The Abbot's Fish House on the outskirts of Meare Village

The "fish" being caught for the inhabitants of Glastonbury Abbey were mainly eels.
Eels are one of the most nutritious fish as far as food quality is concerned.
Clotting for eels is still practised on the rhines of the Somerset Levels. Now-a-days it can only be done by possession of a special license, but in the early 1900s it was a thing that many people engaged in. Stewed eels are easy to cook and a good form of protein. In the 30s when farming was a debased profession a nights clotting by a couple of labourers could get them good filling food for their families.The other method was eel spearing, this was not done with a normal 'trident' fish spear but with a special weapon constructed mainly for catching eels in the narrow side rhines on the levels. The advantage of spearing over clotting was that it could be done all the year round. Clotting was only efficient during the summer months, preferably on a hot humid summer night. It is now illegal bit I have myself used an eel spear to catch many tasty eel dinners.