Viking fishing technique at risk

Fishermen try to save Viking methods - 27th January 2020

We are losing a rare method of fishing from Scotland. Haaf netting is a unique kind of fishing from the Vikings. Fishermen have used it in the Solway Firth estuary for hundreds of years. Now, there are only 30 haaf netters. Haaf netting could soon disappear completely.

The method uses a net and a wooden frame. People take the structure into the river and hold it. Then they stand in the water and wait. They hope fish will swim into it.

Where a person stands in the water is important. Fishermen play a traditional game to decide their places. A bad spot means they don’t get any fish at all. Sometimes they cheat to get a better spot.

Now, laws in Scotland protect fish. This means that fishermen can’t take any salmon out of the water. They can’t sell or eat their fish, so they don’t want to continue. New fishermen aren’t interested in learning haaf netting.

Haaf netters are trying to continue their fishing tradition. They want haaf netting to be seen as a historical activity so it doesn’t vanish from their community.