Gutted

"Just call me Tex," he told me as we stood chatting on the South Pier at Lowestoft yesterday, recalling and rueing the demise of the once great fishing industry on which this most easterly UK port thrived for centuries until closure last year following decades of decline.

I had earlier walked past the now silent fish dock where men like Tex had spent their working lives unloading the catch of a massive fishing fleet, gutting and filleting the fish for sale to an ever eager market. Now all that can be seen, apart from wind-swept rubbish around decaying buildings, are a small fleet of vessels supporting the offshore wind farms which are rapidly becoming a major industry around our coasts.

Tex's mood as he described the countdown to obscurity was sombre, but became animated as he described some memorable moments in his hard-working life and was quite happy to allow me to photograph him as we chatted.

It was a pleasure to meet him, and added to the enjoyment of a day out with my camera.

Today's extra photo is of the nearly empty dock with, in the background (right)  the last trawler built in Lowestoft,  Mincarlo (1961) which was in service for 28 years and is now permanently moored here as a museum ship.