St Ives mackerel man sees Jaws II.

Can't understand why the press tends to sensationalise shark sightings as dangerous!

Ian Bullus, fishing aboard his 16' handliner for mackerel was reportedly bumped by a White Tipped shark a mile off St Ives today. As the incident took place over two weeks ago and there have been no reported further sightings the surf looks safe enough on Porthmeor and Porthminster beaches - though no doubt St Ives harbourmaster and ex-fisherman, Steve Basset will do his best placate any tourists down the quay panicked into thinking that anything that looks remotely like a fin in the water is about to devour them - tourists are much more likely to be savaged by sea birds in St Ives!

Another Cornishman's Cornishman Cornish record breaker!

Keeping a tally on landings, the Cornishman under Captain Elsworth has just grossed £1 million in 10 and half months - time to get the man a new boat.........

the netter Gary M keeps those turbots coming.......

just time to sort, weigh and tally before the auction ends if the guys get a move on.......

keeping an eye on the Western end of the market.......

where the Harvest Reaper put ashore some good quality fish........

a couple of old boys ended up the wrong side of the nets......

and these young crays weren't paying attention it seems.........

if you've made a million then at least you get a paint-up, off comes the gear from the Cornishman........

and aboard go the weights to give her a list when the time comes to go around.......

Guilvenec langoustine boat, Barra Brenn (Breton for BrownBread).............

Waterdance support wagon with fresh gear supplies for the Govenek........

a bongo full of good sized cock brown crab..........

poles and lines at the ready, now where's Quentin.........

Sapphire and Sea Spray.

Newlyn Mission birthday breakfast bash - though not a tattie scone, Lorne sausage, or fruit pudding in sight!

While some eyes are on BBC1's Saturday Morning Kitchen where Rick Stein is looking at the salted anchovy in Italy on the Missions TV.........

as the best brown mugs of tea are served, it's smiles all round for Gillian, wife of Newlyn Mission skipper Keith and the family as they tuck into a breakfast feast for her 50th birthday - shades of the  banquet at Leadenhall Market that they recently attended as guests of chef Paul Ainsworth, winner of the Great British Menu's dessert course........

ice and go for the port's latest stern trawler, L'Ogien.........

if you want to extend your eating palate then Harvey's can supply a good selection of Spider crab at the moment.......

once a common site around the coast of Cornwall, gathering seaweed for use as fertiliser on farm land - coming up for auction at WH Lane's in Penzance.......

looks like a good year for the brown trout population in local rivers.

New rules for fishermen (anglers that is) American style.

"The future for anyone wanting to venture offshore to fish might be an ocean run like a national wilderness area.  Angling could become more like what deer hunting is today - a niche business or pastime governed by harvest tags as well as licenses, seasons and catch restrictions now in place."


The article goes on to describe a new system of marine management - uses the term 'sweet spots' to describe fish-rich areas that will be subject to control by area not by species as at present. Much of the article tracks the changes in attitudes and perceptions of fish legislation and control with many of the moves mirroring similar plans for change in the EU and UK.

Article courtesy of the Sunnews.com

The Ironman of Tuna.

Film courtesy of TunaSupport.com

Extreme pole and line fishing for tuna - with a commentary very much in the style of the day and using language that might seem a tad inappropriate today.  The Ironmen use bamboo poles, barbless hooks and fish on the side-deck up to their waists in water - wait for the moment the really big fish show up and it takes two or three men working together to board a fish that can travel at over 50 mph!


There are plenty of comments on YouTube regarding the sustainability f such a fishery - as someone says - if this was the only way to catch tuna then there would e plenty left in the sea today - how true. Compare fishing with pole and line to this.


Contrast the video above with Greenpeace's brush with the world's biggest tuna boat, the Spanish owned and flagged Albatun Tres, capable of holding 3,000 tons in her tanks.

Damanaki's dilemma.

With the end of European Seafood week closing on a flurry of presentations, publicity stunts and much debate the rumour mill has begun on the likely, or not likely success of CFPreform this summer. The CFP itslef has lost all credibility with all but the most uncaring or uninterested yet the complexity of re-writing any kins of policy that seeks to manage the unmanageable will make the next stage of negotiations all the more fraught without a real sense of common purpose. Jason Hollands article throws some light on the breadth of these talks and the range of dilemmas involved.

Inshore VMS project

Here's an update on progress with the Inshore VMS project from Seafish.

Although things may have appeared quiet on the VMS front since February a lot of development work has been going on in the background designing and manufacturing a hybrid SC2 unit improving the unit’s performance and capabilities of transmitting using both mobile phone and satellite communications.

The SC1 VMS units currently fitted onboard 30 vessels have continued to report consistently at one minute intervals with very little loss of positional data out to 12 miles offshore. CEFAS is currently analysing the quality of the positional data and will be reporting back within the next month.

Development of the SC2 units has been slightly delayed due to manufacturing holdups and specification changes. The SC2 when delivered will have GSM (mobile phone) & satellite communications as well as e-logbook capabilities -renamed the SC2i. Skippers can choose what level of service they require from the simple mobile phone VMS covering the inshore waters to a full e-logbook system meeting the EU requirements for the larger 12m+ vessels(subject to type approval).

The SC2 GSM, which will have mobile phone communications, similar to the SC1 currently fitted, but with an improved recording and transmissions system linked to a new mapping program, will be available on the 21st of July. The SC2i will be launched early September. In order to test these new units we will be upgrading some of the vessels SC1 units with the SC2 GSM. Further SC1 units will be upgraded with the SC2i towards the end of July. Once tested, upgrades will be available for all the vessels on the trial either as a simple swap for the SC1 or at a much reduced rate.

In addition to the Inshore VMS project, the MMO, with the assistance of SWIFA, are currently running a pilot SAC management trial in Lyme Bay to assess the use of VMS as a management tool. In order to monitor activity around the Abbotsbury ledges two further scallop vessels working in the Lyme bay area have been fitted with SC1 units (Called VMS plus) with a further six vessels to be fitted when the units are available.

For more information contact the Seafish Project Manager Gus Caslake


Tel: Office 01736 362625
Mobile: 07876035738
http://sin.seafish.org