Belgian horseback shrimpers vow to preserve trade

[bholderman]

No boats used here, but certainly an interesting fishing tradition...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070827/lf_nm/belgium_fishermen_dc;_ylt=Ah.NjsUQKQPz7U85cIcH3x1v aA8F

[shark_ef]

how very cool, neat seeing traditional ways being maintained

[Gary Bergman]

Can hardly turn a profit??? What the bloomin' bloody heck can the overhead be?..Oats?....Do the horses sport permit numbers on their transoms?

[Hwyl]

My grandfather used to do that, except with a horse and cart. This is not him but another relative. He lived in a town called Flookburgh.

http://www.morecambebayshrimps.com/images/Horseaa.jpg

[Woxbox]

In England's Morecambe Bay (well known for its quicksand) they switched to tractors:
http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/furnessfish/catch1.html

But I beleive there are a few who still use horses, maybe just for show.

So I got to wondering, is that the origin of the bay horse?

[Steve Paskey]

That's a really neat story ... thanks!

Regarding the "bay horse" ...

I wouldn't think so. "Bay" in a horse refers to the color ... reddish brown with black mane, tale, and lower legs. According to Webster's 3rd New International Dict., the two uses of the English "bay" have different origins (though both derive from middle French, which derived from Old French, etc.).

[Hwyl]

The Morecambe bay horse use is relatively recent, I'm guessing the last 100 years or so, so the term "Bay" would not have come into use. They used horses that had been "retired" from pulling tourists in carriages along the Morecambe promenade.

I remember when the fishermen used to move their horses around by towing them with a bicycle, an incongruous sight.

[werner]

It is just folklore a tourist attraction in Oostduinkerke and not viable anymore on the other hand shrimps are very expensive here. the north sea catch is send to North Africa for pealing and now recently the shrimps are send to China and then returned!
A few decades ago this was food for the poor.

[Gary Bergman]

Hmm, being from the US, I just sailed the Bay of Fundy,and altho we saw some radical 30-40' tides, we saw nothing quite that large,so.. please put up some evidence of 150' tides....

[Figmental]

for the Morecambe Bay shrimp are listed as L22.80 per dozen! Is that correct? I went to the prices page of the site that Woxbox shared on tractor shrimping. 10 dozen are L179. Holy Shrimp, Batman! The Belgian horse shrimpers just need to raise their prices instead of eating up the profits.

[Woxbox]

Maybe they've got some big shrimp in Morecambe Bay. Even at close to L2 each, that wouldn't be bad if they size up with Maine lobsters.

[Hwyl]

Looks like 22Pound 80 for a dozen 2 ounce jars of potted shrimps.

[Thorne]

I wonder if the horseback shrimpers get to use special nautical terms for the horses and tack?

"Yarr, mate, look at the futtocks on that bay mare. Pronounced tumblehome, t'be sure, but methinks she'll be unsteady on a lee shore wi' th' wind from th' west, eh? Tug a bit on that tiller-strap t' bring her about t' larboard, sprightly now!"