Sun shines on Saturday

Calling all net boats, net bins for sale........

spend an evening with Pete Goss talking boats in support of the St Ives Jumbo Association next month......

back based in Newlyn again, a giant of the seas........

not the usual sea bird silhouette.......

more work to be done aboard thew Mount's Bay lugger, Happy Return.......

gangmaster Mike keeping an eye on things.......

plenty of pint still needed for the Gry Maritha........

fixtures and fitting time abord TO60..........

who rides high in the water without any ballast aboard........

not a theatre.

Huge industrial scale?

Here's one of the two 9 metre beam trawls that are towed by the Newlyn beam trawler Billy Rowney.......

Presenter, Monty Hall describes the trawl gear used by the boat as "fishing on a huge industrial scale"......... 

at 30 metres how does that compare? that's not a huge industrial trawler........

this is a huge industrial trawler, one of around 30, licensed by the EU to fish off the West coast of Africa.

"Noakchott / Mauritania, 27th of February 2012 – A report released by Greenpeace today highlights the industrial-scale overfishing by European vessels in West African waters as a result of failed European Union (EU) fishing rules (1). 

At the same time an international Greenpeace team aboard Arctic Sunrise started its campaign in Mauritania in order to document, profile and protest against European super trawlers emptying West Africa’s waters. The extent and effects of these giant European factory trawlers on the region’s fish stocks and coastal communities are devastating, as the international Greenpeace team reports from Mauritania. http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/Greenpeacewitnesscostofoverfish...

As a revealing example Greenpeace investigations focus on the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA), a group of companies with 34 vessels under Dutch, German, French, UK and Lithuanian flags, which have obtained millions in subsidies from the EU and European governments. An estimated €142.7 million of European taxpayers’ money was paid to secure fishing rights for PFA vessels in Mauritanian and Moroccan waters between 2006 and 2012. The PFA fleet also received €21 million to increase and modernise its fishing operations between 1994 and 2007. “It is a big decision, but it is unavoidable if we want to secure healthy fish stocks and a sustainable fishery in the years to come: We need to scrap parts of the obese European fleet and fish less, so fish stocks can recover. If overfishing continues like this we will all lose, especially local fishermen who depend on fish as a main source for food”, says Tom Grijsen, Greenpeace oceans campaigner aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, currently in Mauritanian waters. 

Millions of Africans depend on fish caught by local fishermen, but as a consequence of overfishing by the sizeable European fleet stocks are further decreasing. As a result local fishermen are forced to fish further out at sea because the accessibility to stocks for the coast is diminishing. Working conditions have become increasingly dangerous and fishermen face the risk of collisions with industrial trawlers, which causes besides damage, also increased killings of local fishermen. “The European fleet is unfairly competing with artisanal fishermen. It would take 56 traditional fishing pirogues one year to catch as much fish as one super-trawler can capture and process in a single day”, says Grijsen, and continues: “This year governments in Europe have the chance to fix the EU’s broken fishing rules. It is not too late to agree a new rulebook that tackles overfishing and fleet overcapacity head on.” 

European governments and fisheries ministers need to assume responsibility now by putting in place a new Common Fisheries Policy (2) that tackles Europe’s bloated fleets, starting by scrapping the most destructive and oversized vessels, including factory trawlers operating in the waters of developing countries. It is vital to stop the subsidised plunder of Africa by abolishing all direct and indirect subsidies that support these destructive and unsustainable fishing practices. "Greenpeace will remain actively campaigning for a radical reform of the CFP, as this is our last chance to turn the tide on overfishing", concludes Greenpeace oceans campaigner Tom Grijsen. 

Credit: Pierre Gleizes / Greenpeace

Cuttlefish in Tomato in Wine sauce - nice one Sophie!

 Cuttlefish are one of those fishes from the sea almost guaranteed to provoke a 'yeuk!' reaction from many if not presented in a prepared sanitised form, which is a real shame because just like squid, they are delicious when cooked well........

 after pulling out the head and insides - using two fingers pushed down the 'backbone' - the next job is to remove the membrane from the outside of the body - takes a little practice to 'pick up' the membrane from an edge.......

 be sure to look for the ink sac - easily identifiable by the shiny silvery lining as seen above....... 

 pop the sac into a small pot of water - if the sac is really big reduce the amount used by half (can be frozen and used next time to prepare pasta nera (black pasta) - the strength of flavour from one of these sacs will easily do a whole dish for 4........

 the ink itself is gritty to touch when being squeezed from the sac (if you must, wear your marigolds - just don't snap the wrist)........

 once mixed you now have a pot of sepia ink - and yes, if you are inclined, you can use it as ink to write or draw being as that is exactly what it has been used for for hundreds of years.......

 take of the tentacles from just above the eyes - squeeze out the beak........

 after the initial cooking stage which involves sweating down onion and garlic (try shallots and/or red onion as well) a tin of toms and a good glass of red wine and a squeeze of tom puree or dried tom puree or chopped dried toms the dish is then covered and stewed gently for a good hour........

 this recipe comes from Sophie Grigson, who at one time was a regular visitor to Newlyn.......

 serve on a bed of pasta (nera if wanted) along with peas or broad beans and some hot ciabatand most ta rolls...... 

and if you can get hold of a copy, highly recommended is her book too, written with better half William Black - one of the best fish cook books going - and a bargain from the charity shop at £1.49!

Top Newlyn fish are special!

Post pier party painting pics

Just one of many shots taken during the morning session of this year's Painting Party on the Old Quay in Newlyn - in this photo, local artist Bernard Evans is just putting the finishing lines in his study of the luggers in the harbour...

here's the same work a few hours later nearing completion.

IIlegal fishing - is Sierra Leone winning the war?

 Last reported positions of the FV Five Star and

the FV Marcia 777 when she was docked in Dakar, Sierra Leone.




Three illegal fishing vessels - the Five Star, Marcia 777 and the Kum Myeong 2 - have fled Sierra Leone, escaping fines for doing illegal fishing and transhipment in the country's Inshore Exclusion Zone, IEZ.


The disclosure was made yesterday by the Project Coordinator of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Andy Hickman at a press briefing held at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
He intimated newsmen that another vessel, the Ocean 3, also left the country's waters without paying the entirety of the fine levied against them, noting that fines of almost $300,000 have already been collected.


He said the past six months have witnessed an extraordinary crackdown by the government on illegal fishing in the IEZ and has resulted in the arrest or expulsion of all known illegal trawlers from the country.


"We are witnessing a potentially transformative moment in fisheries enforcement in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, we operate a community surveillance patrol vessel to document evidence of illegal trawler activity within the IEZ reserved for artisanal fishers," he said.


In his response, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr. Soccoh Kabia thanked EJF for working tirelessly to curtail illegal fishing in the country.
He noted that illegal fishing is one of the challenges facing the sector, and that the country is losing some $30 million annually as a result of this.


"We are putting mechanisms in place to curtail it," the minister assured. "One of the things we have done is the creation of the Joint Maritime Committee (JMC), which comprises all stakeholders in the sector. We will introduce a monitoring system known as VMS for all fishing vessels."


On the illegal vessels that have fled the country, Dr. Kabia revealed that they are working with regional and international partners to hold the Five Star, Marcia 777 and the Kum Myeong 2 to account. The minister also disclosed that a total of Le13.7 billion was generated by his ministry in 2011, and that $158,000 has so far been collected this year on fines.


Story courtesy of AllAfrica

This successful action by the Leonese government may just help bring further action in combating the huge legalised fishing operation currently being exploited by some of the biggest trawlers in the world - all managed by the PFA - here's an update from Greenpeace:

"The Arctic Sunrise is still in the waters of Mauritania, and yes, the old Atlantic Dawn is one of the Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association's fleet, which is "legally" decimating fish stocks in West Africa, 

When Celestino saw the amount of mackerel landed by one man from a 16' punt, he peered down at the boat wanting to know where the rest of the crew were hiding - too many fish for one man to catch he said!

and destroying the livelihoods and communities of fishermen like Issa, Karim and Celestino who came to Newlyn last year."

More recently, Looe fisherman Andy Giles joined a small fleet of dugout boats and witnessed first hand the apparently devastating effect that super-sized trawlers have on inshore stocks - although, of course, it could just be climate change that is forcing these shoals of fish that have been around for centuries to swim elsewhere.

Study this recent article in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/18/uk-west-africa-fishing-quotas  Karim Sall is quoted. 

As posted yesterday, Greenpeace have recently published a report showing how EU taxpayer money is used to support the European factory trawlers operating in West Africa.  It's a perverse situation - in these times of austerity, our taxes are enabling destructive vessels to strip the waters of West Africa, yet, back at home, our small scale fishermen are struggling to survive under the mismanagement of the the broken CFP. Fisheries Minister, Bradshaw is currently involved in moves to reduce the fishing effort through legalising EU fishing vessels to fish elsewhere in the world. 

Rowse Fishing - boat blessing and launch party

The most sought after 'do' to get an invite to in town - the first time an owner has had two brand new big boats built in Newlyn for many a decade - some good news to celebrate in the industry!