"Flookburgh fishermen never say they are going fishing just that they are ‘Going to the Sand’. They travel where they need to by ancient tractors, negotiating tides and constantly changing sands and channels.

For over 30 years, I have photographed rural life, working closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near my home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Romanian nomadic shepherds to artisan flower growers my projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and the land.

As a photographer, sometimes people and places just get to you. Morecambe Bay has been like that for me. Over four years ago a chance meeting with two of Flookburgh’s handful of remaining fishermen has led to this series of photographs.

During this time I have spent many days 6 miles out on the Sand with the fishermen in all seasons and all weathers. I learnt about craams and riddles, tide tables and bye-laws, shrimping, musselling and cockling, fishing with all kinds of nets. These skills have been passed down through generations of fishermen, all with the backdrop of the beautiful but often harsh landscape of the Bay.

During this relatively short space of time regulations have changed resulting in many of my photographs documenting the end of several eras." - Tessa Bunney

These photographs were produced between August 2018 and November 2021.

The book includes a historical section made in collaboration with fishing writer Mike Smylie and an ‘in conversation’ with Colin Pantall.