The show is a selection of images from ‘NEWLYN: Fishing for a Living’, an ongoing photographic project, which has been supported by the Arts Council England, documenting the fishing community in Newlyn.  The photographs were taken by Vince Bevan out at sea and around the port over the last few years and include depictions of various different types of fishing including deep sea trawling, sardine fishing, hand-lining for mackerel, and crab potting, plus images of onshore activities including the fish market and traditional pilchard processing at The Pilchard Works (before its closure in 2005).

Newlyn is the home of the largest fishing fleet in England. Approximately 170+ vessels of varying types and sizes use the port, with around 600+ people relying on the fishing industry for their livelihoods.  Due to the Gulf Stream supplying warmer water around this coastline, Cornwall can boast between 30+ different species of fish. The harbour lands around £19 million worth of fish each year, making it one of the country’s largest fishing ports in terms of fish sold, and a major centre for distribution of high value fish and shellfish to the Continent.

Towards the end of the c.19th the port was movingly portrayed in the work of the celebrated Newlyn School artists, who depicted the joys and sorrows of a community that frequently faced the tragic consequences of a profession that lost many to the harsh elements of the sea.  Even with modern boats and equipment, commercial fishing is still one of the country’s most dangerous industries. Serious injury and loss of life are commonplace and vessels are regularly lost in what has always been one of the harshest of working environments.

n recent years the fishermen have been severely restricted in the amount of fish they can catch due to the harsh quotas imposed on them by the Common Fisheries Policy, which is regulated by the European Union. Millions of pounds worth of fish are wasted each year after being thrown back into the sea dead or dying, thus creating anger and tensions within an industry that is already struggling and feels that it is being unfairly penalised.  Along with the escalating costs of fuel this has led to a decline in the fishing industry with many boats being decommissioned and fishermen being forced to seek alternative employment.

Inspired both by its distinguished history and its increasingly threatened future, Vince Bevan has sought to show that Newlyn remains a strong and proud community.  By spending time on board boats and talking to fishermen, he found that those who still rely on the sea for their livelihoods are fiercely loyal to their profession, and the nobility of the images has a strong resonance with the paintings of their predecessors over a century ago. 

The project is still ongoing and it is hoped that Newlyners will enjoy this chance to see this selection of the images taken so far and will be keen to see more in the future.
All the prints on show will be for sale and the profits will be donated to the ‘Centre’.

For further information or press images, please contact Vince Bevan on 01736 362018, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.digitalrailroad.net/vincebevan

Vince Bevan is a freelance photographer based in Cornwall and works extensively in Photojournalism, Editorial, Advertising and Portrait photography, undertaking commissions nationally and internationally.  His pictures have been published in a wide range of newspapers and magazines including The Guardian Weekend Magazine; The Independent Magazine; The Times; Sunday & Daily Telegraph; Geographical Magazine; Art Review; Le Point (France); Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany); Das (Switzerland).  He has exhibited at a number of U.K. venues including the British Library, Museum of London and the National Eisteddfod of Wales and won awards from Nikon International and Cosmopolitan. His work is represented by various picture agencies and libraries including Alamy, Corbis and Zuma Press.

Comments (0)