I've updated cnd's fine effort from the lyrics as printed in Sugden & Kipper's book "Cod Pieces".

THE SHOALS OF WHITING

(Chris Sugden)

Oh it was a dark and a dismal day,
Out of Holkham harbour we were lighting,
In the sleet and hail of a force-eight gale,
We went looking for the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS
Though the wind did blow,
We searched high and low,
We were looking for the shoals of whiting.

Oh, me mother said I should go to sea,
And the very thought of that was frightening;
But me mother, Jill, she's more frightening still,
So I went looking for the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS

With a pitch and roll, soon you're feeling ill;
You are turning green, and your stomach's tightening.
Then you learn a thing; you should face downwind,
When you go looking for the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS

Oh the hours were hard, and the work was long,
And you're wondering why the fish aren't biting;
That's cause you forget, you should use a net
When you go looking for the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS

Oh, from Warham Hole, down to Scroby Sands
Through the wind and spray our boat was fighting;
Cast a million trawl, we caught bugger all,
Oh, we couldn't find the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS

Then the storm got worse, and the sea did swell,
And our captain, he got struck by lightning;
Oh the ship went down, just off Yarmouth town,
And it was there we found the shoals of whiting.

CHORUS

Now there's just our bones,
Down in Davy Jones;
We got eaten by the shoals of whiting.

LFF