Interview with Morrie Hurrell regarding the history of the Australian fishing industry
Date17 January 1990
Object numberANMS0871[175]
NameInterview
MediumCompact disk and tape
Copyright© Murdoch University
ClassificationsBorn digital media
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Murdoch University
DescriptionTape two of a recorded interview with Morrie Hurrell in Coffin Bay, South Australia, as part of a series titled 'History of the Australian Fishing Industry'. It contains information on Morrie Hurrell's family background, his previous occupations, entry into fishing, types of fishing, market, transport of fish, shark fishing, crayfishing, areas fished, changes in fisheries, Fisheries Department, fishermen's associations, oyster farming, dredging for oysters, lack of supervision, depletion of stock, future of the industry, abalone, scallops, inroads by amateurs, crabbing and boat building .HistoryMorrie Hurrell, who is almost 85 years of age at the time of this interview, spent almost the whole of a long working
lifetime in various fisheries in this area. In addition to marine scale fishing, he was at times also engaged in shark fishing, beach fishing for salmon, crayfishing and oyster farming. He is a member of a very well known family in the Coffin Bay area. Four of his sons have been fishermen.
In this interview Morrie Hurrell expresses concern about the depletion of stock in the various fisheries, about the inroads of recreational fishing effort and the apparent lack of supervision of amateur fishermen by government.
This recorded interview with Morrie Hurrell 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.
