Traditional Oyster Fishing

Traditional oyster fishing boats in the Fal Estuary, a method unchanged for 500 years, on 4th October 1994, in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. Oystermen have harvested on the River Fal in the same traditional and highly sustainable fashion, without the use of mechanical power, for more than five hundred years, being widely grown along the whole Cornish coast when the Romans invaded, and by 1602 they were being caught in much the same way as they are today, using thick, strong nets, called dredges. Byelaws banned oyster dredging by mechanical means, forcing local fishermen to rely on wind and tide in purpose-built, sail-powered Falmouth Working Boats. Although most oyster fishermen in Falmouth have other seasonal jobs, for the most experienced and committed fishermen oysters provide a decent year-round livelihood. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images Images)