Apprenticeships in fish and shellfish proficiency skills in Cornwall

Duchy College has announced today that it, with support from Seafood Cornwall Training and the Sea Fish Industry Authority, will deliver apprenticeships in fish and shellfish proficiency skills in Cornwall and Devon. 


The fish and shellfish apprenticeship programme is aimed at processing and retail businesses in the region and will provide opportunities for the smallest fishmonger to the largest processor in the region. Support is even available for national supermarket chains that trade in the region. Chris Shepherd of Duchy College said "As part of the Cornwall College Group, Duchy has access to substantial funding support for apprenticeships throughout the region and we consider ourselves experts in the delivery of a range of apprenticeship frameworks. However, we're not experts in fish and shellfish which is why we intend to collaborate with Seafood Cornwall Training. The apprenticeship framework was only launched this year and we are one of the first regions in the UK to offer the framework region-wide in this way." Sarah Crosbie of Seafood Cornwall Training is confident that the new collaboration will provide a valuable additional service to the seafood industry in the South West. "We already have some employers who have expressed an interest in this new apprentice framework and we would like to hear from more employers looking to train and develop new and existing staff." The fish and shellfish apprenticeship is suitable for operatives and team leaders in the onshore sectors of the seafood industry. 


Higher level qualifications and training programmes are also available from Duchy College. This new initiative will be launched on Wednesday 14th March 2012 with a workshop and open day at Duchy College in Stoke Climsland for employers and prospective apprentices alike.

See those sea treats at sea!

One of the great delights of working aboard a boat for a living is that you get to see, for free, the full range of   incredible sights and sounds - top of everyone's favourite sight to experience is being surrounded by hundreds of dolphins. When there were a small fleet of Newlyn boats working the Celtic Deeps for langoustine in the early 1980s there were a number of days when around 1,000 dolphins were seen. They swam past heading north east on one day, and headed back on a recprocal course the next - jumping out of the watere and swimming on their tails seemingly purely for the fun of it!

This week the crew and scientists aboard the Cefas Endeavour have been treated to a similar show - and this time they have caught the dolphins on video - great shot taken over the bow guys - keep up the good work on the blogs Cefas and JNCC!

Window of opportunity - new web cam for Newlyn Harbour!

Click to view web cam page.

Newlyn Fishermen's Mission has installed a web cam with a stunning view over the harbour. Situated inside the landmark clock tower atop the Mission's roof, the web cam looks out in a southerly direction towards the harbour entrance. Vessels can be seen entering and leaving the port during daylight hours. The view also provides a good indication of the current weather to be enjoyed in Mount's Bay.


The Mission building at Newlyn is currently fighting for its very survival - it, along with the other Mission Centres, is due to close in the future. However, the building was donated to the RNMDSF by the Bolitho family - as indicated in this extract from a recent story in the local newspaper Western Morning News and as a result is is hoped that this may help preserve its existence.

"Miss Nora was already deeply involved in the work of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, which was established at Newlyn in the very early 1900s. She would read newspapers and novels to the fishermen and paid for improvements to its premises, Stanley House. By 1910 it was agreed that the building was too small, so Miss Nora offered to provide more than £4,000 for a new building as a gift "to the men of the fishing community". 

It is ironic that when the doors of the Ship Institute – so labelled because of the proud golden galleon above the high clock – were opened on September 30, 1911, women were not allowed in. Doubtless Miss Nora was excluded from this prohibition. At this time, and during the 19th century, the Bolitho family had a deep interest in the industry through ownership of fishing boats and seines, as well as through banking, mining and farming. Indeed, the family was to the forefront in financing of the building of the north and south piers."

Mission skipper, Keith Dixon welcomes ideas and suggestions to further involve the Mission in its service to the fishing communities in Cornwall.

Cornish Sardines go to Marrs!

From MarrFish this morning: 

Thanks to our South West fish experts! for the wonderfull sardines you sent this morning... Awesome Jules! What boat??
— Andrew Jackson (@Marrfish) February 15, 2012

Newlyn Archive Open Day!

Click on the image to download the poster file.

February 25 2012 10.00-3.00 
Trinity Centre, Chywoone Hill, Newlyn TR18 5AR 


This is the first Newlyn Archive Open Day of 2012 and we start the year with a celebration of leisure and fun. The exhibition explores the social side of Newlyn life particularly those activities and events that have involved the whole community. Not surprisingly, HARBOUR SPORTS have played an important part in this history although they have changed over time, so that after the war, navigating the greasy pole, no longer won the prize of a whole pig in the family larder as it had once done! You can see some early programmes from before and after world war two and also photographs of the events and participants. RUGBY was equal to the harbour sports in the hearts of most Newlyners. In the old days a Newlyn Rugby team played on their home ground at St Golders Field. It was only the hardy fishermen and farmers of the home team who could fully navigate this dangerously sloping pitch – to the detriment of their opponents! 


There is a photograph in the exhibition of the fisherman’s choir that helped raise money for the new harbour in the 1880s. Similar generosity of spirit led to the formation of the NEWLYN MALE VOICE CHOIR in the 1920s. They came together just before Christmas to raise money for the family of a colleague who died in a terrible accident at Penlee Quarry The Newlyn Male Voice Choir will be singing for us at 10.30 and after that Brian Marshall will be available to show his album of memorabilia and photographs. 


Women and children always played their part in the fun and games of CARNIVAL. The whole family is seen in the wonderful photographs of the Perkin Warbeck Pageant that happened in 1906 and was repeated in 1910; the Newlyn artists also took part in this and many recorded it in their paintings. We hope to have some of their work on display at the Open Day. The first carnival after the war in 1948 was a particularly joyous event and the carnivals continued into the 1960s. 


Come and see the fun and games! 


The churches have played their part through the years by hosting CONCERTS, PLAYS, PANTOMIMES AND EVENTS for the community. Can you name anyone in the events of the GFS (Girls Friendly Society) at St Peters Church, the British Legion at Trinity Chapel and other groups at Centenary Chapel? Perhaps the most well known of the amateur groups that provide us with entertainment today is ST PETERS PLAYERS who began in 1962 and continue to play to full houses. 


We have a full collection of photographs and programmes in the new albums we have for display. Can you name any of the actors in the early plays? Children are always central to Newlyn at Play, and we have tried to identify some of their games in the paintings of NEWLYN ARTISTS such as Harold Harvey, Laura Knight, Thomas Cooper Gotch, Henry Scott Tuke, Frank Bourdillon and others. 


We will also be re-showing the incredible film made by a class of schoolchildren of the incredible journey of the Mystery to Australia … and as added icing on the cake, NEWLYN BROWNIES are doing some research for us on children’s games and a class from NEWLYN SCHOOL will recreate in their own photographs some of the playground dances found in early pictures of the earlier Tolcarne School. Finally, there is a competition to test your powers of observation. 


Do put this date in your diary and come along on the day Entry is Free

Anglian Earl now at anchor in the Bay.

Anglian Earl at anchor in Gwavas Lake off Newlyn this morning.

Last report on the status of the Anglian Earl on the VesselTracker.

Scottish coast left without emergency tug cover. 

Scotland’s coastline is currently without emergency coastguard tugboat cover while desperate efforts are made to put a temporary contract in place. It is understood it could take days to sort out a last minute reprieve announced on Oct 1, 2011, night to keep two safety tugs in the north until the end of December. The last vessel on station was the "Anglian Earl" which stopped her patrol duties and left the area on Oct 1 morning. She was diverted to anchor off Wick at lunchtime while the UK government tried and thrash out the legal complexities of an interim deal. A second vessel, the "Anglian Sovereign", is undergoing a refit in Aberdeen harbour. 

If an arrangement cannot be made with present tug operaters JP Knight, the government may charter two similar vessels from other ship owners. This, combined with the closure of the Forth and Clyde coastguard stations and the downgrading of the Aberdeen station, raises serious questions about maritime safety in Scotland. The UK Government plans to close eight coastguard stations, including two in Scotland. Although the Aberdeen centre itself will be retained under the proposals, the number of staff would be reduced. The Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander were in talks with the UK Government about continuing the funding of the tugs, which operate in the Western Isles and Shetland and go to the aid of ships who get into difficulties in Scottish waters.

Is MSC ecolabelling everything to all?

Striving for sustainability - but at what cost?

A question - Does MSC ecolabelling sometimes destroy fish value ? 


 Here's a recent post (on the LinkedIn CFP Reform pages) from Breton fisheries consultant Yan Giron - it highlights the perception problems of attaching hige imprtance to MSC labelling to the detriment of fish without the benfits of such labelling - using a recent example with the accreditation of normand lobster - a joint collaborative project between Breton and Jersey shellfishermen in the Channel.

 "Well this has little to do with CFP reform, except dealing with the subject of selectivity and the way fishing industry effort to improve their practices is sometimes so little communicated to final consummers. I am sure that this post will create an avalanche of angry contributions of warmest supporters of ecolabelling, trying to burn the new witches: stubborn professional fishermen. 

But let's have a look to this little example of Normand Lobster - and think about the self new proclamation from MSC that they improve fishing conditions. Recently The French and Jersey lobster fishery gained their MSC certification (Normand lobster). 

Two main points on this fishery: As any inshore coastal fishery, it was regulated for ages by coastal licences, fully managed by professional fishermen. In early 1990s, they promoted, on their own a new fishing gear, a parlour trap. The parlour pot works thus, a hole is opended on one side of the trap to enable lobster juveniles to escape from it - simple. This innovation was designed, financed and implemented fully on behalf of Jersey and French fishermen alike in 1994. This lobster is well known from very profitable markets of coastal consummers, which absorb all the production. Maybe the professionals wanted to be one of the first in France to complete a MSC certification of coastal fishery.

MSC went and said : "we are a marketing initiative aiming to promote your practices when they are responsible. And now all Europe has to be under MSC ecolabelling. If you don't want to loose your market, you don't have the choice.What can we do to help you ?". 

So fishermen started the process of a certification for lobster, payed the fee of the evaluation (I don't have the precise price, around €10.000), and received the Holy Grail. The official delivering of the ecolabel meeting was a good play, everybody congratulates the 3 fishermen officials (only) who attempted the play : "at last, you become responsible fishermen, thanks to MSC". The result? No new market for the lobster. No changes on at sea practices. Less €10.000 in the wallet. 

More and more new bitter fishermen start now to have heavy doubts on our French coasts: virtually, we could certificate nearly all our coastal fisheries. People try to make them think this is a sense of history. But they have to substitute their traditionnal good fame, local markets, profitable ones, to this new era credo: ecolabel, designated for urban markets of people who poorly know our products and finally won't pay that much for them. Our politicians, subjugated by efficient lobbyists, or maybe by fear of their campaignist put the pressure on our local fishermen committee to promote their practices. 

So, this is the French fishermens' message: 

• They don't want to have people to come and pretend to help them and after gain on fishermen' back the fame of continuous efforts of responsible coastal fisheries management. 
• They don't want to have to pay for that. 
• They don't want to substitute their traditionnal efficient marketing image to these ecolabels. 
• They don't want to think like urbans and use their marketing tools. 
• They have no problems to sell their products and most of their coastal fishing stock are well managed and in good health. 

If there is so little ecolabel in France, it is not because they are not bad fishermen and because they cannot gain from it, it is because they don't need them. Surely it is just a small example which may not destroy all the work done by MSC and their business, but I always enjoy these little talks on board. Enjoy them too." 

Responses to Yan's observations welcomed - there may be many UK fishermen who work in similar fashion around the coast who also feel that MSC accreditation will not add any significant benefit to their operations and concur with this view. Chef, restauranter and fishmonger Mitch Tonks would certainly have a view on this scenario given his article posted a few days ago - http://blog.through-the-gaps.co.uk/2012/02/worst-fish-restaurant-chef-and.html