Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fish. Show all posts

Wednesday 21 August 2019

Portafino, Italy - where tiny fishing boats share moorings with super-yachts.


When the port you want to visit is so exclusive that there is no public parking there's only one way in - take the boat...



on the way, buildings old and new hug what little sea-level land is available neath the 1000ft Ligurian hills...


harbours, quays and moorings have been created using every inch of shore for the huge number of leaisure boats...


which increase in size the closer to the resort made famous by the super rich, actors, artists and film stars starting in the 50s when the likes of Rex Harrison became a resident there...


on approach, the port itself seems hidden from the outside world...


but as you draw closer there are a few clues as to its status in the 'must visit by luxury yacht'...


before the natural harbour begins to open up...


and the classic Italian architecture sets an almost magical scene...


amongst the dozens of moored leisure craft are old and new examples of the traditional double-ended boats found all the way along the Mediterranean coast...


along with a handful of fishing vessels...


the narrow quayside is home to a number of fishermen's stores...


for the small fleet...


which includes a handful sporting the traditional hull design...


on moorings...


the boats work a variety of lines and nets...


and, as it's the Med, the mesh sizes are small...


along with pots used to catch octopus...


there may even have been a Cornish miner responsible for this fishermen's store carved out of the rock - many of the railways and funicular railway projects in Italy were run by Cornish engineers, notably Robert Trewella from Ludgvan...


the setting might be idyllic...


but today's catch has been limited by time with only 1000 hooks shot as an impending late blow in the day caused the skipper to fish closer to the shore than he would normally have liked.....


 for a few squid...


and bream, some of today's salted anchovies bait remained unused.........


but every fish was stunning in appearance so hopefully, given the exclusive nature of many restaurants and hotels here the prices for the guys are high enough to compensate for the slack fishing...


asking what other bait was used produced a surprising response - frozen mackerel from that ship, the Cornelius Vrolijk that is entitled to 23% (by weight) of the entire UK fish quota...




at the end of the day with the light fading...


there was just enough time to make a quick oil sketch of the fabled fishing port...


that continues to draw so many visitors...


though even those with bottomless pockets, though they might have multi-million pound boats...


like the Lucky Lady, ROE and Phoenix 2 are every bit as limited as visiting motorists are with quayside mooring berths at a premium...


as can be seen in the wake of the visit...


where yet another yacht, Tranquility has dropped anchor a few leagues off the fabled resort. Boats this size are nearing 1 million a week to charter.


Sunday 22 April 2018

Porthleven Food Festival 2018

Now in its 10th year Porthleven Food Festival celebrates everything to do with local food and produce - from beer to bread to fish - there's something for all the family...


as can be seen from the website's menu...


but first you have to get there and like all successful events in Cornwall with its narrow and singular roads in and out of ports - that means get there early!..



the main marquee was full of fishy themes...



and during the day played host to the Chef's Theatre...



with top cheffing tips coming thick and fast from the likes of...



Naomi Devlin – nutritionalist and author of River Cottage showcasing all things gluten free and gut healthy...





followed by fish maestro, Ross Sloan from the kitchens of the Mount Haven in Marazion...



with not a cloud in the sky the place to take time out was looking out over the harbour in front of the giant free music marquee and bar...



or take in any of the dozens of food, craft and other stalls dotted all round the port...



as the afternoon wore on the place to be was the slip...



in front of the Harbour Inn...



or a stroll down the iconic breakwater...



or the Ship Inn...



even the local gulls seemed to be enjoying the day...



there were reminders of how we have become increasingly concerned for the well-being of our seas...



but above all the message, as ever, was simple - Love Food!

Friday 12 January 2018

Bass and the science of stock assessment - when it is largely based on landing figures

1800 kg of bass worth around £21000 accidentally caught off Plymouth yesterday - all of which were dumped, largely dead, back into the sea as the boat has no quota for bass. 

As soon as Steve Fisher posted this short video showing the 1800 kg of bass that the boat caught accidentally off Plymouth - to highlight the inadequacies of the present system to manage bass - his Twitter account was hit by a storm of tweets in response - some decrying the a quioat systemn based on flawed science and some juast plain not understanding that a fishing boat is limited in its ability to determine what it will catch in open waters.

Judge the responses for yourself:


Saturday 26 August 2017

Newlyn Fish Festival is on Monday!


Don't forget - it's the biggest day of the year for the port of Newlyn on Monday - bring your friends and enjoy everything the fish festival has to offer!

For more information head over to the Fish Festival website.