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Thursday 5 April 2012

Episode 5 of Fishermen's Apprentice - one way to go?

Spot the difference between the UK and the US? 
In the penultimate episode of the Fishermen's Aprentice, Monty Hall takes his mentor, pot fisherman Nigel Legge across the big pond to the once thriving port of Gloucester. Apart from the difference in accent Nigel acknowledges that the fishermen of Cadgwith and Gloucester are all but identical. However, after the disastrous consequences of the failed cod stocks back in the 90s things are looking up for some small scale operations thanks to community fishing schemes (CFS).


The challenge is, could such schemes work here in Cornwall for some of the smaller boats fishing from their isolated coves? The mechanism for such an enterprise already exists in the UK - Community Interest Companies. Here's what Monty and Nigel heard from those involved and some of the customers of the CFS.



Wednesday 4 April 2012

Scillies lifeboat on shout to dismasted yacht .


With the aid of VesselTracker's AIS, two vessels involved in assisting a dismasted yacht can be seen tracked.  


St Mary's lifebaot, The Whiteheads was called out and launched at 4.14pm to go to the aid of a yacht 26 miles southwest of the Islands.  Dismasted in strong northeasterly winds, the single-handed yacht, Betelgeuse is waiting assistance. The 200m car carrier Aquamarine Ace had altered course in response to the Mayday call earlier.


MCA update:



Meanwhile, Falmouth Coastguard had requested St Mary’s RNLI lifeboat to launch. The lifeboat was an hour away in rough weather with a five metre swell. Once the lifeboat arrived on scene, the sailor was rescued from his yacht and taken back to St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. The yacht had to be abandoned due to the rough weather.
Terry Collins, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager says:“In an emergency situation, using VHF DSC makes a massive difference to how quickly we might be able to get rescue resources to vessels in distress. A VHF DSC alert gives us an instant position allowing coastguards to deploy lifeboats, helicopters or other units almost immediately.  In this particular case, DSC was even more helpful because voice communications were difficult due to the vessel being dismasted.”



#rnli #rescue #islesofscilly

Newlyn market end-to-end with fish

 The 140m Perseus J's with lights blazing, one of three ships at anchor as a nasty little front passes overhead.......
 Tom's keeping a close watch as ever.......
 looks like the Dignity is up for her annual scrub under the waterline......
 lesson number one in otolith collecting for Cefas........
 plenty of superb quality monk tails from the inshore boats......
 to compliment a cracking trip of turbot from the netter Gary M...... 
 along with a good run of hake and other white fish from the Ajax......
 where the boys are busy taking of nets to be mended by net maestro Freddie.......
 Sarah will be well pleased with this haul of grade 1 rubbish from the Harvest Reaper.......
 heavy showers were forecast and heavy showers is what the Bay gets.......
 two visiting Scottish boats huddle together in the icy blasts - though Cornwall can't quite beat the 5 inches of snow at Aviemore yesterday......
 as the Copious takes on board fuel.......
 more gear to go aboard the Govenek of Ladram.......
 showing off her hard chine hull.......
 Waghorn's has now transmogrified into a brand new art gallery for Newlyn - the Helen Feiler's new Gallery's first show is, NSA a fine catch - running until the 14th of April when the abstract works will be on show until the 30th of April......
 a selection of figurative....... 
 pieces and.......
 landscapes are the main themes for the current show......
 but did yer bin get picked up?...........
 auction styles, old hand Robin Turner studies the form......
 while Ryan Ladd makes a note of his latest sale......
a little later, a little lighter.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

International conference: "Fishing tomorrow, without discarding?

Colloque International - Today, Thursday (28-03-2012) at Boulogne.
Last Friday, a conference was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer about discards within the next CFP reform (Fishing for Tomorrow, Without Discarding). 


Contributors came from all sectors of the industry and beyond : politicians from regional level (UK-like counties), scientists, fishing gear technologists, POs, fishermen associations, fishermen, fishing boat designers, fishing boat safety, fishing harbour authorities, fish auctions, and finally people from the industry involved in utilising fish-waste. Countries represented were: UK, Scotland, NL, Eire, Spain and of course, France. Both industrial and small-scale fishermen were represented. And, of course, EU representatives were there.

Debates were tough and some unanimous in agreement. Here is a summary of  the most interesting ones from the fishermen's point of view.

"Better avoid by-catches"

Everyone said from every country represented (except EU), and every level in the industry : " We don't want a discard ban. Better to avoid by-catches by several means: selectivity, fishing strategy/behaviour changes, incentives on research and fishing activities, much longer delays" 

"discard ban is useless and counterproductive"

Every country represented had held fishing gear technology experiments, which are worth a European network by themselves. They all required full involvement of the industry and the boat's crew. If the EU introduces a ban on discards, this involvement and confidence will be torn apart. Especially, nearly all improvements create a loss of production to the fishing boat and requires sacrifices. It is difficult, it takes time and this has to be rewarded by a secured access to fishing possibilities (not necessarily by ITQs), and a better confidence in the industry from outside.

"When a fish is dead, it is dead, at sea or ashore".

Scientists' point of view. "There is no need to take it back from an ecological point of view. there is no improve to the ecosystem to remove it, on contrary, you remove it from the food web. There is no impact of the stock not to discard". And, of course, alive fish must go back to sea. And if undersize, we mustn't keep them on board. When considering the past, giving value to worthless low quality by-catches never gave any incentive to improve selectivity and even delayed the research  


"slippers skippers and quota leasing speculation has a huge impact on discarding" 

Just a little focus on FQA's role in the increase of discarding. SWFPA gave some precisions: FQAs are not involved by themselves, it is the leasing of FQA which has enhanced the high-grading behaviour. What are called now the "slippers skippers". Onboard fishermen have to spent at last 40% of their expenditure to lease quotas. No wonder we came to 50% of discards in North Sea (multi-specific fisheries).

"Zero by-catch is impossible"

In any way, if a total ban discard is implemented, that will create more fish to carry, more loaded hulls, more no-value fish, a higher carbon footprint. Commission start to speak about a tolerancy ratio (%). But fishermen wonder how they will be calculated, and which reference years will be taken. Sea conditions are changing : global warming,  some stocks also get better and catching profile is changing. 3 years ago, hake was only 5% of saithe by-catches in North Sea. Year after year, the balance has changed*, and the average % of hake doubled: 5%, 10%, 20% because hake stock improved. If whole fish or fillet prices or markets don't raise at the same speed, fishing profitability will be endangered and the choice of reference years has its importance increased. How the allowable rate of discard will be updated ?

"Boats are too old and dangerous"

Even the latest brand new Dutch  boats are already 10 years old. Floating stability is not as safe as new regulations would require. Old boats and too high floating gravitational center. They can't have a safe full load in the hull. We need larger boats (get rid off GT management). We already need safer at-sea tools. And keeping not valuable by-catches increases the risk to boats at sea.

"We are not children" (proper French word is "gosse", which would means "unresponsible children you have to keep an eye on")


Both Fishing industry, industrial and small scale one, have now in their hands very expensive tools. In the last 10 years, fishing industry size decreased. Fishing boat prices increased. The  industry has changed and is more aware of sustainability. And building a new boat is extremely expensive, at any scale it is expensive. For industrial size: a 25m long is 3.5 €M,; A 45m long is 10 €M. When it is so hard to invest without subsidies, of course you want the most secured conditions and you will behave in such way.

"bringing back valueless fish will create an unwelcome change in the harbour"

Nor on the boat or in the harbour, we don't have enough place for that. They will required new and heavy investments in cold storage. And you will need to change the boats; Which ground industry has to change all its production plant for regulatory reasons ? 

The question of delay is also huge. In Norway, they took 20 years to implement a discard ban. In fact, they don't have a single by-catch fish in the harbour. In Europe, even if we take 5 or 10 years to implement the ban discards, because we have more multi-specific fisheries than in Norway, we will drown our harbour with no/low value fish. And it will cost a lot to move it for fishing harbour staff. And fishing industry will have to pay for that. At least 7 €M.

"giving value to fish waste: everything is possible if you bring it in at less than 0.2 €/kg to our plant's doors"

Fish waste is a bad word for fish going for meal. But it is historical. Fish meal has now a high range of commercial outlets, and the profits are high, if you keep the raw materials at low prices. The fish-waste industry anyway states they are quite willing to try to find new outlets. They are very enthusiastic in R&D. But no hints of prices were given. the 0.2€/kg given-to-door price was estimated by European Fishing Harbour Association. Overall feeling is: they are nice people, but the price they are ready to pay won't cover the catching and landing costs. They asked about how much it costs to land the fish, using extra hull space, etc. They have difficulties to understand what is involved in fishing. And if they give such enthusiastic hints to EU they may create a false hope: valorisation way could exist, but won't pay the producer of the raw material.

Quotes from EU representatives:

I have picked up 2 sentences from EU staff and put in [ ] some out-of-the-record reaction they raised ; They are taken out of the context, and the EU will not be amused for that - but it gives some hints if you ever attend an EU meeting with such high level people:

- "we have already thought about it, but we didn't write it in our proposal" - [so why did you wait one year to tell it ?  your political negotiation strategy impact real life people]

- "we didn't go in such details and feasibility that much" - [ let's say devil is in detail ] 

"Finally : industry is ready to move on the way to avoid low/no value or unwanted by-catch"

With thanks to @pechefraice - this is a summary of the conference as delivered not necessarily the author's points of view.

* This is true of haddock and cod in Cornish waters.


Linked-in update: Follow the debate as it unfolds on the Linkedin web site.

First gale forecast for some time.

Main areas that fishermen are interested in for the waters off Cornwall
- Portland, Plymouth, Fitzroy, Sole, Fastnet, and Lundy

Shipping Forecast. Portland, Plymouth, Sole NW 3/4, increasing 5-7, phaps gale 8 later Plymouth Sole. Moderate/rough. Occasional rain or showers. Moderate/good


Shipping Forecast. Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea NW 4/5, veering* NE 6-gale 8, perhaps gale 9. Moderate/rough, Occasional slight at first. Rain/showers. Moderate/good* 


*A veering wind is one that changes in a clockwise direction - a backing wind moves anti-clockwise.


*Moderate/good indicates the degree of visibility

Sunday 1 April 2012

Ajax second landing of hake

 A lone angler tries his luck at high water off the promenade as the lugger Ripple sails by........
 from the depths of the chilled fishroom come the hake.......
 up to the waiting transport bound for Brixham.......
cousins Tom and Jack Hicks whose skipper fathers can be seen in action aboard the family boat, Ben My Chree when she was pair-trawling with the Keriolet.......
crew with attitude........
customer focussed crew.

Saturday 31 March 2012

I name this ship Emma Louise!

Slideshow and soundtrack of the blessing and naming ceremony.


Listen to the blessing and naming ceremony.

Bubbles shower the assembled guests during the naming ceremony!

Let party begin! Bubbles shower the guests as Emma, wife and partner in Rowse Fishing does the honours and christens the family's new crabber, Emma Louise.


How good to see a new build celebrated within the local community. After Newlyn Mission skipper Keith Dixon did the honours and blessed the ship he followed tradition and handed over a Mission Bible to skipper Mario to keep aboard the boat before Emma Rowse did the honours and christened - literally - the boat and the assembled guests.


After a few words of thanks to the designers at Macduff, Tom's of Polruan and all those involved in her build from fleet owner Mark those present were treated to a few glasses of bubbly before moving on to the buffet reception in the historic Trafalgar Room at the Union Hotel suitably entertained by local Celtic songsmiths Rig-a-Jig.