Stranger things at sea

Yound Adam, next generation in the Curtiss dynasty takes a mooring rope from the legendary Joe Crowe aboard the Elisabeth Veronique as he pulls into a berth......

the boat is currently triple-rigging and targetting quality fish like brill, Dover, lemon and megrim sole.....

it seems that rigger boots are de rigeur abord her......

last trip they had the right foot, this trip the left from an old Hunter Bullseye boot......

just a sample of this weeks catch, it never ceases to amaze trawlermen just what appears in the cod ends........

suits you Sir!........

off up the slip goes the netter, Gary M........

as the Tranquility pulls into berth on the end of the new quay......

wear and tear on a beamer shoe, with one new plate fitted.......

after landing the inshore boat, Shiralee heads home......

so too the Scillonian III at just after 7pm........

there's a big match tonight when the Pirates take on London Welsh at the Mennaye Field ground.

Kathleen and May

One of the most significant of English historical ships, well, the Katheleen & May.......

and not just because she is the last three masted topsail schooner afloat.......

but because on seeing this ship, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, finding her laid up and redundant in the River Torridge in the mid 60s then decided to start the maritime trust using her as their initial exhibit firstly in Plymouth, Sutton Harbour, and then for the latter years in St Katherine’s dock London - we owe him for this move - just like we have Prince Albert to thank for such iconic instituitions as the Great Exhibition and the V&A Museum - closer to home we now have the Cornish Maritime Trust that looks after the maritime history of a county where no one is more than 14 miles from the sea.........

the has been owned by Plant Hire Company's boss Steve Clarke since 1998.......

and as you walk on the deck of the boat and look about.......

you begin to appreciate the love, care and attention to detail that has been lavished both topsides......

and down below in the old hold......

when she was used mainly to haul coal in her early years........

the engine room sports an unusual hydraulic drive for her props.....

the helmsan's view for'ard.....

and from astern of the wheel........

the original cargo winches must have seem some serious sweat fall to the deck.......

as would the main sail winches as she was worked four-handed!........

so, looking at the size of her it would be a fool who picked a fight with one of the deckies aboard her!.........

view looking across the deck of the James RH - the Kathleen & May is on her way to London where she will be moored opposite the Queen during the jubilee celebrations on the Thames - no doubt she will give owner Steve Clarke a wave as she awarded him an OBE not so long ago!

Busy market

Seems the guys weren't too impressed with the old guard.......

on a brand new plinth, the grader waits.......

end-to-end with fish........

seeing red......

looking into the future aboard the Clairvoyant.........

she's looking good......

more litter ready to be bagged.......

no AIS so no chance of identifying this tall ship coming in to the Bay to anchor.

Brewing in Newlyn

Murky start to the day - it wasn't like that at 5am though.......

a good run of Dovers hit the market from the beamer Lisa Jacqueline......

though the price for hake was not so strong as word of big landings of the fish in Scotland went round the market.....

it's JD time of year for the inshore boats so Mr Nowell on the Imogen III will be pleased.....

the bass boys are having a tougher time of it though......

still reeling from the shock of seeing the pollock quota slashed from 10 tonnes to 5 tonnes down to a crazy 1 tonne in a short space of time, under 10m boats like the Sea Spray (rigged to hand line pollock) have been forced to fork out hard cash and buy in quota just to let them carry on fishing - at the very time of year when they would normally be ensuring enough to cover them for the slack winter months - with the MMO upping the quota to a measly 2.25 tonnes these small boats will be looking for a little more consistency in quota management in the near future - though it's hard to see how such small cuts have any real impact on stocks in the grand scheme of things.........

and here are a few of those line caught pollock - these fish were being touted by many as the new cod not so long a ago and as a result the increased fishing effort has resulted in the erratic quota management decisions referred to above.......

there's still a weak showing of mackerel in the area which means these guys will make good money.....

the lights are on on the new fish grader, but no sign of it being used just yet.......

"where do you want it guv?"........

one of the apartments in the historic Pilchard Works is on the market, a chance to buy into a piece of Newlyn history......

alchemy at M and R's crab works.......

star buys for the day.......

food for people on the go at Stable Hobba industrial Estate in Newlyn.

Late landings for Tuesday's markets

Heavy swells and onshore winds have left tons of fertiliser on the beach on Mount's Bay......

it's the same story aboard the Ajax, with glit everywhere.......

landing crab to the vivier lorry from the ~Intuition.......

the harbour is busy with boats and their transport......

splicing wire is a dying art form - beamers get their wire crimped these days......

the future is bright.......

just getting ready for the off........

throwing some moves on the foredeck of the Pen Glas.......

a good day's work on the  Raven......

the last of 200+ boxes of hake come ashore from the Ajax........

and the last few crab, these guys are bound for the Chinese market where they will be by the morning!

Share system for UK nations

All four nations within the UK will be given greater power to manage their own fishing quotas following an agreement that has just been reached, Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon announced today. 


 Under the agreement, the UK, Scottish and Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive will each be allocated shares, agreed annually, of UK fish quotas for distribution to their fleets. These will be based on the number of boats in each area and the quota they already receive. 


 However, there will be no permanent split of UK quota; fishing vessels will be free to move their operations to other parts of the UK. The new arrangements will replace the present system where the UK Government allocates quota directly to fishermen and to fish producer organisations that manage quotas. This will allow each country to adapt quota allocations to best suit fleets in different parts of the UK. 


Arrangements for the licensing and administration of fishing vessels will also be clearer as a result of the agreement, and arrangements for the management of the UK’s fishing effort (“days at sea”) under the EU’s Cod Recovery Plan will be formalised. Richard Benyon, UK Fisheries Minister, said: “By giving each nation greater control of quotas we will all be able to be more flexible on how quota is allocated to individual boats. 


This will enable the UK to move quota around to where it is needed and as a result we hope to see a reduction in discards. “This agreement will also make it easier to manage fisheries across the UK and is a significant step forward for the fishing industry. “I have consistently argued for the greater decentralisation of powers and I will continue to press the case for this during our negotiations with the EU on CFP reform.” 


 Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said: “I welcome this agreement. It is a good step forward that allows administrations to advance the interests of their fleets and communities. “Scotland’s diverse fleet catches over two thirds of the UK’s quotas and makes a crucial contribution to the Scottish economy and the success of our coastal communities. “The flexibility that this agreement offers will provide new opportunities to better support our vital fishing communities, developing solutions through co-management with our fishing industry. The Scottish Government also reiterates our commitment to meeting our international obligations.” 


 Alun Davies, Welsh Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes, said: “I am pleased that we have now reached an agreement on the UK Fisheries Concordat that will enable Wales to meet its policy priorities to fully manage its fishing fleet and fishing opportunities. “There is still work to be undertaken following agreement of the Concordat, before we can implement these changes, and we will be working with the Devolved Administrations over the coming months to make this happen.” 


 Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “I am pleased that the four Fisheries Administrations have come to an agreement on the future management of quota and licensing which can accommodate the individual needs and policy priorities that each have for the development of their fishing fleets. “There is still work to be done and I welcome the commitment to strengthen the economic link license condition and the setting up of a Register of FQA holdings which I hope will make quota trading between fisheries organisations more transparent and efficient.”

The details of the concordat are available on our website:  www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2012/05/18/pb13771-fish-concordat/

For more information on the management of fisheries go to:www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/manage/