2004 Morecambe Bay Cockling Disaster
Elly Garnand
But as he was taken back to shore, Li could see the naked bodies of the 23 cockle pickers who had died in the water around him - their clothes torn off them by the water - and he realised he was the only one left alive.
The terrible tragedy became known as the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, with Chinese newspapers calling the bay "the Devil's Beach" and Morecambe's lifeboat crew describing the mission as the "most distressing and demanding" rescue operation in their history.
Now, 15 years on from the cockle picking disaster, Li is bravely speaking out as part of the Sun's Stamp Out Slavery campaign on conjunction with the Co Op, revealing his sadness that large-scale modern slavery is still rife in Britain.
Li, now 42, had left his home in China after being promised a good job in Britain by a smuggling gang. Instead, he was forced to work seven days a week picking cockles by hand in freezing conditions for just 10 a day. He and his fellow slaves were fed bread and water and made to sleep on concrete floors.
For Morecambe's lifeboat crew, the haunting memories will never fade. They recently released a statement, saying: "Nothing could have prepared them for that night and the awful tragedy they witnessed.
So when he was offered the opportunity to travel to the UK, he jumped at the chance and his mum paid 14,000 and put her house up as security to 'snakehead' gangs to ensure her son's passage to Europe.
Li was then placed in witness protection before giving evidence in court which helped convict leader Lin Liang Ren of 21 counts of manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration and perverting the course of justice. He was jailed for 14 years - just four months for each workers' life.
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North Western IFCA acknowledges the twentieth anniversary of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, when 23 Chinese nationals tragically lost their lives whilst fishing in the Bay. We continue to extend our sympathies to all those affected by the tragedy.
Since being established back in 2010, NWIFCA and our partner organisations have worked together closely to improve the conditions for fishers who hand gather cockles and other shellfish in Morecambe Bay and across the wider North West.
A permit regime means the cockle fishery is now a legitimate, fully regulated activity and can only be fished by up to 150 permitted individuals. Acquiring a permit to fish for cockles is predicated on a requirement to attend a maritime safety training course. Furthermore, NWIFCA has worked closely with the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), set up in the aftermath of the 2004 disaster, to establish a separate scheme to protect those in the shellfish gathering industry from exploitation. The GLAA has been central in identifying and eliminating gangmastering from the industry here, and in helping improve working practices for fishers.
NWIFCA remains ever committed to supporting the sustainable hand gathered cockle fishery here in the North West, and this anniversary serves only to remind us of the inherent dangers our stakeholders face when going out to fish in Morecambe Bay and across the wider district. We continue to remember the 23 who lost their lives all those years ago.
Cockles and bacon is a lovely classic combination. What a nice idea to have them with pasta ! Not sure that the jarred cockles would work though ( thinking of the intense vinegariness )
Good that you got them sourced from the Gower. Last time I ate cockles was in Wales and they were Gower ones too. Must admit I got put off for years after the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster :( That was just so tragic.
This was yummy, i whacked some mushrooms in there too which worked quite well- upped the veg content!
And my lack of white wine wasn't too much of a problem because the vinegar from the cockles (which were rinsed) kind of added that sort of flavour...