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fish Latest News United Kingdom Wales

West Wales Coracle-Caught Salmon

Coracle caught Salmon.

thank you to http://fishonfriday.org.uk/doing-the-rounds/ for the photo

West Wales Coracle-Caught Salmon PGI 2013

Which cruel person came up with this idea? You can fish for the Salmon and we’ll give you PGI status but you have to use a Coracle. To those that don’t know a Coracle is an ancient boat shaped like half a walnut. The frame is split willow and the skin of the hull is, erm, skin or more likely canvas today, plastered in tar to make it water tight. They’ve been fishing for Salmon like this for centuries. I’m sure these days there must be an easier way to do it but then it wouldn’t be the same.

I had a go in one once and managed to turn on the spot without making any headway whatsoever for about 30 minutes. I eventually got the hang of it but it’s far from straightforward and I didn’t have one hand holding a paddle and the other holding a fishing net.

As if things weren’t hard enough the nets are handmade from linen or hemp and restricted in depth and length. The fishermen use their extensive knowledge of the river bed to trawl the net between two Coracles at just the right height from the bottom to catch the Salmon.

On top of this the season is somewhat short. They can fish on three rivers the Tywi, the Teifi and the Taf but only between the dates listed below

On the Tywi the season runs from the 1st June– 31st July
•
On the Teifi the season runs from the 1st June– 31st August
•
On the Taf the season runs from 1st June– 31st July
And you can only fish in the tidal part of the river. The Salmon must be caught as soon as they enter the river as they are in their prime, with strong firm muscles, low in fat after a long swim, rich in oil and protein. Once in the river they begin to change, they stop feeding and start to deteriorate as they head up stream to breed. The taste is said to be strong, sweet and not overbearingly fishy so I might actually like it. If you’ve read any of the other fishy posts you’ll know fish is not my favourite food. After all the effort these fishermen go through I’d gladly give it a try, I’ll let you know how I get on.
More info here and recipes.
fishonfriday
Interesting site for food lovers here.
garethjonesfood
Compliance and Technical stuff here.

As this a strictly seasonal food I can find no one that sells it. Perhaps when it’s in season it will be easier to source.


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