Vote for the man who brought fishing in Bognor Regis ‘back from the brink’

Fourth generation Clive Mills joins a handful of other fishermen in the shortlist for the Under 10M fisherman of the Year category.

The award recognises fishermen who have ‘demonstrated exceptional commitment to the industry’ over the last year.

Voting is open to the public, so anyone can show Mr Mills their support until polls close on April 11.

Despite a long family tradition in the industry, Mr Mills stopped fishing in 1999 deciding he could no longer earn a living after years of declining catches. Now, more than 20 years later, he’s helping to lead a revival of the town’s fishing fleet.

Working with three other local fishermen, Dicky Leggett, Mike Steer and Terry Homer, he helped revitalise the Bognor Fisherman’s Association last year, setting up a fish stall to sell the catch of the day to residents.

Together, they hope to transform part of the Bognor Regis promenade into an educational hub, sharing the history of fishing in Bognor Regis, sell fish caught from low-impact day boats and champion recovery of the Sussex kelp beds alongside The Sussex Kelp Restoration Project.

“My father-in-law taught me a lesson early on – ‘you can’t keep fishing for today, you’ve got to leave something for tomorrow’. Those words really mean a lot to me, we need to be looking after what we’ve got because there ain’t a lot left,” Mr Mills said.

Bognor Regis Mayor Steve Goodheart added: “All along the south coast there are fishing communities who are doing the same type of work.

“As residents we should be supporting every effort to improve the state of our coastal waters.”

To vote for Mr Mills and learn more about the awards, visit fishingnews.co.uk.

To watch a short film dedicated to Mr Mills’ success, click here.

Read more

Ex British Army sniper from Chichester speaks of ‘atrocities’ on Ukraine’s frontline

New community centre in Bersted is smash hit