British Pathe

Butley Creek, Suffolk.

C/U oysters sliding down a line of shoots into the sea. C/U of wicker baskets full of oysters ready for sowing, a fisherman is shifting one basket towards the edge of the boat. M/S of two fishermen lifting up the heavy basket and tipping the oysters down the shoots. L/S...

Butley Creek, Suffolk.

C/U oysters sliding down a line of shoots into the sea. C/U of wicker baskets full of oysters ready for sowing, a fisherman is shifting one basket towards the edge of the boat. M/S of two fishermen lifting up the heavy basket and tipping the oysters down the shoots. L/S of the small boat in the shallows near the coast, on board are the three fishermen and attached to the front of the boat are several shoots. M/S of the boat, the fishermen are tipping oysters down the octopus-like shoot contraption - "The Butley Oysterage has imported a million young Portuguese oysters which it plans to harvest within five years". The fishermen "predict that through much greater efficiency they can bring down the price from about twenty-five shillings a dozen to six shillings". C/U of the oysters sliding down the shoot.

M/S, from behind, of the fishermen squelching through mud, using a sledge to harvest the oysters. L/S of the men wading over the soft foreshore. Using the sledge eliminates any danger of burying the oysters. C/U of a fishermen's feet trudging through mud - before using this method the beds would be so pitted with holes at the end of a season they would have to lie fallow for a year. M/S of a fishermen embedding an anchor in the mud that allows the sledge to be pulled along. M/S of fishermen using pitchforks to lift the oysters from the mud. C/U of a fork being driven into the mud. M/S of the three fishermen as they tip the oysters into the wicker baskets. C/U of the fork. C/U of a rope winch pulling in the anchor to move the sledge. M/S of the three men on the moving sledge, one operates the winch. M/S of the fishermen tipping out the oysters onto a sorting bench on the shore. C/U of a bucket of water being splashed onto the oysters.

Please note that comb print is scratched, also track and mute neg are out of sync.

Cuts exist - please see separate record.