Selsey's Fishing Heritage
A thousand years of crab, lobster and the sea
Fishing has been the defining activity of Selsey for a thousand years. From the medieval period, when the loss of the bishopric returned the town to its role as a small coastal settlement, through the centuries of quiet rural life, through two world wars and into the modern era, the fishing fleet has been the constant thread that connects Selsey's past with its present.
The fishing at Selsey has always been centred on the beach. Unlike harbours at Shoreham, Littlehampton or Chichester, Selsey has no enclosed port. The boats are launched from the shingle at East Beach and hauled back up when the day's work is done. This beach-launch tradition gives Selsey's fishing a distinctive character. The boats are small, designed to be manoeuvred on and off the shingle, and the fishing is done within relatively short range of the shore.
Crab and lobster are the signature catches. The brown crabs and European lobsters caught in pots set on the rocky seabed around Selsey Bill have been the backbone of the local fishery for centuries. The crabs are prized for the quality of their meat, and Selsey crab has a reputation that extends far beyond the town itself. The lobster fishery adds value, with live lobsters fetching premium prices from restaurants and fishmongers across the region.
Other species have been caught depending on season and conditions. Bass, mackerel, sole, plaice and various demersal fish have all been part of the catch over the years. The fish have been sold locally, in Chichester, and through markets and merchants serving the wider area.
The fishing community in Selsey has always been tight-knit. Families have passed down their knowledge of the marks, the tides, the weather patterns and the seabed from generation to generation. The skills required to launch and retrieve a boat from a shingle beach, to set and haul pots in tidal waters, and to navigate the rocky shoals around Selsey Bill are learned through experience and mentorship rather than formal training.
The fleet has shrunk over the decades. The economics of small-scale fishing are difficult, with rising fuel costs, regulatory burdens, competition from imports and the challenge of attracting young entrants to a physically demanding and financially uncertain trade. But the fleet endures. Boats still launch from East Beach every working day during the season, fishermen still sort their catch on the shingle, and fresh Selsey crab is still the finest seafood on the Sussex coast.
The Selsey Fishermen's Association represents the interests of the fleet, lobbying for access to fishing grounds, fair regulation and the maintenance of the beach infrastructure that the fleet depends on. The association also plays a role in maintaining the traditions and the community bonds that have sustained the fishery for so long.
For visitors to Selsey, watching the boats come in, seeing the catch being sorted and buying fresh crab from the beach is more than a novelty. It is a glimpse of a living tradition that stretches back a millennium.