The plate was published 28 April 1812, in part IX of the Liber Studiorum, R.44, with the symbol 'M' for Marine. It was begun and completed by Turner himself. It is one of a small number of the plates which have a foundation of soft-ground rather than the normal etched outline. No drawing is known, although two paintings entitled ‘Fishing-boats in a Calm' were shown at Turner's gallery in 1809; these are now untraced.

There is a faint off-print of ‘Dunstanborough Castle' (R.14) on the verso.