Regis glows rosy pink in the early morning sun, the fishy tang in the air and the prospect of catching your own supper makes the idea of self-sufficiency in fish (on a summer’s day at least) seem a simple one. The reality is that while more and more of us are growing our own fruit and vegetables, baking bread and keeping hens, very few of us catch fresh fish. But most of us eat it and therein lies the problem – we’re consumers in the hands of those who fish for us.

Fraser Christian, skipper of the Neptune on which he hosts River Cottage’s popular Catch and Cook courses, is holding court on his favourite subject: fish and where to find them. As we edge away from The Cobb on a calm sea, he issues instructions to prepare the rods and lines. A charter fisherman, he catches for himself, too, and like all the day- boat licence holders who fish these waters, he doesn’t have to go far; just a mile offshore is a world of underwater reefs and shallows where cod, pollack, mackerel, whiting, bass and black bream shelter from the current.

"We catch all year here; bass particularly in the summer and autumn – a big one is worth £40 so you can make a bit of money with just a few lines." Quotas and EU regulations seem a world away from this traditional rod-and-line fishing. Fraser’s wooden fish-gutting tray carries roughly

When the little town of Lyme Regis glows rosy pink in the early morning sun, the fishy tang in the air and the prospect of catching your own supper makes the idea of self-sufficiency in fish (on a summer’s day at least) seem a simple one. The reality is that while more and more of us are growing our own fruit and vegetables, baking bread and keeping hens, very few of us catch fresh fish. But most of us eat it and therein lies the problem – we’re consumers in the hands of those who fish for us.

Fraser Christian, skipper of the Neptune on which he hosts River Cottage’s popular Catch and Cook courses, is holding court on his favourite subject: fish and where to find them. As we edge away from The Cobb on a calm sea, he issues instructions to prepare the rods and lines. A charter fisherman, he catches for himself, too, and like all the day- boat licence holders who fish these waters, he doesn’t have to go far; just a mile offshore is a world of underwater reefs and shallows where cod, pollack, mackerel, whiting, bass and black bream shelter from the current.

"We catch all year here; bass particularly in the summer and autumn – a big one is worth £40 so you can make a bit of money with just a few lines." Quotas and EU regulations seem a world away from this traditional rod-and-line fishing. Fraser’s wooden fish-gutting tray carries roughly

using eco-friendly products is even more important than where you buy your fish from, for the sake of the health of the sea."

There’s something about fishing on open water that makes you think about the bigger picture. Certainly it all seems possible on a calm, clear day in Lyme Bay. Admittedly, it’s not like fishing on a struggling trawler in the North Sea in mid-winter but it’s surely the best way to ‘shop’ for your supper

Five foolproof ways to choose fresh fish

1 Fresh fish should smell of seawater: if it smells of ‘fish’, it’s because it is rotten.

2 Buy from day boats or markets where fish is two days old at most. Deep sea trawlers pack it on ice for five days. Labels don’t have to say when/how fish is caught.

3 Give it a prod – your finger should not leave a dent in a really fresh fish.

4 Assess by eye. If you put it back in the sea could you picture it swimming away?

5 Choose the fish before the recipe. Buy whatever is best and freshest on the day.