Claw’s the draw for Welsh lobster fishermen
LOBSTERS caught off the Welsh coast are to be given special branding on their claws to help fishermen sell the crustaceans in UK markets.
The Wales Seafood Cluster, a collaboration of seafood firms, has launched an initiative to fit lobsters with rubber bands that clearly identify them as having been caught by Welsh fishermen.
Bands are routinely placed on lobster claws to prevent them hurting themselves – and those handling them.
The “Welsh” claw bands were developed following requests from fishermen on the Llŷn Peninsula, who felt they would add value to their catches.
They included lobster fisherman Brett Garner, who has been fishing out of Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth) for over 30 years.
“The whole idea is to promote Welsh lobster as a quality product – especially as we are trying to build native home sales,” he said.
“People will pay a dividend for a quality product, and these bands will clearly mark out the lobsters as being Welsh.”
Traditionally, more than 90% of Welsh lobsters are exported to the Continent, though Brexit has prompted the sector to refocus on domestic markets.
With exports now hit by Covid-19 curbs, this marketing shift has taken on new urgency.
“What’s happening at the moment shows we are very
Duffy, whose full name is Aimee Anne Duffy, added: “It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such ‘cinema,’ that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a ‘sexy’ movie. I just can’t imagine how Netflix could overlook how careless, insensitive, and dangerous this is.
“It has even prompted some young women, recently, to jovially ask Michele Morrone, the lead actor in the film, to kidnap them.”
Duffy also urged Netflix and film-makers to produce and broadcast content that portrays “the truth of the harsh and desperate reality” of kidnap and vulnerable on the world market,” said Siôn Williams, for whom shellfish is a family tradition – like him, his brother also fishes out of Porth Colmon.
“However, the Lobster Band project goes hand-in-hand in with what we want to do in the future – that is to sell more in the UK. rape. Addressing the film’s fans, she said: “And because 365 Days has proved enormously popular, I also address this letter to viewers directly.
“I encourage the millions who have enjoyed the movie to reflect on the reality of kidnapping and trafficking, of force and sexual exploitation, and of an experience that is the polar opposite of the glossy fantasy depicted in 365 Days.”
The letter comes months after Duffy returned to the public eye following years away. In April she posted a lengthy statement online, claiming she was “raped, drugged and held captive”, and had spent years recovering.
“The bands are great for marketing and provide consumers with the provenance they want.”
Hashtags on the claw bands – #WelshSeafood and #BwydMor Cymru – are designed to raise awareness on social media.
To coincide with the scheme’s
She wrote: “Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it.
“But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine. You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes.
“I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke.”
Duffy has since released new material.
Netflix has been contacted for a response. launch, lobster recipes and cooking tips were created by chef Ellis Barrie of Anglesey restaurant The Marram Grass. They can be found on YouTube.
The initiative has been in the pipeline for almost 18 months and rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths said its eventual launch could not be better timed.
“The recent crisis has seen a drop in demand from the Continent – one of the biggest customer bases for Welsh seafood – so we are keen to encourage Welsh customers to buy Welsh produce wherever possible,” she said.
The Wales Seafood Cluster is a project led by Cywain, the food marketing body.
Siân Davies, Seafood Cluster manager (North Wales), is now appealing for other seafood businesses to get involved.