Fierce loyalty helps Selsey fishing family overcome hardships facing the industry
John Periam talks to the Harvey family, who are dedicated to surviving the fishing industry – pictures by Geoffrey Lee
Inshore fishing at Selsey has always played an important part in its history dating back as far as 3,200 years.
Over the years local fishing families have been joined by people from other parts of the UK which has ensured to this day that the fishing industry remains at the very heart of this highly respected fishing community.
It is the limestone rocks that make fishing around Selsey unique and provide the ideal habitat for prawns and lobsters as well as giving rich feeding grounds for fish and crabs.
This has provided an income for many local fishing families steeped in traditions that go back several generations.
Sons have followed fathers and to this day tenders can be seen taking fishermen out to their inshore fishing vessels at anchor off the Selsey shingle beach alongside where the old RNLI slipway lifeboat station used to be, which was demolished in 2017 to be replaced by a new offshore station on the shore above the beach.
Fishermen have manned the lifeboat crews over many years and some still retain strong links to the station.
A working knowledge of the area helps a lot, and if anyone knows about this, Selsey’s fishermen do.
Chris and Mike Harvey’s nine-metre catamaran called ‘Predator LI556’ is a well proven workhorse.
It was built by their father – Chris – about 15 years ago and to this day has become their secure second home in all weathers when fishing off Selsey.
Chris said: “Teaming up with my brother has been a successful pairing.
“We have the same common goal to earn money and do as well as we can.
“We rely on each other; and when at sea know what we each need to do to make our days fishing as safe as possible.
“Of course we have our moments at times, but get on very well indeed.”
Fishing was in Chris and Mike’s blood from a young age.
Their father Chris started to go to sea in the early 60s then sold his boat when he decided to open his own net making business in the town.
As youngsters they had the opportunity to go to sea with other fishermen and they built their experience up that way.
“Dad concentrated on running his business which at the time went from strength to strength.
“He was known as a quality net and rope maker selling products eventually all over the UK.”
The boy’s decided they wanted to get their own boat and after a while with the support of their father they got the first of several small boats until he decided to build his own catamaran 16 years ago with the help of local boat builder Andy Burgess, based at Sidlesham, to give both Chris and Mike a proper start in their new found fishing careers.
Quality was the name of the game with this build and ‘Predator’ still takes them to sea to this day.
An average day for the boys can involve a start any time after 3am.
When they take their tender out to Predator and take her out for a day’s fishing lasting up to eight hours.
“Things have changed now,” said Chris. “When we started there were about 20 vessels fishing from Selsey, now there are about nine.
“It is a sign of the times and something we have had to live with.
“It is a struggle at the moment – fishing for lobster is currently very slow, as it is along most of the south coast, and it is the same with the white fish.
“The weather to say the least has been inclement with some strong winds and bad storms.
“As a result we have often not been able to go to sea for several weeks at a time.
“People forget weather acts as a quota also.”
Survival can be put down to determination – both Chris and Mike do not want to make a career change – they still wake up each morning with a will to want to take Predator out and return back to Selsey with a catch.
Because times are bad
it does not mean that investment has to suffer.
They look towards a more positive future and as a family are prepared to seek fresh challenges.
Mike said: “One of the biggest outlays is the boat itself, never mind its upkeep, the licence and the cost of replacing gear.
“In the spring we lost 50 pots – both of us feel we know where they went.
“There at times are more foreign vessels in the area than there used to be.
“Is this because we are leaving the EU – I am not sure – but we are finding now we have to be on the lookout more to protect our gear when at sea.”
Both would love to see more youngsters coming into the industry.
They agree they were lucky in having family support.
Gone are the days when if one of them wanted a day off, say to visit the dentist, they could have got a replacement crew member from Selsey to go to sea. Sadly now that just does not happen.
There are probably about a third of the fishermen here now compared to when they started.
“It is the same all around the coast,” said Chris. “Selsey