Photographs telling the story of North Shields’ fishing industry over the past decade are going on display as part of the town’s 800th anniversary celebrations.
The Harvest from the Deep exhibition is the work of North Shields-based Pete Robinson of Eye of the Tyne Photography, who has spent years building relationships with the town’s fishing community. He has captured around 10,000 images of fishermen out at sea and on the quay, following the process from the boats leaving port through to the fishmonger’s counter.
The photographs, in black and white and colour, capture the long hours, tough conditions, close working relationships, and the love of working at sea.
The exhibition will be held from 22 July to 30 August on the top floor of the Old Low Light Heritage Centre, with panoramic views of the Fish Quay and the mouth of the Tyne.
It is funded by North Shields Cultural Quarter, and is part of the town’s North Shields 800 celebrations.
North Shields Cultural Quarter is part of North Tyneside Council’s ambitious plans for North Shields, enhancing and growing the creative economy. It is supported by the North East Combined Authority.
The project gets its name from the Latin motto for the old Tynemouth borough coat of arms – Messis ab Altis – Harvest from the Deep, referring to the area’s fishing and coalmining heritage.
To accompany the exhibition, Pete is self-publishing a photo book with an initial print run of 100 copies, priced at £14 a book. All proceeds will be donated to the Fishermen's Mission in North Shields and The Old Low Light Heritage Centre, where the book will be on sale. Copies will also be available in North Shields Library and at local bookshops.
Pete said: “Photographing the North Shields fishing industry has been an absolute labour of love for me over the past ten years, and I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the fishing community.
“Instead of presenting the photos in date order, I’m using them to tell a story, starting with the boats heading out, then hauling in the catch, landing it, the workers at the prawn processing factory, the sales at the fish market and following it right through to the fishmongers. It’s a photographic narrative.
“Little details like a pan of porridge on the onboard stove, a tattoo, a St Christopher for protection, beautiful sunrises. Memorial plaques to those lost at sea while fishing off North Shields, reminding us what a dangerous job it is working in the UK fishing industry.
“The photos were taken over a 10 year period from 2015 right through to March 2025. They all capture a moment in time, whether it’s the men bringing up crates of prawns, lowering lobster pots, mending the nets or sorting the catch. Some are men out fishing by themselves, including a 79-year-old lobster fisherman. Another is a father and son team. There are some real characters, on the quay and at sea. I photographed one fisherman at home, with his stacks of lobster pots outside the door, and a retired fishermen in his flat at the Master Mariners’ Home.
“One man has worked on the Fish Quay for 65 years. He remembers the steam-powered trawlers in the 1950s. He doesn’t want to retire, he loves it so much. But it’s an ageing workforce, there aren’t many young ones coming through.
“This has always been a long-term project for me, and I want to continue after I share this exhibition. I’m delighted to have received funding from North Shields Cultural Quarter, it’s meant that I can price the book with 100 images at just £14. I really want the people who are in the book to be able to afford it.”
Diane Wailes from I Love North Shields wrote the introduction to the Harvest from the Deep book. She writes: “North Shields is changing, and changing fast. The fishing industry is under enormous pressure and some of the people and activities that make North Shields Fish Quay such a vibrant and unique place may not be around in 10 or 20 years time …
“Like all the best documentary photographers, Pete has taken time to get to know the people he photographs, going out with them on fishing trips for ten hours or more, with painfully early starts, rough seas and seasickness to contend with, in the search for images that capture the harsh realities and camaraderie of life at sea. Photographs that are so evocative you can almost feel the cold, and smell the heady mix of fish, prawns, diesel and cigarette smoke.”
Tynemouth MP Sir Alan Campbell, Chair of the North Shields 800 Committee, said: “North Shields 800 is about celebrating our town’s past, present and future as we mark the 800th anniversary of its founding as a fishing port. The fishing industry is central to the story of North Shields, a crucial part of our local economy, and a precious asset to protect for generations to come. This exhibition documents and champions our Fish Quay, and is just one of the ways we are taking pride in our fishing industry as part of the North Shields 800 celebrations.”
Other events and projects on the Fish Quay as part of the North Shields 800 celebrations include: Parade of boats and blessing of the fleet, Old Low Light 1225 exhibition, A Stone’s Throw Festival, Seafit health event, North Tyneside 10k road race, Living River video, Tynemouth RNLI Lifeboat Day, North Shields textile map, North Shields murals project, and The Flight Home. Full details are available on the North Shields 800 website.
Councillor Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor for North Tyneside and cabinet member responsible for Regeneration, Culture and Economic Development said: “North Shields Cultural Quarter is helping regenerate North Shields town centre by supporting the creative economy. The Harvest from the Deep exhibition celebrates the town’s unique character and history, while supporting its cultural businesses, heritage organisations and visitor attractions.”