BBC1 Countryfile tonight at 7pm - Cornish Sardines and more!

Filming the White Heather as she comes alongside the fish market to land sprats.

Don't forget to watch BBC One's Countryfile programme tonight and see chef Sanjay Kumar in action along presenter Jules Hudson aboard the Cornish Sardine boat White Heather with skipper Stefan and crew.

The Ajax AH32 has a brand new web site!

Local gill net fishing vessel, Ajax AH32 is seen here leaving Newlyn. She is bound away nearly two hundred miles west of Newlyn looking to fish for hake. Skipper Alan Dwan and his crew of 'binge worker' are all set for their fifth trip of the year.


The Ajax, like all net boats, is restricted to a limited number of days in the year at sea by virtue of the tide - she can't fish over the bigger spring tides. As of now you can follow the progress of the Ajax live on her web site - get to find out how she fishes, what she fishes for and get daily updates on daily hauls of fish.

'Mackerel war' background from Channel 4 news, August 2010

At the time this report on the impending 'mackerel war', Iceland were looking to join the EU. Today, despite polls in Iceland showin that over 50% of Icelanders do not want to join the process continues - with fishing and access to fish like mackerel potentially jeopardising entry.  This Channel 4 news clip highlights the one remaining fishery open to many of the big pelagic boats from Peterhead and Fraeserburgh - whom some, along with boats from the Shetlands, have been making the news recently for other reasons.

The talks continue to this day and are of much interest to mackerel fishermen in the South West as changes to quotas could, potentially, have a negative impact if previous intentions are carried out. After nearly three years of talk there is increasing frustration that the talks have so far failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

In the the mists of time.......

With the Mount barely visible across the Bay a change in the weather looks on the cards - the early morning scene is one of little wind and a heavy mist just beginning to burn off with the rising sun......

just in time to greet the latest gill netter to join the local fleet........

with a brand new Spencer Carter net hauler, the Cornish Sardine ring netter has changed over her fishing method........

as skipper Dan Downing explains, with the sardine season at an end its time to look for another way of the boat earning her keep for the next three months.......

first in the queue, Ajax skipper land Dwan directs proceedings........

 as the boat takes the seven tonnes of ice needed for her next trip.........

waiting patiently, skipper Hosking at the helm.......

moves ahead to the ice berth as the Ajax pulls away.......

and makes ties up against the quay........

in order to take on board freshly mended nets.......

scalloper Celtic Pride heads for the fish market berth to take fuel.........

with those mackerel talks north of the border still unresolved, a date not to be missed for all those members of the South West Handline Association........

next in the queue for ice, the biggest UK gill netter, Govenek of Ladram takes her quota........

while for others it's more net going aboard.......

in for the weekend, Nooitdegacht Z402, one of three Dutch crewed, Belgian registered beam trawlers .......

comes alongside and puts her ropes ashore.......

then sets about preparing for landing by first rigging the wire running from the top of a derrick that will allow them to lift the boxed fish.........

from the fish room to a waiting lorry ashore.........

the lorry arrived loaded with the store needed to keep the boats at sea while working hundreds of miles away from home........

enough to keep the guys on deck busy before landing their fish.

Coming soon - Cornish fish in a restaurant near you

Well, fine if you live in the Bristol area! However, pop-up eating experience Bravas Bistro Supper club are about to put down roots and open a 'proper' restaurant at Cotham Hill, Bristol and with them, things are still very much 'building in progress'. Their place to be is just the kind of eating house that Cornish fish is increasingly being mentioned on the menu. These guys take their food seriously, and with a big hint of Spain in their menu planning local Cornish fish like, hake, megrim sole and cuttlefish - which Newlyn has in abundance - are sure to send customers away with smiles on their faces.

Photos courtesy of Bravas Bristol

As can be seen from one the latest photographs on their blog which is marking progress as a shell of a building morphs into an eatery........

Photos courtesy of Bravas Bristol

while the builders are busy building the guys have made the effort to travel down to newlyn and avail themselves of first hand market information - greeted by toonnes of cuttles certainly proved an eye opener as did the range of quality fish across the market floor - expect to see some recipes at some stage on TtG for local fish. In the meantime, check out their web site.

An 'addock tatty rats dish - ultra simple and quick!

Even after the skin has been removed, a sure sign of quality fish - haddock with a complete set of scales and the black pectoral line still clearly visible........

go to make a really quick and simple dish with the ubiquitous 'tatty rats', or ratatouille sauce - after making the sauce........

 

(removing 50% of the sauce if needs be to make room in the pan) - place the skinned fish fillets - could be hake, 'addock, whiting, ling, cod, pollack, lemon, megrim or Dover sole on top of the sauce mix when it is hot and simply cover with a lid or foil and give it a few minutes, five at most.........

after which the fillets will have a lovely, white, creamy appearance - serve quick!

Black fishy Friday now - discards debacle!

MPs have refused to ban the controversial practice of discarding surplus fish back into the sea. 

This article from today's Guardian captures a flavour of the distaste for a fight it seems......

"Fishermen should be allowed to continue discarding edible fish at sea, despite public pressure to stop the wasteful practice, a group of MPs has urged. The proposal, by a parliamentary select committee, is a blow to environmental campaigners who have long argued against the practice. A high-profile public campaign led by the chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has called an end to the discarding of fish. Fleets sometimes throw fish back, usually dead, because they have exceeded their quota or have inadvertently caught less valuable species. Partly in response to the campaign, the European commission has proposed a phased-in ban on discards, which the UK government has backed in Brussels. But the environment and rural affairs committee called in a report published on Friday for the practice to be allowed to continue until 2020 at least. The MPs said it had not been proved how many fish died after being discarded and called for more research. They cast doubt on whether it was possible to end discards."

Guardian Environment: read the article in full here

In the meantime, follow the story as it envelops the Facebook page of Hugh's Fishfight campaign here.

This is a dilemma for fishermen as almost no fishery is without some sort of by-catch - a total ban on discards is not practicable - but the chances are the baby will be thrown out with the bathwater as all hands fail to find a way through this complicated issue.

You can browse the Written Evidence passed through the House of Commons here.