Fishguard has a Scandanavian name fiskigardr (`enclosure for catching or keeping fish?) which may be related to the presence of two large V-shaped stone fish traps (see also NPRN 407699) either side of the beach at Goodwick, within the wider Fishguard Bay area. The commercial port of Fishguard Harbour at Goodwick was largely constructed towards the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth.

Goodwick Fish Trap 2 lies on the south-east side of the bay at Goodwick. It is a 'V'-shaped stone-built fishtrap, springing from coastal rocks on its south side. It measures approximately 34m from base to apex, with equally-spaced arms measuring 40m long and up to 9m broad. It is built from large boulders, now partly dispersed with a few smaller stones visible in the matrix. The trap is only exposed at the lowest tides, of 0.5m (Milford Haven datum) and under. It is likely that a build-up of sand behind (to the west, beach-side of) the trap may have obscured further parts making it considerably larger. Because of the present sea-level it would be difficult to regularly use and make repairs to this fish trap, and this might indicate a construction date back in the Middle Ages, or earlier. This trap is not mapped on any sea-charts or historic maps, unlike its counterpart on the north-west side of Fishguard Harbour (NPRN 407699).

The site was discovered and photographed through shallow water during Royal Commission aerial reconnaissance. It was recorded in detail by the RCHAMW with a photogrammetry survey on 09/05/2024 (links below).

Sources include:
RCAHMW site visit, 22/07/2009, T. Driver and D. Groom during filming for series two of Hidden Histories.

RCAHMW photogrammetry survey, PGS2024_012, 09/05/2024, view here: https://skfb.ly/oUwHV

T. Driver, RCAHMW, 28th October 2009

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW May 2024.

Cofnod Safle