Mid-week fish market in Newlyn.

The morning auction huddle begins around...

 box stacks six high of line caught mackerel...

a few bass...

and a handful of squid...

also stacked are the boxes of hake from the only netter to land this morning, the Joy of Ladram...

other fish ready for this morning's auction include a few sardines...

red mullet...

ray...

and John Dory...

while this single cuttlefish from the Danmark just about sums up the seemingly non-existent cuttlefish season to date...

outnumbered by trawl caught lobster!..

and bream...

this conger would make a whole lot of fish cakes - for which it does an excellent job, add plenty of butter and fresh parsley to the mix for a real treat...

despite the early hour and going against the natural body clocks, much of the sale is carried out in good humour...

especially with stunning fish like these line caught bass...

and a big shot of ray from the Imogen III...

now and then the odd tuna gets caught on the lines...

inshore trawl fish, predominately flats like Dover, megrim and lemon sole...

along with the inevitable haddock catch...

although young Roger on the Imogen III...

just can't help mixing it with those John Dory whenever he gets the chance...

these days the boats seldom land good shots of whiting which, as a species, seem to have been usurped by the now very plentiful but sadly almost quota-less haddock - the fish that in ICES Area VII will undoubtedly be the fish that causes the biggest headache as the (seemingly unworkable) LO (Landing Obligation) kicks in next year...

as Brexit talks come to a head, spot the interlopers from across the channel...

through the square doorway this morning...

name this fish...

with its vicious looking dorsal spines...

though bass are not without spiky bits - the gill plates on these gorgeous fish are blessed with a single sharp point that has caught many an angler out when handling a wriggling bass for the first time...

taking a berth at the ice works, the Amanda of Ladram...

the sale is almost over.

What to do if you see tuna at sea!

Collating information on the presence and abundance of Atlantic bluefin tuna in UK waters using scientific and citizen science methods

As part of the project we are asking all marine users to kindly share their sightings and catches of Atlantic bluefin tuna so that we can begin to understand the local ecology of the species. We’d love your pictures, logbook records or even just a text with some details, all are useful!

In particular, Exeter Uni Marine would really appreciate information from commercial fishermen in the South West.

The most useful are records with:

Date & time

Location

Approx. number of fish (1-10; 11-25; 26-50; &; 50+)

Approx. size of fish (<0 .5m="" 0.5-1m="" 1-1.5m="" 1.5-2m="">2m).
​

We can accept data in any format: If you have records you would like to share then please fill in the form below and send them over; If you prefer to use file sharing websites or if you have pictures and/or data sheets then pleas email bluefin@exeter.ac.uk and we will put in the effort to make the sharing process as easy as possible for you.

Follow the project on Twitter @ThunnusUK or @ExeterMarine

We will also be holding annual events to give everyone an opportunity to see their information in action, so please do keep an eye out on the website for those dates. These events will also be an opportunity for us to share information from our tagging program and advice service.

Cornish Tuna on the way to a shop near you!

ALBACORE TUNA-THE GUILT FREE ALTERNATIVE SOON AVAILABLE FROM CORNISH TUNA .COM LTD.

While many of the worlds tuna fisheries continue to inflict unacceptable ecological damage to dolphins and catch rates decline through over exploitation British consumers now have a guilt free locally sourced alternative on their own doorsteps.

Albacore tuna with their delicious pale meaty flesh are also known as the “chicken of the sea” but increasingly they are acquiring a third title, “sustainable”.

The Cornish Tuna boat Ben Loyal's operators have been influenced and inspired by the Basque’s who have fished albacore in a low impact manner in the Bay of Biscay for centuries catching albacore by trolling surface lures.

This method is highly skilled, produces relatively low volumes of superb premium quality 3/5 year old albacore rich in omega 3 oils ideal for the top end restaurant and supermarket trade.

Once aboard the boat Cornish tuna are immediately chilled in iced seawater before being individually bagged, tagged to ensure traceability and boxed in ice in well chilled fish holds to maintain peak condition.

The season kicks off in June west of Cape Finisterre a long steam from Newlyn, as the season progresses the albacore migrate into Biscay and follow the edge of the European continental shelf northwards finishing around October time to the west of Ireland.

It follows that the landings of Cornish tuna are highly seasonal in the same manner as our potatoes asparagus strawberries and other culinary delights that see dedicated foodies flocking west to sample them in our local eateries.

WE GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL BE WELL WORTH SEARCHING OUT THE RESTAURANTS WHERE THEY ARE SOMETIMES AVAILABLE.

Tunny fishing aboard the Petite Marie Claude from Douarnenez.

 Tunny boats on landing day in Douarnenez......

Robert George holding his first tuna of the trip caught by line and pole ........

Looking every inch the movie star, skipper Xavier Quennec.

In the summer of 1967, Robert George (ex-skipper of the top Newlyn seiner Dew-Genen-Ny) filmed his voyage aboard a pole and line tuna boat from Douarnenez in Brittany. The boat, Petite Marie Claude DZ185081, was built in 1959 by Chantier Naval, Douarnenez for skipper by Xavier Quennec.

More information provided by Alain Gourett:

The boat Petite Marie Claude was a wooden hulled vessel built in 1954

The owner called Xavier QUEINNEC
Registration: DZ3886 then DZ 185081
Length 16.78 m
Beam 5.62 m
Draught (Draughts) 2.80 m
Gross tonnage  48.15 tx
Speed 7 kts
Engine: 128 hp / engine MAN

Robert used 8mm cine film which was subsequently converted to digital by 3S Films in Penzance.

•  Tunny fishing part I.

• Tunny fishing part I.

• Tunny fishing part III.

• Tunny fishing part IV.  Look out for a fully laden 'Langoustier' - an example of the huge wooden pot boats that fished thousands of miles from Douarnenez as far as Mauritania and filled their vivier tanks with crayfish or langouste. The last of these boats sailed from Douarnenez in the early 1980s with a few surviving examples still to be sen at the Musée de Pêche.

Poles apart!

 All hands turn to taking tuna poles up the quay.....

 as this year's short-lived tuna season comes to an abrupt end for the Nova Spero - with the fast moving fish hard to find in thousands of square miles of North East Atlantic ocean, Skipper Shaun has decided to play safe and not subject him and his crew to endless days of searching for the elusive fish - the French and Spanish boats have the advantage of numbers on their side and share catch information within the fleets.......

 sea trials continue for the Hollie Mae - a better chance to see her classic lines taken from Bristol pilot and Falmouth working boats.......

118118, just like on TV.