"reconnecting to the landscape"

October 18, 2009

Shrimping and Cockling Seaside Forage; October 11 2009

Filed under: Cooking,Flora and Fauna,Foraging,Seaside — Badger @ 9:21 pm

Shrimping in shallow waters at low tide means a long walk with some fairly hefty shrimp nets. Even on a neap tide, the water was probably more than half a kilometre out and can retreat as much a 1 kilometre on a good spring tide.

A calm day thankfully, imagine if these were catching the wind.

A calm day thankfully, imagine if these were catching the wind.

You dont have to wade out into deep water. Many people managed wearing just wellies. Brave souls had bare legs but not bare feet.

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Sandy bays are the favourite haunt of (Lesser) Weever Fish (Echiichthys vipera) so footwear was mandatory. The weever buries itself in the sand with eyes and head protruding. It has a venomous dorsal fin which if stepped on can be as mild as a bee sting or as serious as an Adder bite.

Lesser Weever with dorsal fin raised.

Lesser Weever with dorsal fin raised.

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