Honoured by the @FishMish!

The local sea bird population provide a simple fly-past... 

 as people from all over the UK...

 make their way, not Through the Gaps but minding the gaps...

past London skyline's latest addition...

adjacent to the Port of London Dock Authority's headquarters in Trinity Square by the Tower...

and the historic home...

and no less imposing Trinity House building

to take a seat...

and take part in the RNMDSF's AGM as Director of Fundraising, Alison Godfrey introduces the awards section...

where a number of people were honoured for their efforts in supporting...

being there as one big family...

in support of the work of the Mission around the coasts of the UK. A great day for the @FishMish

St Francis of Newlyn

A long-standing Cornish fishermen is supporting Cornwall Wildlife Trust's new awareness campaign – My Wild Life.

Francis Harris is a wildlife lover, has a degree in zoology and has worked for most of his life fishing off Cornwall. He is now part of Newlyn based brand Dreckly Fish who are gaining a reputation for some of the freshest and most sustainably caught fish to be landed on Cornish shores.

Lobsters coming Dreckly your way!

My Wild Life is a campaign to change the way people view and value nature and the charity aims to inspire more people to join them and take action for nature.

Francis Harris said: "From an early age I was interested in animals of all sorts, from creepy crawlies to the largest herbivores and predators. A Mousehole childhood concentrated my interests on the marine side of things, with a special interest in birds, which led to a degree in zoology and geology after a sojourn in the Midlands.

"Returning to Cornwall, and a working lifetime in the fishing industry which has given me the opportunity to observe local wildlife on a wide scale, little and large, common and rare, with some once in a lifetime sightings.

" I hope Cornwall continues to offer wildlife a place to flourish, so that future generations will be able to see, and hear, and appreciate the wonderful things that I have experienced during my time here in unique Cornwall."

Chris Betty, communications officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, added: "Francis is a fantastic addition to our My Wild Life campaign, which aims to highlight that nature is important for all of us whether it is for our livelihood or just our basic happiness and wellbeing.

"He is a great ambassador for the Cornish fishing industry and for healthy sustainable seas. He is a real wildlife lover and has many fascinating tales of the things he has seen during a lifetime at sea."

The trust will soon be encouraging local Cornish people to share their own wild lives with them and the chance to win a very cool prize.

www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/mywildlife

Full story courtesy of the Cornishman:  Follow us: @CornishmanPaper on Twitter 

‘Massive snub’ as Tory peer is chosen for EU fisheries talks

AN SNP minister says Westminster has snubbed Scotland in key European Union fisheries talks due to take place in Brussels today.

The Scottish fleet with boats like the Lapwing and Budding Rose make up the largest proportion of UK fish caught in EU waters.

Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said Scotland had been stopped from having a direct voice at the talks – despite the Smith Commission pledge Scotland should lead when it has the “predominant policy interest”, and even though the UK minister for the marine environment, George Eustice, was unable to attend.

Lochhead had demanded Scotland lead for the UK in the talks at the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

However, in a letter to the minister, the UK Government has confirmed an unelected Tory peer with no involvement with fisheries – Lord Rupert Ponsonby de Mauley – will lead for the UK.

The council is due to consider the Baltic Multi-annual Plan which has been described as “critical” for Scotland’s future fishing interests.

It is likely to establish legal and technical precedents which could carry over into the related North Sea Multi-annual Plan which, in turn, would underpin the long-term management of a number of North Sea key stocks in which Scotland has the dominant interest.

The SNP sees the move as breaching the terms of the Smith Commission agreement, which stated a presumption “a devolved administration minister can speak on behalf of the UK at a meeting of the Council of Ministers according to an agreed UK negotiating line where the devolved administration minister holds the predominant policy interest across the UK and where the relevant lead UK government minister is unable to attend all or part of a meeting”.

Last year, following pressure from the then First Minister Alex Salmond, the Prime Minister agreed to overrule a decision that would have seen Scotland’s fisheries interests represented by a junior farming minister.

Lochhead said: “This is a massive Tory snub to Scotland.

“It is disgraceful that the interests of our fishing fleet are being represented by an unelected Tory peer who has no involvement with the industry, especially as its clear Lord Rupert Ponsonby de Mauley has been drafted in so the UK fisheries ministers can go off electioneering.”

He added: “The confirmation that a peer with no involvement in fisheries is to lead these talks exposes the Tories’ real attitude to Scotland – it makes a mockery of the so-called respect agenda and previous agreements that the Scottish government is able to lead on the area of fisheries policy.”

In his November letter to David Cameron, Salmond wrote: “In 2010 both you and the foreign secretary agreed that it is reasonable, given Scotland’s overwhelming interests in fisheries, that Scottish ministers could speak for the UK delegation.

“The memorandum of understanding agreed between our governments in 2013 also makes provision for Scottish ministers to lead discussions in the council where an issue is of greater relevance to Scotland than the UK as a whole.

“It is true that the agreement you made has been breached by your ministers more often than it has been honoured. This is an opportunity for you to see that it is fulfilled and to demonstrate the commitment to the UK as a partnership of nations that you set out during the closing stages of the referendum campaign.”

Lord de Mauley is parliamentary under secretary for natural environment and science and is responsible for the business of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the Lords.

Monday morning's market and an unusual Scottish visitor.

Some of the new promenade railings that grace the skyline looking across Mount's Bay...

the onshore breeze over the weekend has produced a fresh seaweed harvest...

and Monday's market has a good selection of the usual flatfish like Cornish megrim soles...

the gills on this pollack are the kind of red that screams freshness...

whole monk on the market, an unusual sight which means there must be a visitor in town, in this instance it is a huge Scottish prawn trawler the Maracestina landing her whitefish only - she freezes her langoustine on board...

those blue tallies seem to get everywhere....

Ian the auctioneer in full cry---

as the fish are whisked away sharpish this morning...

well before the sun comes up over the horizon...

bathing the harbour in a warm light...

just as the sun breaks the horizon ahead of the visiting big Scottish trawler...

just behind the Mount...

young Jack Nowel's Exeter Chiefs' were unsuccessful in stopping the rampant Gloucester team on Saturday...

early season yachts begin to take up berths in the marina section of the harbour...

the old and the new, sign-writer extraordinaire Squirrel has been at work again on the Rowse's latest ship...

just a few trawlers in-between trips left in the harbour...

the business end of the Scottish prawn trawler...

one way to move a painting pontoon about the harbour...

more prawner action

the Hosking netter duo...

she might only be 20m in length...

but she dwarfs the 24m euro-cutter style Nowell beam trawlers...

tie to let go the ends of the Billy Rowney...

so she can get on the slip at high water, only possible over the biggest spring tides of the year... 

a fastworker about to go to work...

with one derrick leaned out so that she lists into the quay when she takes the bottom - boats have been known to fall over sometimes when drying out for hull repairs against the quayside...

reflected glory.

Work in progress - Dodging in heavy weather.

Raw sienna wash marks out the sea and the sky...
 

first touch of sky over the horizon...
 

along with a few clouds...
 

marking out a few of the bigger seas...

before creating some depth...

and building a layer of under-colour for the heavy seas...

doodling with the palette knife on the palette at the end of the day.

Promenade posts pounded in fresh cross-shore breeze.

The new promenade handrails get their first inclement weather test...

as strong easterly winds lash the promenade at Penzance not all the railings have been fitted yet...

a handful of sea birds check out the new look prom...

while the sky brightens...

as the sun begins its evening course and bathes the Bay in warmer tones.