Padstow Festival on air on fish - Rick Stein on sustainability.

Padstow gill netter, PW1 Berlewen.

Pastow's fourth Christmas Festival proved highly successful when it ran over last weekend and featured fish like never before. The list of chefs giving support and taking time out away from their own establishments to give a series of demonstrations in the giant food marquee on the harbour side read like a Who's Who of south west fish chefs. 


New to this year's festival was a Fishing Forum with key members of the industry given an open forum to inform and discuss the latest in fishing news and the future with interested members of the public. Radio Cornwall were there talking to industry people live on air and recorded one of the first interviews with Rick Stein giving his personal view of the restaurant trade and its relationship to sustainable fishing. The BBC iPlayer for Radio Cornwall needs the adjustable timeline setting to 1:07:40 seconds in (Debbie McCrory sitting in on Martin Bailie's show) when you can hear local Newlyn fisherman turned industry consultant, Nathan de Rozariaux talking fish ahead of the Rick Stein interview.

Nathan listens patiently to Grimmy Mike in the Mission at Newlyn over an early morning cuppa.

Boatyard makes 'keep it local' plea to region's fishermen

The UK fishing industry is "far from on its knees" says a leading Westcountry boat builder, who wants "serious skippers to keep their orders in the South West". 


 A busy yard at C Toms & Son yet still space to build at least one more vessel Paul Toms, of the family-owned boat yard C Toms & Son at Polruan, Cornwall, said there was a real attempt to help the region's fishing industry thrive. He said: "Those skippers are out there, there is a core of fishermen and vessel owners who are determined to invest in new boats, some to add to their present fleet, some to replace their old boat, and we want to keep those builds in Cornwall and not let them drift to the North East or Scotland. "Yes, skippers at present are cautious in investing in new boats, but we want to keep those orders here in the Westcountry. Our yard at present has space for at least one more big build, but by spring next year the second of the present builds will be complete, we will need more orders as we have a fairly big workforce; my father (Alan Toms) and myself are working hard to attract orders." He added: "In the old days new-builds were waiting at the door of every yard, the fishing industry was growing, but now we have to push for that work. At present we are busy building three boats and refitting many more – we have many boats already booked in for the summer but we must look ahead, well into the next winter where new builds are vital to us. "


Anyone who thinks the fishing industry is on its knees isn't right – fishing may be less profitable than it was before, I'm not sure as I'm not a fisherman, but there are skippers and owners out there who are willing to invest." Stemming back several generations, C Toms & Son is responsible for a "fair chunk" of the present South West fishing fleet; most Westcountry ports house a C Toms & Son boat. Lyme Regis skipper Chris Wason and Newlyn shellfisherman Mark Rowse are currently awaiting their new builds, and once a major refit is complete a scallop firm in Scotland will soon take delivery of its vessel, Copious. 


 Having served him well since its launch in 1985, Mr Wason will by spring sell his present boat, Sea Seeker, to replace it with a new C Toms & Son's steel trawler/scalloper of 11.95min length. Skipper Wason said: "The new boat will be almost identical to the Betty G II from Exmouth that Toms launched a couple of years ago. The Sea Seeker has been good to us and is a fine boat but we need a different sort of boat, one better for us to work away from Devon, we have no option but to move away. "After the closure of 60 square miles of Lyme Bay to towed gear (scalloping and trawling) we had to find a way to survive, we are not going to go away like they (Natural England) think we will, we will just become nomadic like the others. Where we would have fished on our own grounds and rotate the grounds to prevent over fishing, we are forced to go somewhere else; I saw the Betty G II being built and liked it." 


 Also under build is a part complete order for Mark Rowse of Rowse Fishing Ltd at Newlyn, a firm that already owns a small fleet of vivier crabbers. Due for launch shortly the craft will be towed to Newlyn for completion and represents the modern supercrabber with a hull of 16.4m in length that on sight looks "like twice the boat," said Paul Toms, telling how the designs of steel boats are now so different to those of 20 years ago. "We all have to move with the times and the boats that skippers want nowadays are 'big' small boats, even the bigger beam trawlers and stern trawlers that come here for refit are much smaller in size than those of equal power in the past. All I can say to those wanting a new boat is to please look at the yards in the Westcountry before going north."


Story courtesy of Exmouth People.

Asthore, night hunting.

The new sardine boat, Asthore has been busy for the last two evenings. The AIS tacks show just how much searching she has had to do to find the right kind of 'marks' (signs on her electronic fishfinding equipment) before she can shoot her ring net.

A New Dawn in Le Guilvinec!

AIS trails Plot Star 1994.

The aerial seen on the foremast at the start of the clip is for the new AIS system being trialled on the Pilot Star - 1994.

 An early incarnation of AIS was trialled aboard the Newlyn netter, Pilot Star skippered by owner Martin Johns. At one time, Martin was invited to London to se AIS working on a huge display screen - bet he never dreamt he would be using a mobile phone to do the same a few years later - in context, 1994 was a year before Microsoft released Windows 95 and bundled Internet Explorer with it - most schools, colleges and universities only had access to the internet in specialised teaching rooms for ~IT students. A few people at home tangled with 14Kb dial-up internet access - if they were able to configure the settings! Texting on a mobile phone was introduced in 1994.

Cornwall's Maritime Strategy - from Cornwall Council.

Cornwall's coast - fishing - environment - shipping - bio-diversity - leisure - tourism

About to go online tomorrow - a chance for all those involve to participate in the future of Cornwall's maritime role. Worth going to the page on the web site to see some of the comments that this article has already received! 

The future of Cornwall's delicate coastline and seas is being mapped out in a maritime strategy aimed at safeguarding marine enterprises worth £485 million – and protecting the environment.

The draft maritime strategy is the brainchild of Cornwall Council which is launching a consultation on the future of Cornwall's coast, seas and vital maritime sectors. ​ Andy Brigden, the council's maritime manager said the strategy would look at the challenges and opportunities facing those who rely on the county's maritime heritage to make a living. He said: "The strategy will guide the future direction of work, increase the recognition of the importance of the maritime sector and respond to the various challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. "We hope anyone who works, lives or plays on the sea or around our coast will take the time to look at this consultation and let us know their views."  

Paul Wickes, chief executive of the Cornwall Marine Network, said the maritime business sector contributed £485 million to the county's economy and supported 14,000 jobs. "The development potential of Cornwall's maritime sector, from the world-class reputation for ship repairs on the world's busiest shipping lane, super-yacht manufacture and the fast-emerging opportunities for developing Cornwall as a world leader in marine renewable energy production, all contribute to the region's future long-term prosperity," he said. Included in the study will be everything from boatbuilding to marine renewable energy, surfing to fishing and tourism. Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall said people were attracted to the county because of its beautiful marine environment. He said: "Tourism is central to Cornwall's economy; we attract around 4.5 million visitors annually, who spend £1.4 billion and support directly and indirectly over 53,000 jobs around 20 per cent of all employment. Our marine and coastal environment, landscape and activities are a key factor in people choosing Cornwall, which has been voted best UK destination three years in a row." 

Philippa Hoskin, the council's maritime environment officer, said the strategy would also look at key environmental issues. She said: "The sheer diversity of maritime wildlife makes Cornish waters a biodiversity hotspot, demonstrated in the number of nature conservation and landscape designations covering the sheltered muddy creeks of our estuaries, rugged granite cliffs, rocky reefs, islands and beaches to more specialist habitats such as the ancient maerl beds – the Cornish equivalent of a coral reef – all supporting an amazing array of species including commercially important fish and shellfish." 

The draft Cornwall Maritime Strategy and questionnaire will be available online from December 7 to January 18 at www.cornwall.gov.uk/maritimestrategy. Paper copies will be available in each of the Council's One Stop Shops or copies can be requested by phoning 0300 1234141.

Monday morning market.

 Eye's down for a nearly full house this morning, a good mix of trawl and A1 quality inshore fish.......

 including these colourful wrasse, popular with the sushi chefs......

 and a 170 box trip of hake form the Ajax.......

 proving her worth this morning to get in a shot overnight despite the weather, the brand new sardine boat Asthore makes her second landing in Newlyn before........

taking ice ready for the off ce soir.