THE INSHORE FISHERMEN OF WALES. By J. Geraint Jenkins.

(1991) 2009 new edition. 8vo paperback (156 x 235mm). Ppviii,167. B/w photographs, bibliography.

This is a detailed practical and historical study of inshore fishing in Wales, by J. Geraint Jenkins, author of many such studies and a man who really knows his stuff. Much material on the techniques and equipment involved is included, as well as the wider context. Chapters include: The fish; Salmon fishing; Herring fishing; Cockles and mussels; Lobsters and crabs; Oysters and scallops; Netting, trapping and long lining; The fishing ports. The Welsh coastal culture is an interesting one. In its equipment and boats, it is basically the same as that of the Western Approaches and the Bristol Channel. Together, these areas form a whole, despite the fishing communities of the region having two (historically, three) distinct languages. (And in many respects, what you find in Cumbria is quite different, oddly enough). A great book which will earn its place on any bookshelf whose owner is interested in fishing and all things connected with it, the coast and its society, or, Wales and the West.