Friday 28 May 2021

Final #FishyFriday in May.

Low water on a big spring tide sees the port's largest beam trawler Enterprise high and dry...


while owners of other smaller vessels take advantage of being able to dry out on the hard for a lenghty period between tides to get annual jobs like checking and anti-fouling the bottom  of their boats...



Cornish Lass a piece of Newlyn history is free to a good home if someone wants to take on a small restoration challenge...

the extent to which the harbour dries out revealed...


work continues of the outdoor seating area for the harbour's latest eating venture...


that's a lovely shade of turquoise on Plugger's inshore trawler Shiralee


which would no doubt have appealed to the half dozen artists enjoying a day's painting on the Old harbour...


the Canner's slip is a hive of activity these days...,


a  brace of local lifeboats...


looks more like some muddy estuary at low water...



the never-ending job of gill net repair, small comfort for the non-EU workers who live aboard their boats for the duration of their time fishing in the UK, once, the port had a Fishermen's Mission building with rooms, showers, canteen and recreation room...


now all they have is this tiny ex-office which has now been commandeered by the Newlyn Export Office...


Newlyn's resident seal is not likely to be fed any mackerel any time soon this morning...



as these rather rare fish are currently making around £12 a kilo when they appear on the market...


today's market brings a good mix of quality inshore fish like these grey mullet...


John Dory...


stunning wrasse, which make for great sashimi dishes...


with no netters landing (they don't fish over big spring tides) there were precious few hake on the market, this single jumbo hake was caught by Tom on the harvest reaper...


top species by weight landed by the beam trawl fleet like the Enterprise are Cornish (megrim) sole

along with the odd tub gurnard...


young Mr Smart displays a similar countenance to that of the cheerful looking John Dory he is holding

Dover sole come next in valur to the beam trawl fleet but ICES Area VII quota is scarce, much of it in Belgian and Dutch hands...


every trawlerman loves to see these beauties fall from the cod end at hauling time...


as ever, pristine whiting from the Spirited Lady II


anyone would think it was the middle of winter...


now where did that box of large pollack go?..


this visiting Dutch yacht is due to come out of the water for repairs at the Sandy Cove Boatyard - just goes to show - "build it and they will come"...


Ocean Queen, sadly, there are fewer and fewer of these classically lined Cornish designed and built wooden toshers plying their trade around the coast these days - GRP rules the day. The knock-on effect is a decrease in the superior boat-building skills that are inevitably dying out too.