Vegetable boxes.

You never know where those dilapidated and retired harbour boxes will put an appearance in next or for what purpose - spotted in a graden deep in the heart of Wolverhampton.

A short reminder to the Chairman of the Harbour Commissioners.

"This new website and the meetings of the Commission in public are an expression of the open and transparent way in which the Commission will be conducting this vital and important opportunity for Newlyn in the 21st Century."

"Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners is a statutory port undertaking created by an Act of Parliament in 1906. Newlyn Harbour Commissioners are committed to operating the harbour in an open and accountable manner and welcome feedback from harbour users and the Newlyn Community as a whole." 

The NPHC web site remains unchanged since the 10th of May, 2011. Are the challenges faced by the board a valid excuse for not keeping harbour users and other interested parties informed?

Under 10s meet with fisheries minister Benyon today.

Mackerel men - typical Under 10m boats head for the market.

Representatives from the coves of Cornwall led by local MP Andrew George are meeting with the fisheries minister Richard Benyon today. They go to press their case for less drastic conservation zones as outlined in the recently published MCZ areas from Finding Sanctuary, part of the national scheme to introduce protected areas around the UK coast. Under the current proposals, Cornwall is due to lode 20% of its fishing grounds to protected areas. Many of the cove fishermen rely on some of these areas to carve a living and feel that the tiny numbers of fish they catch using traditional hand and line or small nets hardly warrant blanket restrictions on their fishing activities.

Many of the Under 10s fleet are represented nationally by NUTFA - who in their latest newsletter called for the formation of a PO (Producer Organisation) - which would seem illogical as there are no fish to manage for the Under 10m boats as compared to POs like the Cornwall Fish Producer's Organisation who represent the Over 10s. This once again highlights the stark contrast between the industry in England compared to that, of say France, where there are powerful local bodies like the Commitee de Peche Locale - with national representation and direct contact with the government departments to cite their grievances. The more socialist tendencies of French culture in this case mean that the fishing communities of France are well served by strong, well co-ordinated shore side bodies able to represent all sectors of the industry at local, regional, national and ultimately pan-European levels.

Up-to-date hard facts, figures, catch data and statistics are all readily available for the French fleet and anyone who needs to get a picture of the industry at local or national level - not something that could be readily achieved when collating similar data from English fishing activity.

"Nutfa is also meeting with Defra officials shortly to discuss the ability of the under ten fleet to set up a PO. Whilst it recognises that there is little point in having a PO if you have no fish to manage, the combination of both EU and UK official comments on the allocation of fish has encouraged Nutfa to pursue the issue as a basis for future proofing the sector in the event that the current situation alters. The EU Fisheries Commissioner was clear at the recent meeting with Nutfa that the discussion regarding ITQ’s would be focused on consideration only at Member State level, she said, “I am not talking about privatisation,  I am not talking about ownership rights, but about giving user rights for ten years, after which this right returns to the state”.  Nutfa continues to make clear their reservations about the introduction of ITQ’s, not least for the threat they pose to inshore fishermen without the resources enjoyed by many offshore operators. Experiences in other countries have shown the danger that such a system can represent to small scale fishermen, often resulting in a complete loss of quota from the inshore sector. At the same time, it was leaving no stone unturned and the discussions with Defra on a Producer Organisation were happening in the light of clear messages from Government that they were intent on dealing with what the Minister has described as the biggest challenge facing him and his great commitment to finally sorting the situation out.

Jerry Percy said, following the round of recent meetings, “we must all remember that we are arguing from within the asylum and that unless we get a root and branch reform of the CFP, we are all doomed, irrespective of sector. From a UK perspective, the new Minister has, for probably the first time, the ability to speak directly with the likes of Nutfa as well as with representatives of the over 10 sector. He has the opportunity to really make a difference in both the short and long terms and we welcome his promises in this respect. It will be up to under ten fishermen to make their views known so that Nutfa can clearly reflect them to the Government and others. Believe me, this is the end game for the under tens, irrespective of whether you fish quota, non quota or shellfish. Nutfa doesn’t have the massive resources of other organisations but does have the commitment to fight to the finish for the interests of under ten fishermen but it is down to individuals to support the organisation if they want to make their voice heard and have any chance of a viable future."

Extracted from the latest news - NUTFA.

Cooking fun, Crab in Black Bean Sauce.

Coating the crab just before serving.

Some would consider doing anything other than simply boiling crab and picking the shells for the meat they contain as sacrilege - but this recipe is truly delicious - the flavour from the crab meat and the black bean sauce combine into something special - and a breeze to prepare.

Palm sugar on the left and two kinds of yellow lump sugar that are the preferred means of sweetening in many Chinese dishes.

Use raw crab if possible. Remove the legs and body section from inside the main shell. After taking off the dead man's fingers use a big knife to cut the remainder in half first laterally and then two leg portions. Set aside. The crab will be cooked in the shells so the next step is to crack the claws - a rolling pin is good!


Sauce quantities for two: (Chan's in Penzance, like all good Oriental Shops keep all the ingredients)


1 tsp ketjap manis, a sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp fermented black beans (these need soaking for 30 mins and then rinsing before use)
1 tsp palm sugar
oil for cooking
4 spring onions finely sliced on the diagonal
1 oz peeled finely chopped ginger 
1/2 oz peeled finely chopped garlic
20 fresh curry leaves (not so easy to get hold of - try the local garden centre and grow your own)
1 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
1/2 oz butter
1 red chilli - your choice for heat


Mix the ketjap, black beans, palm sugar, and three tablespoons of water.


Heat 3 fl oz of oil till smoking and add the crab in shell and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside on kitchen paper.


Remove all but enough oil and add the spring onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and stir fry gently - don't brown!


Add the black pepper, stir in and then add the black bean mixture and then add the partially cooked crab, cover with a lid and cook through for 4-5 minutes if using raw crab, half the time for cooked. Once cooked, stir in the butter and red chilli turning the whole lot until all the pieces are coated.


Garnish with some of the sliced spring onion. This is a hugely messy and fun dish to eat and requires a finger bowl or two and the kitchen roll a hand - literally finger licking good!

The remnants of hurricane Katia hit the West coast - all hands blown in.

There's dark skies and a heavy swell hitting the prom this morning......

inside the fish market plenty of fish after the weekend saw the fleet blown in........

how long is a blue shark Mr Thomas?........

big shot of bass from the Cyclone........

and plenty of hake with netters like the Ajax........

looks like rain skipper.......

with the wind in the harbour collecting rubbish in one convenient spot for Royden to retrieve.......

looking towards the gaps with a harbour full of boats.

Common guidelines to help maturing staging of fish

An international team of scientists led by the National Institute of Aquatic Resources at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua) has put the spotlight on the maturing staging of fish and what we can do to ensure standardisation. The creation and implementation of common guidelines, specifically for sprat and herring, would result in standardised guidelines for maturity determination across the globe and would help make fish stock assessments significantly more accurate.

St Ives September Festival - day one.

 The Arts come to St Ives and so much to choose from.......

 it's not all about the brushes......

 there's more of these type of shops appearing......

 opposite more traditional galleries.......

 displaying their wares......

 out in the bay a small lugger takes full advantage of a good breeze in the Bay......

 while in the harbour entrants in one of the many swimming events hit the water.......

 as the sun breaks through the heavy skies.......

 and pick out the latest Art Deco building........

 the ILB is on watch.......

 as is Harbourmaster Mr Basset........

 making sure the swimmers stay safe.......

 round the corner on Porthmeor Beach, surf's up......

 and a handful of bodyboarders take to the waves......

 and get rewarded for their patience......

 while the longboarders......

 can only wait and watch.......

the end of the day means finding a suitable hostelry hosting any number of musicians and and singers.