MIke Cornish
What goes on at Mike Cornish Fishing Supplies?
We make crab pots, inkwells, creels, prawn pots, traps and lobster pots in our Paignton factory. We stock all sorts of other equipment like fenders, buoys and rope. We also buy and sell bait.
Who are your main customers?
Individual fishermen rather than big organisations. Most of our customers are in Devon but we supply to fishermen as far east as Weymouth and as far south as the Channel Islands. Some of our best customers are in Dartmouth and Kingswear; we deliver boxes of bait to them down on the quayside each morning.
Where do you get your bait from?
Two of us go down to Brixham Fish Market at 5.30am every weekday. We try and get the best price for things like gurnard and dogfish.
How long does it take your team to make a crab/lobsterpot?
Three and a half hours to make the rectangular parlour pots and two hours for a circular inkwell. The parlours are bigger and they have different chambers so it’s harder for the crabs and lobsters to escape. Building them is a skill - it takes time to learn the trade.
Where do you get your rope from?
Portugal. We always have done as they make the strongest rope. Years ago loads of rope manufacturers closed because the Portuguese were making great rope and selling it cheaply. We have stuck with them.
How strong do you need to be to work here?
Very and if you aren’t when you start you soon will be! We have 40 kilo boxes of bait to shift around, some of the fishing pots are 20 kilos and the rope is really heavy, especially if there’s lead inside. My daughter does exactly the same tasks as the men.
This is very much a family business isn’t it?
You could say that! We have been going 50 years and three generations of our family work here doing admin roles and on the factory floor. There are seven of us in total.
Do you get fed up seeing so much of each other at work and at home?!
No, we are very close. We have open house days at mine when all the family come round for food. I think working together has made us stronger. The only time it becomes problematic is when there is a big family event like a wedding or a holiday because we either have to shut down or pull straws to see who has to stay behind and work!
How would your family describe you?
I have asked them and the answer is - generous, strong minded and “just Dad”.
How did you start your working life?
As a fisherman. That’s how I got into the retail side of things actually. All us fisherman used to use Airedale rope, but it was only sold once a year. Many of us needed it throughout all the seasons so one of the chaps started to supply me with loads of it and I would sell it to fishermen. The business grew from there. I still go out fishing on my little boat, but just for fun.
Do you think the business will still be here in another 50 years?!
I hope so - but not with me! I think my children will try and carry it on. I’ve just turned 80 so I will be bowing out soon and retiring to my little house by Paignton harbour. I was born in that house and have lived there ever since.
What have you got left on your bucket list?
Not much! I have travelled all over the world - America, the Caribbean, Italy. I’ve got my family all around me. I’ve done pretty much all I want to do.
Which was your favourite place to visit?
Venice. I liked the culture, the food, the people and being so close to the water.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Still work here, believe it or not - but I’d have to run it alone as my family would all scarper with their share of the money!!
First published in By The Dart Magazine October 2017
