Shellfish shambles explained.

Eighth generation oyster fisherman Tom Haward sheds some light on the 'EY shellfish ban' debacle that is affecting producers the length and breadth of the UK, not least for oyster fishing businesses like Fal Oyster and others in the Falmouth and Helford area of Cornwall.

Photo courtesy of Alan Clarke

The phrase, ‘EU shellfish ban,’ keeps being used by news outlets and it’s important to understand how this language is misleading and how Government is deliberately using misinformation to hide from its own failures. As a producer of live animals (oysters) who sells them on for human consumption, there are, quite rightly, rigorous standards we must meet to ensure what we sell is safe for people to eat. One of the most important factors in this process is the issue of water quality. If water quality is really poor (high amounts of sewage or rubbish dumped), animals like oysters will absorb the dangerous bacteria and make them unsafe to harvest.

There are 3 grades of water quality for shellfish production.

Grades, A, B & C. 

These grades were determined through when we were part of the EU. Simply, grade A waters are excellent and you don’t have to purify shellfish from these waters (some of our waters where we grow out oysters are A).

Grade B water means shellfish has to be purified before it can be sold for human consumption; most waters in the UK are B. The purpose of the grades is to ensure we use due diligence in our treatment of shellfish. It’s not a perfect system but it works...

As part of a large multi-country community we were effectively able to sell grade B shellfish unpurified to our neighbours where they would perform the process of purification before selling it on. Ideal if you harvested shellfish but didn’t have a purification centre. At least 2 years ago I noticed (along with others in industry) that if we were no longer part of the EU then as a 3rd country our food standards would no longer align, legally, and we wouldn’t be able to export grade B, unpurified shellfish...

This was raised with government figures as a major concern. It was obviously ignored. We (the UK) helped establish these EU regulations to have a consistent approach for easy, free flowing trade of shellfish. I said a no deal or equivalent would result in this catastrophe if it wasn’t looked at. George Eustace is lying when he says it was a surprise and when it is being peddled as an ‘overnight ban’. When he was fisheries minister he was aware of these worries. If I saw this coming then Johnson, et al should have...

The UK helped write the regulations government are now claiming they have been side swiped by. We are in this mess because those elected to serve us were too lazy and arrogant to read the small print because they wanted adulation without the work.

Cornwall Good Seafood Guide's sustainability and marketing talk in Newquay.

On the North coast of Cornwall, Newquay is the only harbour between Hayle and Padstow...

and, despite its exposed situation to the prevailing westerly swells it is home to a thriving fleet of commercial fishing...

 angling and pleasure vessels... 

the angling boats easily identified as they lack any designated fishing vessel registration letters and numbers...

most of the commercial fishing fleet fish for shellfish using pots...

though many of these use nets at certain times of the year to take advantage of seasonal fishing patterns with whitefish...

during storms the boats have to contend with 10' or more swells which lift the heavily secured boats and drop them on their keels - hence the many heavily built hulls in evidence...

the harbour is tidal, forcing the boats to sail whenever the tide is high enough - many of the fleet sailed around 2:30am this morning - and the boats are often forced to wait until late evening hours to land their catches ashore...

last night, the harbour-side Newquay Rowing club, home and workshop to the local gig rowing scene...

played host to the second of six workshops being held over the next year around Cornwall.  Matt Skater from the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is on a mission to further strengthen the increasingly respected and liked Cornish seafood which is fast developing a brand identity all of its own. The talks focus on sustainability and marketing for individuals or small groups of like-minded fishermen who could benefit from self-promotion by making the best use of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote awareness and sales of catches.  

At this time of year spider cabs invade the waters off Newquay in huge numbers - once a fish despised because of their perceived lack of financial reward - these days thew spider crab is renowned for its much sought after (by those who know) sweet white flesh. To celebrate this there will be a spider crab feast and picking demonstration in June - follow 'spiderman' Ross King on Twitter for more info!

For more general information visit the brand new Cornwall Good Seafood Guide website or contact Matt Slater or Larry Hartwell direct.

Lobster fisherman Andrew Stevens nominated for Shellfisherman of the Year Award!

Hi All, feeling very humbled. Have been shortlisted for the shellfish fisherman of the yr. voting starts on March 5th. You can vote on http://fishingnews.co.uk/awards .

What's a Cornish fisherman to do with Twitter? Well, in the case of Andrew Stevens a whole new world opened up when he and three other Newlyn-based fishermen decided to use the phone app to show photos of their fish and shellfish they were catching to online customers. From that simple idea, the concept of Dreckly Fish was born. By the way, the word 'dreckly' is the Cornish equivalent of mañana, without the same sense of urgency.

After leaving school, Andrew's first berth was aboard a 50ft Frenchman in Newlyn, the Mon Rêve (My Dream) owned by Jesse Thomas, he then moved back to St Ives and spent a few years on the Harmony crawfish netting in the summer and then Newlyn for the winter mackerel...

at one time trawling then later netting on the Keriolet out of Newlyn, before co-owning and working the inshore trawler Sarah Jean PW45...

today, Andrew Stevens fishes with his own boat, Benediction...

 and a fleet of 160 pots...

sustainably targeting shellfish...

including prime lobster...

and exclusively supplies The Fish shop in Camberley near London where, at several times during the year, he takes time out from fishing to do a 'meet and greet' with the shop's customers to answer all their fishy questions.

Last summer he took top London chef Cyrus Todiwala out to sea to catch spider crab then back to shore...

to cook up some wonderful cab curry as part of a campaign to encourage the great British public to buy and cook spider crab as 90% of spider crabs are exported to France and Spain.

Andrew is mighty proud of his St Ives 'hake' heritage and carries a constant reminder in this remarkable tattoo on the inside of his arm...

meanwhile, as day and night times equalise on the day of the Spring equinox the first of this lobster season's pots are aboard the Benediction ready to begin fishing.

CFPO fishing video 4 - features the Gilbert family from Newquay.

This week's CFPO video features the Gilbert family, two generations of crab fishermen from Newquay. Father Martin, sons Jake and Dan work two boats, the catamaran PW17 Serene and the Cygnus 32 Tizzardlee-On - PW 16. A normal working day hauling pots for crab starts around 4:30am with a 1-2 hour steam off to the grounds.

Cyrus Todiwala, shellfish champion of Great Britain!

Nothing could highlight the lure of fresh fish and fresh Cornish fish in particular than the sight of one of the country's best loved chefs out on a boat actively involved in hauling aboard the main ingredient for his quayside shellfish cooking demonstration!

With his enthusiasm truly matched by the flavours of his very special but easily doable Parsi influenced cuisine, Cyrus Todiwala from Cafe Spice cooks and talks passionately about the spider crab - a hidden gem found in increasing numbers all round the coast of Cornwall and soon to be found on the wet-fish counter  and restaurant menus near you!

Email in any questions you might have about to fishermen like lobsterman Andrew Stevens about catching, cooking or sourcing this truly under-appreciated but abundant fish.

Cornish Hake on the table in Honiton.

Hake dish from chef James Baxter

@AjaxAH32 my latest hake dish with river Exe mussels .....keep it up, the hake's going down a storm at the moment - !pic.twitter.com/LApE4cJ6- latest creation from chef James Baxter at the Holt in Honton, Devon. 

Don't be shellfish on a Saturday.

The changing skyline behind the old Hosking's Stores on Penzance harbour......

in Penzance Dry Dock, the beamer WSS surrounded by scaffolding.......

looking resplendent these days, you would never know the Steren Va Bro fished for the local Rowse crabber fleet until a few years ago........

the Belisha beacon provides the only golden orb in the sky this morning.......

a bug thank you from McMillan Cancer to the record number who took part inte annual Newlyn to penzance one mile swim.......

geriatric and junior results fromTriCornwall can be seen here.........

if you have never had the chance to see close up lobster, crab, crayfish and scallops head for the Newlyn Fish shop opposite the fish market....... 

Pete Tonkin's huge new live shellfish tank complete with one of Squrrel's excellent window display signs.....

top tank dog today is a male crayfish who marches to and fro' guarding his patch........

there is still plenty of time to get involved with this year's Newlyn Arts Festival beginning on the 16th of September.....

crabbers away........

while the trawler Tranquility waits for ice.......

Barrie looks on and smiles benignly on his day off as there is still a good day's work ahead of Ollie and the boys after the sheer weight of fish took their net to the bottom forcing them to split the meshes to release the fish........

the Border Agency's Searcher had a quiet night against the quay in Newlyn........

fishermen's topiary work on the Mousehole Road.