Book Title: The Longshoreman: A life at the water's edge

Author: Richard Shelton

Publisher: Atlantic Books

ISBN: 1-84354-162-9

The Longshoreman is Richard Shelton's fascinating autobiography. Why should you read it? Well Shelton, who was a wild fowler and fisherman, was also a fisheries officer and his book records the decline of the fish stocks through over fishing and the consequent decline of the industry too.

As a scientist he really understood what happened and as someone involved in the industry he doesn't altogether try to defend it. He spent much of his youth on the Norfolk coast too, and a lot of his career on the North Sea. The book is very readable. If your heart is breaking from lack of cod this will help you understand why they're no longer there and offer some possible solutions.

Thanks Steve, why it's almost professionally written! Tell Mel R you deserve a pay rise, I'll look the book out or we could swap for one of mine you haven't read, perhaps Trawler by Redmond O'Hanlon?

Aitch