Umber (b).
This work was my first response and first idea inspired by the Umber on Hull’s Fish Trail, which refers to the European grayling, a freshwater fish admired for its shining body and tall, sail-like fin—often called the Lady of the Stream because you would catch a flash or a glimpse of it shining at the bottom of a stream. The name Umber first appeared in Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler (1653), one of the earliest mentions of the species in English.
The Umber fish, part of the Fish Trail, was placed here by the Humber, playing on words: the fish lives not in the estuary itself, but in the clean, cold tributaries that feed it. The survival of grayling depends on high water quality—sensitive to pollution and temperature changes. In the past, populations declined sharply due to industrial pollution and habitat degradation. More recently, however, water quality has improved significantly, allowing grayling numbers to recover.
Umber is also a colour, a staple of the painter’s palette. Made by grinding natural clays rich in iron and manganese—such as those found around the Humber—it produces the earthy browns and reds used by artists for centuries.
Artist: Sarah Mole
Fish Profile
Umber or Shi Drum - Umbrina cirrose
Conservation status
The Shi Drum Umbrina cirrosa or Umber is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Assessed 2007).
Population declines are estimated at 80% based on 7 countries (the majority being in Italy and Turkey). However this species is still thought to be common in some parts of the North African coast.
Umber are the bycatch of other fish or recreational spear fishing. The degradation of estuary areas has also contributed to this decline.