French fishermen take action against dredging on their fishing grounds

The port of Guilvinec is famous for its 'Pink Gold' - better known as langoustine.

You can follow the dredging story here http://www.comitedespeches-finistere.fr/?-Clapage-en-mer-

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On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Nephrops inshore marine areas Guilvinec and Concarneau blocked the barge"Empedocles" responsible for 500 M3 silt from the marina with Cockles. This peaceful action lasted from 7:00 am until 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

Fishermen are then returned to the port of Guilvinec. The ships were loaded trays hard mud and rocks caught in areas of piling. These bins auction, used to transport the "pink gold" and brilliant hake emerged lobsters and fish in poor condition.

Some of these tanks was then brought before the mayor symbolically with Cockles is one of the operators work the marina. A frank and direct discussion has developed between the mayor and the fishermen present. It was the confrontation of two worlds. The first, fishermen, given the right to defend labor rights "human" to live a ancestale fishery, the right to preserve this prolific area, real nursery lobster and hake, the duty to defend their future and that of their families. The second that of an elected official who, not without courage defended his vision of the development of a passing pleasure unfortunately piling on areas that have been rejected by fishermen.

Beyond purely legal discussions, this day of protest in the Bigouden clearly raises the political question of the future of maritime professional fishing. For anglers there is no question of becoming an Indian reservation that we would visit the top of the lookout Guilvinec a day of output. "  The fishing begins in Finistère  "should not be just a slogan, but correspond to a real ambition.

The fishermen have an online petition to fight their corner! 

Monday morning's market at Newlyn

Brand new boxes set for action...

make a good show for the western end of the market...

looks like there are no netters landing today...

still thin on the ground, the elusive mackerel....

looks like the Harvest Reaper has stolen a few of Roger's cherished JDs!...

the bass boy is back in action again...

end-to-end with fish today...

while out in the harbour the pontoon berths are bust with the passing yellow welly brigade...

sophisticated fish handling deck pounds aboard the ex-Dutch beamer form Brixham...

with a little survey worker on passage.

BBQ lobster with herb butter - simple

Finely chopped garlic, capers and basil...

mixed with butter

split the body of the lobster in two with a sharp knife...

crack the paws with the back of a heavy knife or chopper (not too hard!!)...

on the BBQ for around 10 minutes. Thanks Kevin and Co!

Summer arrives in west Cornwall!

Probably the finest morning of the year so far greeted Mount's Bay today...

which would no doubt have been a welcome sight for the film crew that sailed with Mario on the Emma Louise a few days ago...

as they made their way out Through the Gaps...

and off to the crab grounds north west of the Wolf...

meanwhile, back on the fish market the sale is under way...

with more of those not so elusive cod still coming ashore...

and going off the market at high speed as the weather warms up...

an elusive and mysterious fisherman from Dreckly Fish heads for the pontoons.

IFCA and the European Marine Sites (EMS) information sessions coming to Cornwall - not to be missed by some!

EMS information session

If you need to get better informed about the potentially damaging (income-wise) Marine Sites that are planned for introduction in the not to distant future then you will need to get along to these meetings being hosted by IFCA!

Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority is making changes to fishing in European Marine Sites. Cornwall IFCA will be holding three drop-in sessions to consult with the fishing community and wider public on these changes. European Marine Sites (EMS) are designated areas of the coast and coastal waters that are covered by tidal waters and protect some of our most important marine and coastal habitats and species of European importance. 

There are six EMS which are either wholly or partially within the Cornwall IFCA District. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has changed its approach to management of EMS and as a result Cornwall IFCA will be bringing in new by-laws to control fishing activities which may damage the most important species and features within these protected sites. As part of the consultation process, Cornwall IFCA will be holding three drop in sessions where anyone who is interested will be able to find out more information, talk to officers and inform the management process. 

The sessions are: 

3 June 14:00 – 20:00 Long Gallery, New County Hall, Truro TR13AY. 

10 June 14:00 – 20:00 Guildhall, Fore Street, East Looe, PL131AA. 

18 June 14:00 – 20:00 Fisheries Centre, St Clare Offices, Penzance TR183QW 

All are welcome to these sessions and if you fish in any of the proposed European Marine Sites, or have an interest in the conservation of the marine environment it is particularly important that you try to attend. 

If you would like to discuss anything in advance of these meetings please call us on: 01736 336842 or e-mail enquiries@cornwall-ifca.gov.uk . 

For more information about the national approach to fishing in EMS please visit the Marine Management 

Organisations website http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/ems_fisheries.htm.

Who needs 60 lobsters? Jamie Oliver's chef does - when is he going to get them? Dreckly!

Sunday 2nd June 2013 4pm-10pm Winestock Cornwall comes to The Hidden Hut! 

A long-table beach-based food & wine extravaganza. The head chefs of Fifteen Cornwall and Hotel Tresanton will be coming down to Porthcurnick Beach to cook alongside Simon and the team. Lobster & Chips, Squid Caesar Salad, Fresh Pasta, Panna Cotta. Wines from world-renowned Master of Wine, Liam Steevenson.

Fishing boat landings and live local music. 

Tickets £50 each including wines and the four courses available - there are still a handful of places left! - book online here.

Now that the wintry weather is finally beginning to meander ever closer to summer the boys from Dreckly fish...

have been hard at it fishing for lobsters, all 60 of them were needed for the Hidden Hut's foody festival programme that kicks off this weekend with Winestock Cornwall...

this bad boy was caught in water so shallow king crab Francis could see the bottom!...

Kevin grabs the last of the boxes...

and puts them aboard the van before heading off across to the stunningly beautiful Roseland Peninsula via the King Harry Ferry...

with one of the consignment determined to take one of Seafish's RFS brochures with him to hand out...

each lobster bears the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme plastic tag...

and a separate unique numbered tag - provenance doesn't get better than this!

This year's colder-than-average winter weather hits inshore fishing hard

Inshore fishermen have suffered their worst start to the year in living memory with some catches down by 50% as the atrocious weather continues to take its toll. Prolonged periods of strong winds and gales, along with unseasonably cold sea temperatures, have left many fishermen counting the cost of an appalling catch. 

Nick Prust, of the South West Inshore Fishing Association, said it was heartbreaking. "It's really hard for everyone," he said. "It just hasn't kicked off at all this year."

Mr Prust, who has boats fishing out of South Devon and Appledore, said it was equally bad on either coast. "I would say we are 50% down on crabs and 40% down on lobsters. It's the worst I can remember in a long time," he said. Mr Prust said the water was colder than usual for the time of year and though only a few degrees it made a difference to their catches of shellfish. "The weather isn't going to improve overnight. "What we need is a few weeks of good, hot weather to bring the temperatures up, but I can't see that happening. "It's hard for all fishermen and I can't see that improving just at the moment." 

Dave Muirhead, secretary of the South West Handliners Fishing Association, said the situation was dire. "The first five months of this year have probably been the worst for the Cornish inshore fishing fleet in living memory. "There have been prolonged periods of strong winds and gales. 

Many of these have been really cold winds from the north east and east which have proved two old sayings 'when the wind is in the North the skilful fisher goes not forth' and 'when the wind is in the East then the fishing's at its least'." He said that the small inshore boats have always been able to rely on the spring run of mackerel. Under normal circumstances the fish could be guaranteed to arrive by the middle of April. However, by the end of May the shoals had still not arrived and hand line boats were going out only to return with a few kilos of fish at best. 


Mr Muirhead, who lives on the Lizard in Cornwall, said the terrible situation had forced some fishermen to call it a day – which itself had profound implications across the whole of the region's fishing community. "Several skippers in the inshore fleet have had to put their boats on the market," he said. "All in all, this is a very depressing situation for our inshore fleet which is very important to the local economy in the small coves and harbours around the Cornish coast. "In addition to the income from fishing itself it is estimated that each fisherman at sea creates four jobs ashore. "There are many small businesses processing and selling fish and shellfish which rely on the inshore fleet for supplies." 

Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, which counts large and small vessels in its membership, said it had been a tough year for the latter. "There's no question there has been an effect for the inshore fleet," he said. "The wind has been from the east or north east and the temperature of the water is still lower than you would expect. As a result, shellfish doesn't seem to have been moving and some of the fish has been late." 

Mr Trebilcock said high swells and gales had caused turbulence, churning up the seabed bringing a lot of seaweed ashore. "There's a lot of talk about what impacts on the marine environment, but this winter has shown that nature has the number one impact," he said. "It makes fishermen feel very small in the effect they have." The conditions faced by inshore vessels had not been replicated by the bigger boats, which fish a long way from land, he said. 

Though conditions had frequently "not been comfortable", trawlers had been able to bring in healthy catches of fish such as pollack and hake, he added. "At times they may not have been able to fish and have been dodging weather, but then they can wait it out and get back to the job," he said. 

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