Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
No doubt a few of the local surfers will take advantage of the big swell running in the Bay this morning. This spot at the back of the North Quay known locally as the Graveyard only gets a good wave when wind and swell conditions come together. The worst gale in the last 40 years (1979) saw some seas reaching the height of the lamp posts - seven boats sank that night - crews were aboard all the larger vessels with their engines running trying to keep the tiers of boats in place as a huge 'run' in the harbour caused the boats to ride heavily on their mooring ropes.
The crew of the Belgian beam trawler in the process of removing the lower half of the snapped derrick. This is a common occurrence with beam trawlers fishing in poor weather - if the trawl becomes fast (stuck on some sort of hitch on the sea bed) while they are fishing and is lifted on a big swell the sudden strain can easily snap even the biggest of derricks.
The Belgian Euro-cutter, loads one half of his damaged starboard side derrick on to a waiting lorry. Rather than have the work done locally, the boat had organised heavy transport from Holland to take the derrick home for repair.
Maybe even a hardened anti-EU cynic like Mike Mahon would have come away from this meeting feeling more positive about the future of the fishing industry in a pan-European or even global context.
Back in November, an unprecedented meeting took place in Brussels. At first glance it might not seem like much of a big deal - a bunch of fishermen from across Europe getting together in the EU capital . But this was different.
The fishers (men and women) were from nine different countries, and represent the small-scale, low-impact sector of the fishing industry, whose interests are currently shut out of the decision making in Brussels, and all-too-often in their own countries too.
This congress was, as far as we know, the most extensive of its kind, to bring together the fishers Greenpeace has been working with across Europe. The congress was deliberately held on a weekend to try and allow the fishers to come together, without having to take too much time away from work. All too often, they simply can’t afford to take time off to represent themselves.
Over a busy day, dozens of participants struggled through the unfamiliar world of simultaneous interpretation to share their views, their worries, and their ideas.
The overwhelming feeling was what we had suspected all along : that these fishers had much more in common with each other than they had to disagree on. They are underrepresented, and let down by the current systems in their own countries, and at an EU level.
The Greenpeace campaigners in the room, some of us pretty long in the tooth, felt genuinely honoured to have been able to facilitate this gathering. And we ended the day hopeful that this would lead to much better representation and a fairer deal for coastal communities, low-impact methods of fishing, and, ultimately, Europe’s seas.
Putting aside differing priorities, the assembled fishermen agreed on a common declaration, including demands that the present reform of Europe’s fish law must
Grant the right to fish to those who fish sustainably
Reduce fleet overcapacity where it exists, while preserving jobs in artisanal, low impact fisheries;
End harmful subsidies and unsustainable and destructive practices;
Restore the health of our seas in Europe and the rest of the world.
This declaration, on behalf of the small-scale fishermen across the EU will now be presented to Europe’s politicians and bureaucrats.
And there’s more. This weekend’s meeting also saw a commitment to take this idea forward and build on the strength of the small (fishing) guys working together. So hopefully there are bigger and better things to come.
Ultimately it’s up to us as countries and citizens to decide how we want our seas treated, and what sort of fishing industry we want. It’s a no-brainer to me that supporting low-impact fishing methods that also support local communities is a good thing to do. And the hopeful note from the fisher closing the conference spoke volumes: "We have to believe in a better future".
