How is your #FishyFriday

Clean sweep of the departures board as auction ace Ian adds the latest departures and arrivals information...

with fish in short supply again some merchants have become very protective over their purchases...

with bass making top dollar this morning...

the fish need to be sent away as quick as possible...

the fleet will be looking to get away today...

so the boxes are ready to go aboard...

and the decks are clear...

away in the distance Go Fot It makes her way to the gaps...

while the HGV trucks which make up the superb network of transport link with Newlyn swing into action.

There's weather everywhere!

This was the wind speed at the Sevenstones Lightship off Land's End last night...

and here at the other end of the country some 800 miles away is the view from the office window of the Reliance II some 8 miles north of Peterhead on her way back out to the fishing grounds - much the same story either  end of the country it seems - #EatMoreFish we say!

Call to prayer

Heads bowed in earnest contemplation as high prices.....

  on a market floor almost devoid of fish...

concentrate the minds of the buyers this morning...

over a few boxes of mackerel...

bass...

and hake from the Ajax...

are swiftly sold and rushed from the market floor...

while the netter Silver Dawn is lit up...

 by the searchlights of the Berlewen laying astern of her...

the harbour remains full of boats...

waiting for the poor weather to pass.

Does the size of a boat matter?

From The Journal:

THE SECOND LARGEST trawler in the world, previously banned from Australian waters, is back off the coast of Ireland – and it has some in the industry concerned.

The 143 metre long Margiris is currently sailing along the north coast of Mayo, having entered the Irish European Economic Zone on 7 January. It can process as much as 250 tonnes of fish per day. The ship has sailed under a range of names, including the Abel Tasman and Annelies Ilena, and various nationalities. The vessel is currently being kept under the watchful eye of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, assisted by the Naval Service and Air Corps.

“A basic principle of the EU Common Fisheries Policy is shared access for all EU vessels to all EU waters,” a spokesperson for the authority explained.

Source: VesselTracker

“As a European registered fishing vessel, the Lithuanian registered vessel the Margiris is permitted to operate in any European waters and can fish in any area and retain on board any fish  for which it has a nationally assigned European quota.

It was the target of an Australian ban on so-called supertrawlers in 2012. The ban was extended just before Christmas to smaller ships, The Australian reports. Local fishing groups have previously expressed grave concern over ships like Margiris, which has far created capacity than many smaller boats combined, when it arrived off the west coast in March last year, soon after the ship was reportedly again refused entry to Australia.

Quotas

Francis O’Donnell from the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation said last night there are issues surrounding the quotas assigned to these vessels.

“The enforcement agencies know that they have quota to be there, or at least they think they do, but they actually don’t know what the quota available to these ships is,” he told TheJournal.ie.

“From an enforcement perspective, it’s a real problem. It’s totally unacceptable.”

O’Donnell stressed that there is no evidence to suggest the ship has been behaving illegally. He said is believed it may be fishing for horse mackerel.

Full story courtesy of the Journal.

Newlyn boy through and through - Jack Nowell's Newlyn roots

Great rugby games are full of passion - the story of England rugby boy Jack Nowell tells of his early days on the hallowed grass of Mennaye Fields, home to what was the Penzance & Newlyn rugby team - "The Pirates" to the rest of the world!

Read the full story here:

Does the size of a boat matter?

Here's a great post on the NFFO website from Jersey small boat skipper, Don Thompson who discusses whether small boat fishermen get the representation they deserve - the lack of which undoubtedly led to last year's quota debacle when some inshore fishermen and fishing businesses were pushed to the point of collapse or beyond.

One comment stands out in his post:

"Few fisheries’ managers and decision makers are aware of the catastrophic impact to a small boat fisherman, of having access denied to just a single species, when that particular fish may represent his income for the next 6 or 8 weeks".

Ed comment: Sharing information and often with MMO staff at every level is a must if situations like last year are not to be repeated with blanket bans on the landing of skate, ray and other fish impacting so disastrously on some fishing communities who are totally reliant on single species at some times during the year.

For the full story read here:

Invitation to attend the South marine plans

Options workshops

11th – 13th February 2015

Brighton, Southampton and Exmouth

Following the successful engagement and consultation on the South Vision and Objectives, the MMO is holding a series of workshops offering you the opportunity to influence the next stage of the planning process for the South Inshore and Offshore Marine Plan Areas: Options.

This work will directly influence plan options and policies and is a great opportunity to ensure the waters around the South coast are safe, clean and productive in years to come.

In February 2015, workshops will be held in Brighton, Southampton and Exmouth and we hope you can attend. Views of those who regularly use or enjoy our coast and seas are vitally important. Please note Southampton is now full but there are spaces available in Brighton and Exmouth.

Please click on your choice of location to book -

• Wednesday 11 February – Mercure Brighton Seafront Hotel- spaces available
• Thursday 12 February – Novotel, Southampton- NOW FULL
• Friday 13 February – Ocean Blue, Exmouth- spaces available

All sessions will run 10am until 3.30pm.

A buffet lunch will be provided and refreshments will be available throughout the day.

To register for a workshop please book via Eventbrite at the links above. Places are limited, so we politely request that each organisation send no more than one representative to each workshop. Booking will close on Friday 23rd January 2015.

Information on the Options process, and workshop logistics, will be sent out to participants prior to the first workshop.

If you are unable to participate in the workshops you can still have your say on Options. Details will be circulated to all stakeholders with an opportunity to send written comments direct to the MMO for a period of time alongside the workshops.

For further updates please check the Marine Development Blog.

Best wishes,

The Marine Planning Team
Her Majesty’s Government – Marine Management Organisation
Lancaster House,
Hampshire Court,
Newcastle upon Tyne

NE4 7YH.

Tel: 0191 376 2790

Web: www.gov.uk/mmo

Twitter: @the_MMO

Facebook: /MarineManagementOrganisation