By Rebecca Marano
Michelin star chefs are heading to the seaside today in an effort to save Filey’s fishing industry.
To show support for the town’s fishing trade, the Michelin star chefs will go out with the boats this morning to help catch sea trout.
They will then be cooking up a dish for the locals over on Cobble landing to showcase the town’s excellent fishing trade.
Fishermen in Filey are currently under threat of losing their licenses as the Environment Agency try to protect Salmon stocks in the area.
However, the town’s anglers say they have been voluntarily releasing most of the salmon they catch and instead focus on catching sea trout.
Annually, the commercial catch of Salmon is 157 fish whereas the sea trout fleet catches over 4,600 fish.
The Filey fishery currently has seven small-scale artisanal boats and the locals are worried that the EA’s plans will drastically reduce opportunities for the remaining fisherman.
They say the government should not allow small, sustainable fishing businesses to go out of operation when alternative options exist.
A petition has been set up to trigger a parliamentary debate about the plans and it has just over 16,000 signatures. It needs 100,000 signatures to reach parliament.