Tourist complains about smell of fish in harbour

A tourist complained in disgust after he was offended by the sight and smells of a haul of dead fish on a trawler moored in a fishing harbour. Fishermen were astounded after David Copp complained to the Ilfracombe harbour master in anger that his children had to see 12 crates of dead fish and crabs while they were there on holiday. The Copp family were enjoying a sunny day on Ilfracombe Harbour when the fishy smell emanated from The Lady of Lundy.

Mr Copp, 46, said: “There were flies flying around and the smell was awful. The ship was just sat there not doing anything, and there were 12 crates of dead crabs and fish just lying there covered in flies. It’s not the sort of thing you want to see on holiday; there was a real stench. My children were quite distressed by it. These people should be a bit more considerate to the holidaymakers.”



Ilfracombe Harbour master Rob Lawson said: “We have the unusual set up of a working harbour which has public access. This is generally considered an asset because visitors can get a really good feel for how the industry works, they can enjoy the whole experience. My response to him was ‘I’m sorry but you shouldn’t be taking your children to a harbour if that is how they react to dead fish’.”

Mr Lawson said the family’s visit was bad timing as the crates were being moved at the time they passed, meaning the fishy smell was stirred up. He added: “It was unfortunate but the fishermen do a good job at keeping smells at bay.” Tony Rutherford, the managing director of Bideford Fisheries said: “Seeing us in action is often considered a tourist attraction in these parts.” He added: “Fish are landed dead.”