Monday morning and Newlyn wakes to see most a the fleet at sea, inshore fish on the market, and a visit from an old friend.

Early morning flypast...

over the still waters of the Bay...

while surprise number two was the fact that the keel was still firmly sat on the bottom at high water......

on the market this morning most of the fish was from the inshore trawler fleet apart for the big beam trawler Billy Rowney with a good shot of ray...

and the netter Britannia V and her haul of monk, turbot and ray...

and a a few boxes of hake to boost thew boy's earnings...

no doubt with only a handful of quality bass on the market from Cap'n Cod they will make top dollar this morning...

the beam trawlers always pick up a few bags of scallops in their travels...

unusually, the inshore trawlers seem to be catching more Cornish megrim soles these days, though this may be due to the fine weather allowing them to work that much further off in better trawling grounds...

all set for the scales, one more turbot...

gets logged in the book from the Myghal...

with five dredges a side......

the Neptune is more typical dredgers found working in the south west...

than the UK's largest scallop trawler which landed at four am this morning with a surprise on board...

young Will Gillespie (ex-Filadelfia) has the honour of skippering this giant of the scallop world...

as he surveys his domain from the huge wheelhouse...

the boat sports two sets of conveyors - which take the scallops and fish below decks to be picked out, sorted and stored in the fishroom - which also has a freezing capability - within minutes of the gear being hauled...

the gear needs constant attention...

from the crew in order to maximise catch rates...

as the boat moves around the coast of the UK in search of the right kind of grounds for scalloping...

greasing the running gear is hugely important as the boat hauls around 25-27 times a day, towing at the most for one hour at a time...

with a side of gear weighing every shackle, splice and link are checked on a regular basis...

film work continues for the ITV series currently being shot in Newlyn with some of the first summer mackerel being caught on camera by none other than Barry who featured on the cover of Salt of the Earth...

which captured in glorious black and white photographs the fishing community who make their living going out Through the Gaps every day...

Barry gets a chance to see himself in action as the mackerel came in over the rail...

and being a fisherman means he is always  keen to spot a better way if doing things...

then it's time to lend a hand getting the film gear ashore...

before he gives up objecting to being manhandled and allows himself to be mic'd up...

ready for the cameras to roll...

and the next piece of, 'a day in the life of Barry Ede' is captured on film...

while his fellow handliners wash down their boats and head back to sea.

Under a mackerel sky, under new ownership - a must-do place to eat in Penzance

After over ten years of outstanding quality and service under the nurturing hand of Stevie McCrindle...

the Mackerel Sky restaurant in Penzance now has new owners who have already stamped thier own mark on this iconic Penwith eatery in the centre of town...

owner and chef Jamie MacLean's better half, art teacher Nina has added some colour and joie-de-vivre to the upstairs room...with this eponymous mural of Mount's Bay under a mackerel sky...

this squid in feather-light batter was a work of art in itself...

and like all the fish on the menu it doesn't get any fresher than that supplied by either the Newlyn Fish company or Mousehole Fish...

the welcome aboard sign outside means come on in and enjoy in any language!

Mackerel scene and Hugh's new Fish Fight

HFW on the One Show gives the low down on the latest news from the 'mackerel war' being waged in northern waters. The clip also included out-takes from the new 3 series of Hugh's Fish Fight starting next week.

Stainless steel Gurdie Combo - designed by a fisherman for fisherman.

Gurdie Combo 

 No dangerous hooks spread across decks, fish one side, no overhanging outriggers giving more deck space and freedom to move. Revolving rollers with stainless steel bearings. Strong clamping system with rubber-based protective gaskets helping to reduce damage especially to fibreglass gunnels, the clamps pivot 23º ensuring no damage to gunnel resulting in a more secure fastening with locking nuts. The 4" revolving wide handle makes approximately 2 turns per fathom.

Rear end stanchion to gurdie taking strain off gunnels, this unit fishes 6–20+ hooks with tangle free system. All open ends are rubber sealed resulting in less damage to hands etc.

Innovative line transporter keeps the working deck clear of  hooks.

Unit can be supplied as just gurdie / gurdie and wheel / complete system.

Complete system £495.00 with free local delivery.

For further information email or phone 07415511227

A very fishy Friday for Stefan!

It's that time of year, yes, we have no vacancy.......

bound in for the gaps, the beam trawler Nellie passes the Low Lee buoy.......

a rare moment, when the Mount is bathed in sunlight breaking through the cloud cover.......

patience is a virtue.......

who put the chic in Chicadee.......

major work abaord the St Georges..........

she's in landing and down by the head again.......

but this time with a record haul, maybe over twenty tons......

and the skipper's happy enough........

the boys from Meva can only look on in awe........

as they Cornish Sardines keep coming ashore.......

harbour master Andrew makes it a working day........

while others in the market are even faster.......

top quality line caught pollack from the Sea Spray........

one small, one big, and a whole box of medium bass from the Butts.......

most of the mackerel men have moved round to St Ives, but when you can do over 10 knots the Longships is just within reach and workable.........

a man who cares about his catch, he's gone to sea with an insulated tub and filled it with slush ice (flake ice and sea water mixed) to chill that catch to +2º........

and a good run of mackerel, with prices around the £1.60 mark for medium fish this morning.