Trials to reduce fish discards could be expanded

Trials to reduce discards from fishing vessels could be expanded as the government says initial results show they are working. Boats in the trials with CCTV cameras have to keep all the fish they catch but are rewarded with extra quota. Findings from 15 boats in England have seen discards of less than 1%. There are also similar trials in Scotland.


Full story courtesy of the BBC see it here:

Yellowfin tuna ready for auction.

Check out the size of this cracking fish due for auction at about 8.30am - http://bambuser.com/v/2106563.

Tuna update: the yellow fin tuna fetched £4.60 per kilo - meaning that the whole fish made £354.20 for the netter Sparkling Line.

Dom Bosco 1959-2011

After many years stirling service in the Rowse crabbing fleet, the Dom Bosco has met with a fitting end on the beach at Sandy Cove in Newlyn. Once mistakenly referred to as Tojo by an NCI watch person - not realising that they were in fact reading her port registration as her name!!

See the slideshow here.

Binge working on Guy Fawkes night - Ajax in - Ajax out.

These two willing hands are the fishroom boys this afternoon.......

 guiding three boxes up at a time.......

 before they pass across the deck........

 and ashore.........

 where a good topping of extra ice is added........ 

off into the fridge.........

with this one fish almost making double figures in kilos........

 and there's plenty more with 200+ boxes of prime hake to come out of the fish hold........

 under the watchful eye of skipper Alan Dwan........

 and into the safe hands of Tom.........

before they head straight back out to sea again to pick up their gear which is fishing quietly while they are away - just another 10 hours steaming ahead of them.........

 back at base, time to reveal those fine fresh fish features - bright bulging eyes.......

 red, not pink, or worse still, grey gills (hence the term, "he's looking a bit grey around the gills").......

 steaks, loin and fillets bagged up ready for the fridge........

and the trimmings ready for the stock pot with the addition of, onion, carrot, leek, dash of white wine vinegar, parsley and peppercorns - not salt at this stage. 

Yellow fin tuna on Newlyn market.

The 80 kilo yellow fin tuna fills the 450 litre tub.

All set for Newlyn fish auction on Monday morning - an 80 kilo yellow fin tuna - all eyes will be on the auctioneer to see what the buyers are prepared to pay - on a previous occasion a yellow fin made £25 per kilo - that would mean this fish is potentially worth around £2,000 - are you tempted in Chelsea?!

Saturday morning - tea and cake on the prom.

All girls members of the Battery Rocks swimmers wait for a hearty breakfast in the Mission........

with the temperatures making the day seem more like spring, one enterprising person took the opportunity to serve tea and cakes on Penzance prom, very civilised.........

 there was also plenty of sea weed available for the garden if you had a mind to bring a bag or two......

 with tons more piled up on the beach.........

courtesy of a heavy swell over the last 48 hours..........

 leaving its mark everywhere.........

 along with plenty of flotsam washed ashore........

 it is that time of year again.........

almost no boats in the harbour with the fine forecast - for a few days at least.

Duchy of Cornwall ordered to reveal oyster farm data

The Duchy of Cornwall, which comprises the Prince of Wales's business interests, has been ordered to disclose environmental data from an oyster farm.

The decision by an information tribunal redefines the duchy, a 700-year-old private institution, as a public body, leaving it open to further challenges. The ruling came after a legal battle against the farm near Falmouth. The tribunal said the duchy had not carried out an environmental assessment of the farm.

The potentially far-reaching decision defining the duchy as a public body under environmental regulations was made by the First-Tier Tribunal on information rights, a court that deals with disputes relating to freedom of information.

See the full story on the BBC's web site here: