Interview with Desmond French regarding the history of the Australian fishing industry
Date1989 - 1990
Object numberANMS0871[045]
NameInterview
MediumCompact disk and tape
Copyright© Murdoch University
ClassificationsBorn digital media
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Murdoch University
DescriptionA recorded interview with Desmond French in Stanley, Tasmania, as part of a series titled 'History of the Australian Fishing Industry'. It contains information on Desmond French's early years on Hunter Island, shark fishing, army service, fishing school at Cronulla, Captain Johnson, purchase of his own boat, barracouta fishing, barracouta boats, crayfishing, prices and catches, weather conditions, loss of vessels, long lining nets, size of catches, transferability of licences, habits of crayfish, pollution, fishermen's associations, fishermen's co-op, government departments, scallops, sale of licences, effects, supervision of fishing, amateur fishermen, the roll, loss of vessels, undersized crayfish, problems in fishing, marine college and modern fishing.HistoryThis recorded interview with Desmond French is part of a larger series produced as result of an oral history research project conducted by the Economics Department of Murdoch University and coordinated by Malcolm Tull. The project commissioned researchers in every Australian state to interview fishermen and others involved in catching, processing and marketing fish. Their research involved questions about daily work, personal memories of life in the Australian fishing industry as well as questions about the economics of the industry.SignificanceThis collection of recorded interviews is significant in providing a comprehensive record of commercial fishing from the 1950s to the 1990s across Australia.