This is the first part of a film entitled Inshore Trawling made by Colin Ellis. The film was taken aboard the trawler ship and captures a working day of the fishermen as they make their way along the Yorkshire coast. The film includes footage of the fishing methods used by the fishermen as well as footage of the crew and other ships they pass when out at sea.
The film opens with a boat out at sea. There are shots of the water, some of the ship's deck still in shot. A man drives the ship, and the cliffs of the East Yorkshire coast can be seen in the background. The boat's deck is shown from different angles before footage of the horizon at sunrise. Other ships can now been seen out at sea close to the trawler.
A man smoking a cigarette stands by a pulley system which controls the large fishing net. The net has been cast, and members of the crew begin to reel it in. Two fishermen stand near the ropes, and one poses for the camera, holding up his shirt like a dress when one curtsies. The filmmaker includes close-ups of the pulley system, and a man at the edge of the boat watches, the net.
Turning out to sea, it appears to be getting lighter as the morning moves on. Nearby boats cut through the water, and some move closer to the trawler. On deck, one of the fishermen scrapes and cleans wooden crates which will later be used store the fish. There is more footage of the coastline before the net is again cast into the sea. Small floatation devices are at the top of the net. Fishermen then pull the net back on board. Most of the men wear aprons, and one wears a full rain slicker. The bottom of the net is opened, spilling the fish onto the deck of the ship. They flop around the deck amongst other sea life including starfish which have been caught in the net. One of the crew mends the net before it is cast back into the sea.
A fisherman stands by the motor of the pulley system, and in the distance, a large ship passes by, seagulls flying around. The crew them pulls the net back in, attaching another rope to help. The fish spill out onto the deck, and there is a close up of the many different types of fish which have been caught. The process is repeated a few more times.
A man in a slicker guts the fish already caught during the day so far. He throws the waste back into the sea and separates the different fish into different baskets. The catch is quite varied including very large fish as well as flat fish such as plaice. The men continue to gut and separate the fish. Following this is more footage of the pulley system and shots out to sea.
Another round, and the whole crew helps to pull the large, full net onto the deck of the ship. The catch spills out onto the deck and includes a large, scary fish with jagged teeth. The net is cast back into the water, and the day has turned cloudy. The fishermen begin to sort the fish, one of them holding a large fish up for the camera. The fish with jagged teeth bits onto a rope, sliding down the rope into a pile of fish. There is additional footage of the fishing process taken from different angles. As they make their way back to shore, the PZ16 boat can be seen close by.