Salmon are big and plentiful along the White Sea coast in the very north of Russia above The Arctic Circle. The White Sea is a sea that is almost cut off from the immense northern sea that stretches across the top of The Earth: The Barents Sea. Its northern shores lap against The Kola Peninsula, a wild empty space (empty of man that is) and is full to the brim of wildlife: Bears, Wolves and many breeding Whooper Swans to name but a few.

From deep within its interior, rivers start their journey to the sea from gravel bedded streams that are ideal for Salmon to breed. Here they grow undisturbed by man and it is not until a few years later on their journey back to their spawning grounds that they are fished from the The Kola.

The salmon fishing in this part of Russia is jealously “owned” by a mafia who do not take kindly to any poaching of their Salmon. This picture is of a Trawler that was caught fishing the salmon with nets. She ran from her pursuers hugging the coast in an attempt to escape and she ran firmly aground. She was close enough to the shore for her crew to escape and disappear into the wilderness of the forest.

She sat here for many years quietly rusting half a mile out to sea and became a landmark for us during the Impala Russian Adventures. We used to drive out to her and walk about her decks and I remember rescuing an Oystercatcher from her cable locker once.

She has now been cut up and melted down because the price of scrap steel made it profitable to spend the time and energy between tides to bring her to shore: she may now even be part of that toaster that you used this morning to toast your bread for breakfast!!!