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The Gamble

Margaret of Ladram gambles in the Bristol Channel, Emilia Jayne chases a catch in the shipping lanes, and Westro weathers the storm in the North Sea.

Three hundred thousand square miles of ocean. Three GPS-tracked voyages, filmed around the clock. One week at sea.

Emilia Jayne hunts for cuttlefish in the world’s busiest shipping lane. Cargo ships have right of way here, but lucrative cuttlefish swim in these grounds too. After finding good fishing at the start of his week-long trip, can skipper Luke Selvey keep the secret to himself?

Margaret of Ladram is Brixham’s most successful trawler. This week, skipper Adam Cowan Dickie is gambling – he’s leaving his home waters of the English Channel behind and steaming 20 hours to the Bristol Channel. His target is Dover sole, one of the most expensive fish in British waters. Struggling to cover his expenses, Adam ups the stakes and targets an ancient ship wreck and the notoriously soft ground of the ‘gravel pits’.

Westro skipper Stephen West is the youngest skipper in Scotland’s prawn fleet. This week, he goes it alone and fishes far away from the rest of the fleet, heading into storm force winds. As the early hauls of the net end in failure, Stephen has a decision to make: continue to tow for prawns or cut and run to the rest of the fleet further north and join forces with his brother Andrew on Forever Faithful.

59 minutes

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:58

    Richard Hawley

    The Ocean

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator David Leon
Series Producer Vicky Hinners
Series Editor Mark Rossiter
Executive Producer Jamie Balment
Production Company Frank Films Television Ltd

Broadcasts