Out with the old in with the new

This week Newlyn can celebrate yet another family firm showing faith in the future of of the port and the fishing industry in general as...

the long time Newlyn resident the beam trawler Sapphire has been sold away from Newlyn and replaced...

by a beast of a towing machine, she's fitted with two huge net drums on her stern ...

giving the Corin family duo of father and son who skipper the boat the opportunity to bottom trawl if needs be...

there's plenty of room on the working deck with two raised fish pounds, fish washer and fish room conveyor.

Mondays market mix

Boxes of bass just some of a big spread of trawl, beam trawl, net and line fish on the market this morning...

as the hake from the Ajax goes under the hammer with auctioneer Ian...

an almost albino monkfish filled this 7 stone (42kg0 box...

as did this rare 10kg hake...

 two of the Rowse crab boats lay alongside the market...

as the Charisma lands her week's hard won trip...

 watched by the MSC who log the landing...

evidence of the weekends crazy Newlyn floods is still around, sandbags at the ready outside the Coop...

and the local shops...

the Coombe river is still in full flood and the area on red alert for a repeat with more rain forecast today and beyond.

Newlyn flooded by the Coombe River - a first!

 


Thanks go to local Newlyn resident Ben Thomas who captured this unique event on video.

This is the first time Newlyn has flooded simply as a result of heavy rain causing the Coombe River to burst the bank by St Peter's Church. Although the centre of Newlyn has flooded on many occasions from the seaward side in the past due to a combination of high tides and high winds from the south - the river has never flooded the village simply from the sheer weight of water.

 

This video (from Burned Thane) was shot further up river by the church and shows how the sheer amnount of water coming down the Coombe river was too much to pass under the bridge to the newlyn Meadery which then helped push the raging torrent into the road.



Treacherous entrance to St Guénolé harbour

Enjoy more photos from Breton fishing ports around Guilvenec courtesy of the blog,

Derver ar Mor seen here entering St Guénolé which boasts one of the most treacherous entrances to any French port. She fishes for between four and seven days (and restricted from fishing for any longer period) for white fish and langoustines for which St 'Gee' is famous.

What you cannot sea is the fact that the boat is navigating a narrow channel that was blasted out of the reef around 100 years ago - in very foggy weather the bigger St 'Gee' boats are prevented from entering or leaving via this channel as the shallow reef is barely covered by water even at high tide.

 

Latest Newlyn flood pictures courtesy of Adam Gibbard

Keepin dry Newlyn style as the worst flood for 50 years courses through the village...

with the village effectivley cut off from Penzance by road for most vehicles...

the massivley poweful flow of the Coombe river was the cause of the flooding...

just as well it was low water as even the harbour area by the Mission itself filled up...

looking back down Coombe road was more like looking up river...

with the Coop suffering badly as at least 3ft of water filled the centre of the village...

the waters flowed through the cross roads at the foot of Chywoone Hill like the Spey in full spate...

making it almost impassable..

even the seats outside the Mission were out of luck...

the process of pumping out the coop began in earnest...

while the residents alongside the river could only watch and wait  for the rain to stop and the levels to drop.

All these photos were taken by Newlyn photographer, Adam Gibbard and mus appreciated.

Newlyn flooded - at low water!!

Photo courtesy of Paula Wills

Coombe river is seen here roaring under or rather over the Newlyn Meadery bridge, further downstream the river has helped to completely flood the centre of the village!

Apparently a number of lucky punters are stranded INSIDE the Meadery - keep the Blackberry Wine coming Anthony!

Responsible Fishing Scheme

Over the past month Mick Bacon and Jim Hyam from Seafish have been working with the South West Hand-liners Fishing Association (SWHFA) to try and get the whole group assessed to the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). Over the next couple of months they will be organising a series of coaching sessions so that members can undergo the various stages of the RFS audit process.

The group mainly consists of small inshore vessels, which number around 85. The Responsible Fishing Scheme has been developed to raise standards in the catching sector, enabling those within the seafood supply chain too demonstrate their commitment to the responsible sourcing of seafood.

Some of the benefits for members who join the scheme will be...

Reduced audit fee, free for SWHFA members.

2000 free RFS fish tallies with your vessels name and number, clearly displayed.

200 Shellfish Tags, uniquely numbered and contain the RFS website address allowing the purchaser to lookup and find out who caught the Lobster or Crab in question. This is not a new concept to the SWHFA members, but an extension to an already well established successful scheme.

More information on existing vessels and one's currently going through the audit scheme can be found at the following address...

Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme

Mick Bacon going through the audit process with Kevin Penney at the Cornwall Seafood offices.