More pictures of the Petite Marie Claude from Douarnenez.

Tuna boat, Petite Marie Claude up the river at Douarnenez........

gutting the catch at sea.......

using the boat's dinghy to ferry spares aboard......

there was skipper and crew.......

not tuna fishing.........

back on the tuna making up gear......

 

time to eat. A big thank you to Didier Beillevair for sending in the photos.

Falmouth Coastguard coordinates rescue of Dutch yacht crew off Isles of Scilly

Two Dutch crew from a yacht have been rescued in gale force conditions overnight, 75 miles South West of the Isles Of Scilly.

At 8.20pm on Thursday Falmouth Coastguard received an EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon) distress alert located 75 miles South West of the Isles Of Scilly, which they determined was registered to a Swedish 36 foot yacht called Andriette. 

Falmouth Coastguard contacted merchant vessels in the area and a message was relayed from another yacht which had encountered the Andriette on Wednesday and reported that she had suffered some damage but had continued on her passage from the Azores to Malmo in Sweden.

The Rescue Helicopter from RNAS Culdrose located the damaged yacht at 10.40pm which was without steering, lying stern to the wind in heavy seas. With winching over the deck impossible in the conditions, the two men on board had to abandon to their liferaft.  The winchman retrieved one man from the liferaft but the liferaft capsized and on returning for the second man, both winchman and crewman were out of sight in the water beneath the upturned raft.  Thankfully, when the liferaft righted itself the winchman had located the man in the water and both were winched back to the safety of the helicopter.

The two men are Dutch nationals aged 41 and 54. They were cold and wet after their ordeal but uninjured and have been transferred to Falmouth.  Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager Peter Bullard said, "The conditions for the helicopter rescue crew were extremely challenging with gale force winds, rough seas and darkness.  The three merchant vessels which responded to us helped with communications and were always an option for rescue.  However, transfer either to helicopter or a vessel would always be difficult under these conditions.

Rescue story courtesy of BYM

Baby lobsters take up residence in the Scillies.

The size of a juvenile lobster at the release stage!

On Wednesday 6 July, Padstow’s National Lobster Hatchery will delivered 3000 baby lobsters to the Isles of Scilly to be released into the islands’ clear blue waters.


This was the biggest release that has ever taken place in the Scillies and represents a significant proportion of the hatchery’s early season production.


The release by the charity was being supported by local organisations on the Isles of Scilly and in Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, Hell Bay Hotel and Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IOS IFCA).


The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company provided transport on the Scillonian III for all of the baby lobsters, the releasing equipment and two members of staff from the Hatchery, the second consecutive year that they have provided complimentary travel to the islands for a lobster release.


Jeff Marston, Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, said: “Supporting the local economies of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is extremely important to us, and assisting the National Lobster Hatchery with their release is a great example of how we do this. Last year’s lobster release was a great success and we are delighted to be able to help again.”


Senior Hatchery technician Dr Carly Daniels and technician Charlie Ellis released the juvenile lobsters with the help of local dive operators Tim Allsop and Dave McBride, as well as volunteer divers from the mainland.


The National Lobster Hatchery’s General Manager Dominic Boothroyd explained: “Because the divers know the seabed so intimately they are the best people to tell us where the release spots really should be. The lobsters really need small boulders and stone, overlying silt, mud and mixed sediment in an area that is not going to be repeatedly hit by storms or be run over by trawlers. This enables them to dig a nice burrow that they can live in for the next year or two.”


The Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher assisted the Hatchery release juvenile lobsters into the waters around Bryher and Tresco last year and has once again offered to support the charity’s work. The release represents the continuation of a long-term collaboration between the hotel and the charity.


Philip Callan from the Hell Bay Hotel added: “Hell Bay Hotel is very excited to once again be be taking part in a major juvenile lobster release. Our 3-rosette restaurant is known for serving the best lobster on the islands. This project is an exciting new step towards a more sustainable future and one that the hotel and all our customers can be very proud of.”


This is the first time that the charity has released such large numbers of juveniles in the Isles of Scilly – last year they released a thousand lobsters near to Bryher in one release, but this marks a significant step forward for the Hatchery. Developments undertaken during the winter have enabled the organisation to make a major advancement this year in the way baby lobsters can be raised and the charity is now in a far better position to grow large numbers of juveniles at the facility.


Senior Technician Dr Carly Daniels said: “What we really want to get going next in the Scillies, with the help of our supporters down here, is a trial cage culture site where we can put a few hundred juveniles into sea cages and just leave them to grow for a few months, so that when released at the end of the autumn they are much bigger and stronger.”


Dominic Boothroyd added “We are really grateful to the support of all of the individuals and organisations who will be involved in this release. Not only have the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and Hell Bay Hotel offered their support with the release again, but they have also provided us with a fantastic raffle prize of a luxury two night break on the Isles of Scilly, which we will be drawing at our autumn fundraising event”

Cornish Tuna news - Quentin finds big albacore fish far South

Big line caught Albacore tuna coming aboard the Ben Loyal.

Here's the actual Inmarsat C mobile message transmitted to the CFPO office in Newlyn with news from Quentin, skipper of the Cornish Tuna boat, Ben Loyal fishing her first trip on albacore tuna for the year. Unfortunately for us, it looks like she will be landing to a Breton port for this trip so the BBQ tuna steaks will just have to wait!!

"Original Message—–
From: 423592296@inmc.eik.com [mailto:423592296@inmc.eik.com]
Sent: 05 July 2011 12:28
To: julia@cfpo.org.uk
Subject: Message from Inmarsat-C Mobile


TO:julia@cfpo.org.uk
morn julia,had 150 big fish not many meds and small fish yesterday, got 60 today i had ly in,so started late am knackered we are getting there.all is well rgds
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6265 (20110704) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus"

More updates and news can be had from the Cornish Tuna web site and Kevin Bennett's blog at Consol's Oils.

After the pirate record, anyone seen my parrot?

Quality fish from the Chloe T filled the end of the auction floor.......

all change for the wheelhouse aboard the Emma.......

still waters........

information for the buyers on the market, the highly sophisticated arrivals board at NH.........

missing, one dwarf green macaw answering to the name of Simon, aaaargh.......

the Admiral Gordon's hull has been stripped of paint and the St Adrianne is part way through her refit......

with the afterdeck ready to accept the new net drums and refurbished winch.......

back from the Scillies, the supply vessel Ivor B makes her way in through the gaps of Penzance wet Dock, and there's a familiar face stood with mug of tea on the bow.......

Elite Sailings' 46' Tonic leaves Penzance on her way south for their Western Adventure, taking in the delights of the Scillies, Brittany and the Channel Islands.........

while another visiting yacht leaves ahead of the Ivor B.........

what happens to the cobbles when a street cleaning machine loses all its oil.

Fish Festivals - Newlyn's in there with the rest.

Yet again Newlyn features in the top Fish Festivals to visit this year as recommended by the Daily Telegraph's Food and Drink section. Head chef from Padstow's No6 Restaurant, Paul Ainsworth will be doing the honours and cutting the ribbon to open this year's proceedings and he, along with numerous other guest chefs including Sanjay Kumar, fresh back from the global SlowFish festival in Italy will be demonstrating the art of piscine magic in the demonstration kitchens........

 the ebullient Robin Turner, master  of the fish auction holds court at the end of day fish sale.......

 plenty of music on the big stage........

just some of the 20,000+ visitors throng the quays.

Newlyn Harbour Commissioners meeting - update!

The Harbour Commissioners' suggestions box appears full of ideas!

There is was a scheduled meeting of the Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners tomorrow at the Centre, due to start at 9am. The meeting has been postponed pending further advice reaching the Commission. At least three working days notice must be given before a meeting.


The first part is an open session when members of the public can speak directly with their elected representatives via the chair, Gilber McCabe.

Tomorrow's meeting is likeley to be well attended given the recent changes to the make up of the present board. It is hoped that the chair of the governors will be in a position to announce the make up of the new board and perhaps give an indication as to future plans for the harbour.

The board is currently seeking new members, application details can be obtained from the secretary to the Commissioners, Andrew Munson.