Viva Lewes Issue 117 June 2016

PHOTO OF THE MONTH
SHOAL MATES
Every year a shoal of around 1,000 thin-lipped
mullet swim from their winter home in the
Channel up the Ouse to feed in the river between
Hamsey and Southease. Steve Homewood has
been tracking them for years, first to fish and
eat them, later, as he grew to understand the
precarious nature of their existence, to protect
them. Every year, in March, the whole shoal stops
off in a spring-water pool, where the Winterbourne
meets the Ouse in the Railway Land, to
heal any wounds or other physical damage they
have incurred over the winter or en route. Steve
calls this their ‘health spa’, and this year he took
the GoPro camera he bought for his partner for
Xmas, put it on a window-cleaning pole, and
photographed the fish from within the pool.
The results are stupendous, and Steve was proud
to put them on his Twitter feed. “The BBC got
interested,” he said, “and asked to come down
and interview me about the mullet.” The result
will be an appearance on Springwatch, which will
be screened either just before this mag hits the
streets (last weekend of May) or just after (the
first weekend of June). Furthermore Steve, who
has given up his job in dentistry to take up his
passion as a naturalist full time, is giving a series
of illustrated talks about his adventures with the
mullet (at 30 Friars Walk, check window display
and posters in the town for date and time). We’ll
give this subject more attention in a future magazine;
in the meantime congratulations to Steve
for winning this month’s prize.
Please send your pictures, taken in and around
Lewes, to photos@vivalewes.com, or tweet them to
@VivaLewes. We’ll choose our favourite for this
page, which wins £20. Unless previously arranged
we reserve the right to use all pictures in future
issues of Viva magazines and online.
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