Comments on the Al Jazeera programme “Pirate Fishing“,

This video highlights just how easily it is for entirely illegal fish to arrive on our EU plates - we, the consumer, are being duped as a result of economics driving individuals, organisations and governments to wantonly ignore not only the law but also the ethics and common sense of fisheries regulation.  The quantity of fish found aboard the featured vessel, the Ocean Sea Queen/Ocean-3 and the difficulty facing the authorities makes the way in which we pursue tiny inshore vessels here look positively draconian and out of proportion by comparison. If every small handliner's catch for a year in Cornwall was stored together it would not begin to fill the refrigerated hold of this vessel!

Here's what Maria Damanki posted on her blog: "I watched with empathy, in the second episode of Al Jazeera programme “Pirate Fishing“, the adventures of the fisheries ministry inspector Victor Kargbo and the reporter Juliana Ruhfus, chasing the Sea Queen/Ocean-3, caught fishing illegally in Sierra Leonean waters. And I was thrilled when they succeeded! I am ever more convinced and committed that the EU has to play a leading role to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. 
A lot is already being done: we need to identify the vessels fishing illegally (and we are doing so), so that they can be pursued even if they change name and flag. We have to put pressure on those countries that are reluctant to cooperate, protecting under their flags those who pillage the natural resources of countries that cannot effectively protect them. We need to work with our international partners, as we started doing with the U.S. administration. We have to introduce a new framework for Fisheries Agreements, to assist third countries to build technical and institutional capacity, to work with us ensuring a level playing field. But all this risks to have a limited impact, if there is no common and shared commitment. This is why my aim is to set up an international catch certification system, which would close major markets to the product of illegal fish and bring to an end to its profit. Fighting effectively IUU fishing is to be one of the priorities that the EU pursues when it comes to define sustainable development goals, in Brazil, in June, at theRio+20 conference."

As reported in previous posts, the EU is in a difficult position here as it has licensed a number of very large and powerful vessels to fish off African waters - who are therefore considered to fish legally! Some would argue that they are just as culpable as the unlicensed and illegal vessels from non-EU states like the vessel arrested and prosecuted in the Al Jazeera programme.

Who said, I can see for miles? - in the fog!

 With the foggy weather comes unusual atmospherics - resulting in hugely increased reception for AIS - here the gas platform GSF Arctic-3 at Kinsale of the south coast of Ireland is surrounded by her standby and service vessels.......

further south, the cargo ship Pos Alendrift is picked up nearly 260 miles south west of Newlyn!

Penlee lifeboat takes off Injured seaman in thick fog off Land's End.

The volunteer crew of the Penlee RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched to an injured seaman onboard a 230 metre oil tanker in thick fog off Newlyn yesterday afternoon. 


The seaman had suffered a serious hand injury when a heavy hatch had fallen on it and needed immediate medical treatment. The volunteer crew at Penlee launched the all-weather lifeboat Ivan Ellen in thick fog conditions at 3.25pm to head to the oil tanker’s location 25 miles south of Newlyn, arriving alongside the tanker at 4.20pm. 


Patrick Harvey, Penlee RNLI Coxswain said ‘It was quite a tricky journey out to the tanker through the fog. The crew were watching closely for other vessels, which despite seeming to be some distance off, when you are travelling at such speeds, are quickly in your path and we had to change course a couple of times. "Once at the tanker, the casualty, helped by his fellow crew members, was lowered down on steps to the lifeboat. "Because the tanker was still moving at about six knots and rolling slightly, we had to be careful to get close enough to grab the casualty without damaging the lifeboat and this took a couple of attempts." 


The casualty was taken back to the lifeboat station at Newlyn where a road ambulance took him to Truro hospital.

Race for the hake!

Bound away steaming through the Traffic Separation Scheme off Land's End, the Newlyn netters Govenek of Ladram, Ajax, Sparkling Line and Gary M head for the grounds. This is not much of a fun journey when the visibility is almost nil in thick fog as reported this morning.

Dumped cod - what a waste! - a united UK front is needed say MPs

Dumped dead cod

The picture as it is today: 


Four dead cod float away from the boat. Each cod is around 5Kg.
Four times 5 = 20Kg.


That scene is repeated daily for the net boats and trawlers working in Area VIIg - see below......

Cod quota for ICES Area VIIg which is where the Ajax and other Newlyn boats will be fishing this tide is currently 300Kg per month per boat. 


20Kg is 20/300X100 = 6.6% of a month's quota caught and then dumped, dead, back into the sea - at least the crabs get a meal out of the waste.


And a timely article appeared on the BBC's web site today:



The whole of the UK needs to present a "united front" to the European Union to protect the future of fishing fleets, MPs have said. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee accused Brussels of "micro-management" in setting catch quotas. It said EU member states should decide them "as locally as possible". The MPs urged ministers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to work together to ensure UK views are heard when new EU rules are introduced. 


The European Commission says the existing system of fishing quotas - which often leads to tonnes of good fish being dumped at sea - will be changed over the next couple of years.


The major headache for the boats fishing in Area VII today is that the quota was introduced way back in 1983. At that time, the TAC (Total Allowable Catch) was set based on catch returns from the late 1970s. Unsurprisingly, the fishing fleet of Cornwall had changed significantly in that time. Most of the bigger boats in Newlyn caught very little cod - they were long lining for ling and skate at the time and there were very few trawlers working the grounds where cod habited. As a result, when the quotas were set the UK ended up with around 1200 tonnes and the French around 14000 tonnes - simply because they had a growing fleet of trawlers catching whitefish including cod. Even if the UK's quota was doubled today it would still not reflect the catching capacity of the fleet. Cod do not move far - a fact proved by tagging fish - not one cod tagged in Area VII has been recoverd in any other ICES area suggesting that the stock of cod is entirely located here in and around the Western approaches.


See the rest of the story here.

Idea for a new home for the Cornish Ice works building

Suggested new site for ice plant

Plans are afoot to replace the existing Cornish Ice Company's ice works with a new building and production plant. Perhaps this could an opportunity to relocate the ice plant itself in a better position. 


The simplified illustration above suggests that the new plant could be best placed where the waste skips are sited at the end of the net store adjacent the Penlee lifeboat office. In this situation, ice would be easily accessed by lorries driving underneath the conveyor which could also feed over the quay to service any boats in a berth well away from the fish market. 


This site would free up valuable quayside space and also allow a new fish market to be built well away from Fore Street that runs alongside the current market. Or allow for the creation of a working/landing area for the ring net/crabber fleet with adjacent cold storage/temp vivier holding tank. 

The fleet of pontoon based inshore boats would also be that much closer to a supply of ice/slush for them to keep their bass, mackerel and other fish in top condition.

Newlyn School of Art in the Telegraph

Writing for The Telegraph, Max Davidson embarks on a three day landscape painting course with a difference and gets to spend some of the time down the harbour in Newlyn before heading back to the studio to complete the artistic adventure. Under the wing of local artist Mark Spray, Max and his fellow paint adventurers clamber over rocky cliffs and get down and dirty in the process.


Those closely familiar with Newlyn's local drinkeries and eateries will no doubt have in mind some of the characters alluded to in the story.........."that gives the town its character. Colourful boats of every description bob up and down in the harbour; the woman in the chip shop has a sea horse the size of a haddock tattooed on her arm; while the regulars at the Swordfish pub look like characters from Moby Dick, gnarled and weather-beaten. Cats slink down cobbled streets, lured by the smell of rotting mackerel"...............


Max was more than impressed with the inspiring nature of the course leader and facilities 'up Paul Hill' at the old Newlyn Board School - now known as the Newlyn School of Art run by Henry Garfitt. A great way to explore and be inspired by the area and enjoy getting those creative juices flowing!