We chatted as we worked and realized that the world really is small. Like Uwe’s wife, I’m also from Lassan and grew up around fishing. As a child, I lived with my parents right on the harbor and was able to watch the fishermen at work from a young age. Uwe Krüger is a beach fisherman through and through—and he’s already in the sixth generation! His small fish restaurant, “Uwe’s Fischerhütte,” is right next door. They still serve authentic Pomeranian fish dishes here. The Fischerhütte has been around since 1990. It’s had its ups and downs—for the past thirteen years, he’s been facing a lawsuit because a neighbor is bothered by the smell of fish. This neighbor certainly can’t be an islander; otherwise, he’d be enjoying it. During the lockdown, Uwe took the opportunity to remodel and renovate his restaurant. I really like it when tradition meets modernity. Now everyone is waiting for the long-awaited season to begin.
Boat and Coastal Fishing on Usedom
Boat and coastal fishing has a long tradition on Usedom. Marika, a blogger who covers the island, spent a day with the fishermen and learned a lot of new things.
A Long Tradition on Usedom
The alarm goes off; it’s five in the morning, and it’s still below freezing outside. A typical morning in early March, and at first I can’t think of a single reason to get up. The night before, however, I’d checked the weather report, and the forecast for the coming day looked very promising. Besides, I actually had quite a few plans. More on that later. That same evening, I sent my colleague Anni a message asking, “What are you doing tomorrow morning at six?” When I briefly told her about my plan, no further persuasion was needed. Right on time at six o’clock the next morning, Anni and I met at the Ahlbeck pier. Even on the way there, we could see the pink colors in the sky above the sea. It was bitterly cold, the Baltic Sea was as smooth as glass, and apart from the screeching seagulls, there was nothing to be heard and no one to be seen far and wide. We filmed and took photos until our hands froze to the camera. That play of colors was simply spectacular! Getting up early was worth it again—and things were about to get even better!
A Day with the Beach Fishermen
As the sun rose around half past six, the beach fishermen showed up, too. We had a date, after all! I got to spend a day watching fisherman Uwe Krüger and his crew at work. Uwe is a real pro! And not just when it comes to fishing. “Stand up there on the dune—Rudi’ll be coming by any minute now and driving down to the beach.” Rudi? By “Rudi,” they meant the big red tractor. Everything here has a name. Every morning, Rudi pulls Uwe’s boat, the “Meereswelle,” from the shore into the water. But this morning it was acting up a bit and took a while to get going. It was probably just too cold for it. Meanwhile, Uwe made his way to his boat to start it up. “I don’t want it to start acting up too.” So I ran after him, all excited.
It doesn't get any better than this!
Now Uwe really gave us a show! He dumped a whole load of fish scraps off the shore into the Baltic Sea, and of course the seagulls didn’t take long to show up. “It doesn’t get any better than this!” Uwe called out to me. He’s right! The seagulls swarmed over their breakfast, and I didn’t even know where to point my camera first. Amazing! As the fishermen set out, Uwe called out to me: “Head over to the pier! That’s the way we’re going now! We’ll be back in an hour!” So I ran to the pier and took some more great shots of the fishermen pulling the first set nets out of the Baltic Sea. The sea was as smooth as glass that day, and the weather was just perfect—I still could hardly believe my luck. The sun slowly climbed higher and warmed my face. It was really cold.
Back on the beach, I waited for the fishermen to return for the first time. They took a while to show up, but just then Uwe’s daughter-in-law, Tina, came up to me and invited me for a hot coffee at the fish market. There, I got to know almost all the family members and immediately felt right at home. “Everyone pitches in every day from dawn till dusk! It wouldn’t work any other way,” Tina explained to me, and just then the phone rang. It was Uwe. The first catch of herring had arrived—it’s herring season on Usedom! Normally, the Herring Weeks take place on the island from early March to early April. While the “silver of the sea” used to be considered food for the poor, today it’s prepared as a delicacy by Usedom’s chefs. Unfortunately, we’ll have to do without this culinary event again this year.
Coastal Fishing—A tradition in danger of disappearing
That day, I truly realized once again just how much work goes into getting the fish onto our plates, ready to eat. Just watching was enough to wear me out, and the day had only started a few hours ago. By now it was 11:00 a.m., and the beach fishermen were returning from their second trip. Once again, they had a good catch of herring, and everyone pitched in—big and small, young and old. Everyone standing on the beach at that moment pitches in. By the way, the youngest is four and the oldest is 83. Uwe’s grandsons Mika (4) and Nils (15) also want to follow in their grandpa’s footsteps someday. Nils is already right in the thick of it. He’s been going out to sea with his grandpa since he was five. He helps haul in the nets, gut the fish, and clean them—everything a real fisherman needs to know how to do. Even Mika, at just four years old, is already working hard to help out. One can only hope that coastal fishing will be preserved for a long time to come.
After all, fishermen can barely make a living from their catch alone these days due to low catch quotas. Coastal fishing is an endangered tradition. It’s not just a family legacy, but has also become a cultural heritage that’s slowly dying out. After all, where can you still get fish fresh from the catch on your plate these days? Ewald, 83, has been a fisherman for over 60 years—and he’s dedicated to it with heart and soul. You might even recognize his boat, the “Seeteufel,” since it’s moored right next to Uwe’s “Meereswelle” on the beach, against the stunning backdrop of the Ahlbeck pier. While shucking and cleaning herring, Ewald always has a good fishing story up his sleeve. Next winter, I’m definitely going to sit with him by the stove in his fisherman’s hut and listen to them all! But for now, I treated myself to a fish sandwich, because it was already 1:00 p.m. and I hadn’t even had breakfast yet. What an exciting day! I’m still completely overwhelmed by the hospitality and this sense of family togetherness. Everything feels so familiar and goes hand in hand. So always be nice to fishermen! It’s really hard work, come rain or shine. When I told my dad about my day with the fishermen, he was immediately hooked! Over the weekend, we had 30 herring! Fried, smoked, and pickled. Now we’re waiting for Uwe’s fishing hut and all the great seafood restaurants on Usedom to finally be allowed to reopen.
My personal recommendations for you:
- Uwe’s Fischerhütte in Ahlbeck
- The Waterblick Fish & Steak Restaurant in Loddin
- The Salzhütten in Koserow
- Kelch’s Fish Restaurant in Koserow
- Taun Fischer and His Wife in Zempin
- Zum Smutje in Zinnowitz
- The Bauernstube in Morgenitz
- Zur Alten Fischräucherei in Rankwitz
You can find these and other really great restaurants on Usedom on the Usedom Culinary page.
This is me: Usedom's island blogger
My full name is Marika Borowski; I’m 37 years young and was born on the mainland in the Lassaner Winkel region. From the port of Lassan, I’ve always had an unobstructed view of the Lieper Winkel and the Gnitz Peninsula, so I’ve always felt a strong connection to my adopted home of Usedom. I can still remember very well how my parents would take me to the beach in Trassenheide or camping on the Gnitz Peninsula, or how we’d visit our relatives in the town of Usedom. For me, it was always a big deal to tell my school friends that I had relatives who lived on an island. Now I’ve been living on Usedom myself for over 20 years and can already call myself a bit of an island kid. I first trained here to become a hotel specialist and then a hotel manager, and I’ve turned this into my calling.
To be able to tell our visitors to Usedom much more about the island, I set out on a journey of discovery myself and have been documenting all my experiences and discoveries on the island of Usedom in my blog for a good two years now.
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