Reliance III - running away from North Sea cod - part II

Not the most comfortable ridfe to work - imagine steaming for 62 hours in this weather - even sleeping is hard work!


Making the decision to fish at Rockall in order to avoid catching cod is not taken lightly. For starters just getting there involves a steam of over 60 hours - a round trip of nearly 6 days without a fish being caught - so the return in terms of the value of fish has to justify the long steam and the fuel consumed. Haddock, monk and squid are the three main species available to the boats who fish at the Rock.

Weather is a real issue fishing Rockall - with the prevailing winds from the west - if the weather is extreme it is to far to risk running home in huge following seas - and dodging requires heading for deeperwater off the bank - going west! - next stop Newfoundland or Iceland!

A reminder of just how bad it can get can be seen here with these two Spanish longliners.

Yet another award for Newlyn skipper Michael Nowell's rugby playing son!

Exeter Chief's rising young star Jack Nowell being presented the SW Comms Young Player of the Year award - well done Newlyn boy Jack!

After the Bank Holiday weekend, a rush of boats land to the market - end- to end with fish.

Poetry in motion, these days the grading machine makes lught work of bulk fish...

and with the amount being caught by the bigger boats in the fleet...

speed is of the essence...

as the fish are graded on the way down the flip conveyor - the name is derived from an obvouis source...

the biggest boats in the fleet like the St George...

and the Cornishman...

while inshore boats like the hand line boat, Sea Spary make a landing of glistening pollack...

and the Tracey Claire unloads another top-drawer haul...

closely watched

shining bright, the eyes of the Govenek of Ladram's hake from the port's biggest gill netter

and right on topic, there's still plenty of bug cod on the ground...

almost the Irish Flag!....

the flashing blade of skipper Smith in action...

one yacht up on the hard, time for a hull check and a few jobs like anti-fouling and replacing anodes...

a night's rest for the inshore traweer

not so for the Crystal Sea II which judging by the state of the trawl on the quay will be stuck in to the mending needles!...

familiar name spotted in port again!

Spain ordered to ‘pay back’ mackerel as result of overfishing

Spain will see its mackerel quota cut over the next 11 years as a result of having exceeded its total allowable catch in 2009.

The European commission said Spain’s mackerel quota will be cut by 65,429 metric tons over the next 11 years, or by 2023, as a result of the overfishing.

The decision follows a “detailed investigation” into Spain’s true catch levels, said the commission.

“The commission had serious doubts about the true levels of mackerel fishing registered in Spain in 2009, following inconsistencies between the data collected regarding catches and the sales of mackerel,” it said.

The decision was adopted under the EU’s Fisheries Control Regulation.

“When overshooting happens, the damage done to the stocks must be repaired,” said the EU’s fisheries and maritime affairs commissioner, Maria Damanaki. “This should happen, whenever possible, without ruining fishermen, in particular those who complied with the rules.”

Beyond today’s decision, the commission said it is “cooperating closely” with the Spanish administration to put in place the mechanisms to prevent such overfishing from happening again.

Last July the EU and Spain agreed on an “action plan” to bolster control measures and catch registration in particular. This plan is now in its first phase of implementation. 

 Story courtesy of undercurrent news web site.

Islay single malt whisky Bunnahabhain has partnered with The Fishermen’s Mission, a charity which cares for the families of fishermen lost or injured at sea, to launch an international design competition.

The project aims to nurture emerging design talent while also raising funds to help The Fishermen’s Mission, the only charity which provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care to help fishermen and their families.

The competition, which launched on 24 April and is open to amateur and professional designers, asks entrants to design a contemporary label based on the return of the brand’s iconic travelling Helmsman to the safety of Bunnahabhain Distillery. In addition to the UK, Bunnahabhain will run the competition in other markets, including the USA, to produce an exclusive Tales of the Sea collection which will be auctioned later in the year.

All proceeds of the auction and a portion of sales from the 500 limited edition bottles will go to The Fishermen’s Mission to help it carry out vital work supporting fishermen and their families.  

Over 13,000 men and women are employed in the UK's toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation – inshore and deep sea commercial fishing. They face fatal injury on a daily basis and are 115 times more likely to suffer a fatal accident than the rest of the nation’s workforce.

Michelle Lansdowne, Senior Brand Manager at Burn Stewart, said: “Bunnahabhain’s Helmsman and his maritime stories have inspired the brand for generations. Tales of the Sea is an opportunity for us to add a contemporary twist to our current label, in addition to fostering fresh design talent and highlighting the important and groundbreaking work of The Fishermen’s Mission.”

David Dickens, CEO of The Fishermen’s Mission, said: “Every day the Mission staff sees the devastating aftermath of death and serious injury of fishermen at sea. Launching Tales of the Sea with Bunnahabhain will help us to raise further awareness of the Mission’s vital work and help to raise the funds necessary to continue our work supporting fishermen and their families.”

The winner will receive a cash prize of £2,000 and will see their design produced commercially as part of a limited collection. Chosen by a panel of expert judges, the winning design must perfectly embody Bunnahabhain’s nautical theme of the Helmsman returning home to recount his tales by the fireside.

To register for the competition, entrants must send an email with their name, date of birth and contact telephone number to: talesofthesea@stripecommunications.com or phone 0131 526 3083 with these details.

Deadline to register for the competition is 24th May 2013.

Deadline for submissions is 24th June 2013.

Sunny Saturday!

Saturday morning and a few of the inshore boats made it in to land...

 and take on gear...

including Mr Pascoe Snr...

and the Sapphire II is in for the weekend...

along with the early season yachts...

the giant scalloper Jacoba has a few days off it seems...

the pots are nearly ready to go aboard...

over on the slip the latest Rowse crabber is begiining to take shape as tons of steel from the hull is cit away...

exposing the old fishroom...

cutaway both sides...

which will become the new vivier hold...

not exactly the prettiest of boats afloat...

with her busted nose earnt when she was a 'rule-beater'...

if your lucky!!!...

in soft focus...

don't miss it!

Pair trawling in a gale of wind - top seamanship skills!

All in a day's work - when pair trawling the boats have to pass a line between them before they can tow the net - in poor weather this requires considerable skill - the Lapwing has to approach the Budding Rose at high speed because the wind would keep her off course - a tense moment every time the boats do so - which is probably around five times a day - and even more hair-raising at night!