Q&A With James Turner

When did you start working for Embryo, and how did the job come about?
“I started at Embryo in early 2016, moving across from our sister company Korda. I had been at Korda since 2013, working in the product development department. Embryo was formed in 2014 and I was really impressed with the project, its direction and Matthew Pettitt. Although my fishing hadn’t (yet) been directly impacted by predation, I could see how the landscape was changing. Danny’s passion for the concept and the bigger plan for the company made it an exciting opportunity, so when the chance arose, I grabbed it with both hands. Initially I was split between working for Embryo, Korda and Gigantica, but within a few months I was working full-time for Embryo.”

What job responsibilities fall under your job title? 
“My role covers a wide array of areas within the company, from dealing with general fishery operations, suppliers, contractors, planning permissions, government agencies, environmental management, otter fencing, elements of the company finances and liaising with landowners/representatives. In the last year I have covered such a wide array of work areas it keeps me on my toes, from learning how you compile and submit planning applications to method/impact statements for otter fencing in SSSI’s. I love the fact we tackle some massive projects and often must learn along the way. With all that said, if you asked my wife, I simply ‘play with fish’ or ‘walk my dogs round the lakes’.”

So could you describe an ‘average’ day?
“I would struggle to pin down what an average day looks like for me at Embryo. For an average week, I would say I spend three to four days at the computer, working on emails, in meetings and other projects, with the remaining days on site.”

How do you go about finding new fisheries to develop? 
“Sometimes it is a combination of old-fashioned map scanning, albeit on Google Maps, looking for areas of water that may fit the bill. We’ve found venues for sale on Rightmove, and at other times anglers have emailed, giving us a heads-up on particular lakes. Since our portfolio has grown, we have had landowners get in touch, wanting us to lease/purchase their lake or our existing landowners (or their land agents) recommend us to other landowners.

“We have also had situations where existing operators or clubs have approached us to take on their waters as they cannot continue the running of them. I must give Ryan Shaw in our office a huge shout-out: he is like a hybrid of Christopher Columbus and a bloodhound. Give him an area and he will find you unfished viable lakes and a list of contact details for the landowner! He will then make it his mission to email them until they get back to us. It then gets passed over to me to try and take it forward.”

What type of fisheries are you looking for? Is there a set of criteria it has to meet?
“Our criteria for making lakes viable as fisheries have changed over the years. As we have taken on more venues, we’re learned what we can and cannot work with. While there is no set checklist, we can often tell if the lake will be viable after some digging and work around the venue. One key factor is we don’t look to push off—or take over—any venues that have existing fishing. We don’t go to landowners and flash the cash to push off existing set-ups! Embryo is about creating new venues or rejuvenating those that need it, and we must be able to secure the fish stock from predation.”

In total now, how many fisheries does Embryo have on their books, and what does the long-term plan look like?
“As of the start of January 2023, we have 27 syndicate venues and 10 day ticket/exclusive booking lakes, with a further 12-15 waters being worked on or in the signing stage for the future. Long-term we are looking to ensure Embryo remains viable as a stand-alone company, with the money made at the day-ticket venues supplying the funding for the Embryo syndicates and other projects.”

From start to finish, how long does a project take to complete?
“Each lake/project is taken on its own merits, and depending on any existing stock and work it requires will dictate when the lake can open. Some can open within weeks of being on the books, whereas others require years to get the lake to a stage where we can open it. As with any form of livestock/wildlife or nature, they are never finished (completely!).” 

Could you run us through each stage of a development? After acquiring the freehold/leasehold, what are the stages that follow?
“Sometimes just getting the lease/freehold signed and the agreement finalised can be an ordeal in itself, but getting the footing correct is key to ensuring a smooth, long-term future for the lake. When the agreements are complete, and the venue is registered under Embryo, we may need to stock or supplement the existing fish, which is a job for the winter period. The creation of swims/access tracks and otter fencing needs to be completed. Ideally, we would leave any new lake without any existing carp for a few years to settle and grow. Sometimes this is not always possible due to security or other pressures, but we would like to leave any newly stocked lakes for a minimum of 12 months before they see any angling pressure.”

What parts of each project do you personally oversee? 
“Embryo is such a small team, and to put it into perspective, outside of the Norton Disney complex, we have six employees, of which two are office-based full-time, with a small army of volunteers that do amazing work for us. All the full-time staff are involved in most elements of the work. I am heavily engrossed at the outset, dealing with solicitors and land agents, getting our foot in the door and the lakes over the initial hurdles. I then manage the project(s), such as fencing, swim work and landscaping required. I also help as part of the team who gets the documentation and tickets sorted so anglers can enjoy the fishery. Finally, I have also got my hands dirty plenty of times, and there are some badly laid paths, wonky swims and contoured car parks that lay testament to this!”

How do the local anglers react when they hear Embryo are developing ‘their’ fishery? Is it always positive?
“Often our lakes will be barren gravel workings or ex-club lakes that have been neglected, so are often not on angler’s radars. Initially, we were treated with much suspicion, but eight years after the formation of Embryo, most people understand what we’re about and our track record speaks for itself. We are there to make nice lakes for anglers, invest in the future and provide high-quality fisheries.” 

What is the most commonly asked question?
“How big do they go in here mate? Or, how do they get a ticket?”

What are the biggest hurdles you come up against time and time again? 
“Otters, mud, otters, the British weather, otters, red tape and otters…”

Have you ever had any major balls-ups—any very costly errors?! 
“None that spring to mind or makes my palms sweat… As an outfit we’ve had our mishaps and misfortunes, some caused by me, some by others, and sometimes simply bad luck/timing or caused by nature. Where possible, we try to learn from these occurrences and avoid them happening again or consult experts who can help us dodge them! As a team, Matt and Dan have bred a culture of ownership and we all take responsibility for our actions and operate very transparently. As a team, we rally around to get the ship back on track. Last November, seven of us descended onto a venue with an hour’s notice at 9 p.m. to work late into the night to try and prevent a looming issue from becoming catastrophic. 

“From the CEO down, we all live and breathe this project, and it’s more than a job to all us. I count myself incredibly lucky to be paid to do this with such a great team, doing such interesting and diverse work.”