Newlyn visitors includes one of the largest scallopers in the UK

No, not the plinth for a statue in the middle of the harbour - this is the new base for a new harbour crane can be used to lift heavy gear or even small boats out of the water...

the ex-French trawler built by Glehen in Guilvinec in 1987 and now registered in Newry and re-named Northern Osprey...

back in Newlyn again and this time in a different berth...

and testimony to her size, the Newry registered trawler Unity draws more at her bow than any regular Newlyn boat does at the stern...

at high water she moved to a floating berth on the Stone Quay as the south pier is known locally...

her fishing capacity is such that the fish hatch atop the shelterdeck even has a gutting tray for when she takes excessive hauls...

built by the Toms yard at Polruan, Cornwall the stern trawler Kindred Spirit...

and ahead of the the Brixham registered scalloper, BM519 Aquinis...

the immaculate wooden Inverness registered prawn trawler, Reul na Mara...

back in port to land her trip of frozen langoustine, BF432 Vison...

the largest scalloper operating in the UK, DS8 Sylvia Bowers. The Sylivia Bowers was one of the Scott Trawlers fleet recently bought by Macduff Shellfish:

MACDUFF SHELLFISH ACQUIRES SCOTT TRAWLERS

The UK’s largest wild caught shellfish processor, Macduff Shellfish, has acquired the UK’s largest scallop fishing fleet, Scott Trawlers, in a ground-breaking deal for the two businesses, backed by Royal Bank of Scotland.

The deal, a first for Macduff Shellfish in acquiring a whole fleet of fishing vessels, brings together two major players in the shellfish industry and enables greater integration through the scallop fishing, processing, sales and marketing process. It forms part of an ambitious plan by Macduff Shellfish to double the size of its business in the next five years.

Scott Trawlers, based in Dumfries, operates five scallop fishing vessels, two of which have ‘frozen at sea’ capabilities, unique in the scallop industry. The vessels account for over 15% of all UK scallop landings. The company also has a fleet of refrigerated lorries and a marine engineering business, catering for the equipment needs of scallop fishermen. Scott Trawlers employs 50 employees across the three operations, 35 of whom are fishermen.

Macduff Shellfish, based in Mintlaw near Peterhead, processes shellfish and exports to Europe and the Far East as well as supplying the UK market.

Commenting on the deal Euan Beaton, Chairman of Macduff Shellfish, said:

«Owning an entire fishing fleet is a first for Macduff Shellfish. This significant deal enables us to expand our scallop business, allows us to have a full chain of custody from the sea to the customer and consolidates a solid 15 year relationship between the two businesses.»
«Scott Trawlers has seen continuous investment which is apparent from the quality of the vessels, onboard equipment and exceptional calibre of the team and that was particularly attractive to us. We look forward to working with them all in taking the business forward.»
«This is a really exciting time in Macduff Shellfish’s continued expansion. Over the last 10 years we’ve quadrupled the business. In the next five years I’d like us to double it again with further acquisitions such as this and through organic growth, including diversifying into other shellfish categories.»

Andy Scott, CEO of Scott Trawlers, added:

«The team at Macduff Shellfish have a strong work ethic, are ambitious and continually invest in their business. The two businesses are a great fit and that was very important to me as I looked for ways in which I could still operate and grow the business but in partnership with a like-minded operation.»
«We have always been at the forefront of the scallop sector and this deal enables us to bring forward innovation from the catch through to the end product. That provides an exciting future for Scott Trawlers working as part of a much bigger team.»

Scott Trawlers will become a subsidiary of Macduff Shellfish, based in Dumfries and staff will continue to report into Andy Scott.

Although this is the first acquisition of a fishing fleet, Macduff Shellfish provides financing assistance to fishermen looking to purchase a vessel or invest in equipment in a constant effort to secure supply.

Euan Beaton added:

«To date we have financing arrangements in place with nine vessels. We are keen to expand this as well as looking at other acquisitions within the shellfish industry.»
Rory McPherson, Head of Structured Finance, Aberdeen, Royal Bank of Scotland Corporate & Institutional Banking, said : «We are delighted to be able to support this deal which brings together two industry leading companies led by excellent management teams.»
«The business case for this deal is compelling and will help to drive the growth of Macduff Shellfish in order to reach its ambitious targets. Our involvement in this deal underlines our commitment to support quality businesses in the North East of Scotland.»

The background to this story is interesting in its own right:

Andy Scott, who is well known in motorsport circles, was prompted to enter the fishing industry as a result of the Chernobyl disaster which impacted negatively on the Scottish lamb industry and had a knock-on effect on his haulage operation. He set up as a sole owner of a scallop boat in 1992, establishing Scott Trawlers, a family business that he ran with his three sons, as a limited company in 2000. Andy sold a small scallop processing business, Scott Trawlers Plymouth, to its management team last year.

Scott Trawlers operates five scallop fishing vessels, which fish around UK waters - DS10 – Albion ; DS11 Vertrouwen ; PD905 Honeybourne III ; DS8 Sylvia Bowers (named after Andy’s mother) and DS7 – Jacoba.

Macduff Shellfish was set up in 1985 in Macduff buying and selling live shellfish direct from the fishermen for freight to Europe. The factory in Mintlaw was bought in 1996 as the company diversified from chilled into frozen shellfish, the mainstay of its current operation which sees products distributed globally.

Meanwhile out in the bay the Trinity House service vessel Galatea is at anchor between jobs.

The new fisheries policy that wasn't.

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE LOOKING TO DESIGN A FISHERIES POLICY TO WORK IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

After months of delay, allegedly due to power struggles with the devolved administrations, a leaked copy of Defra’s White Paper on a new post-Brexit UK fisheries policy is ready for consultation. Well, not quite. This is not a White Paper on a new fisheries policy but rather a new “future action” for whenever and whatever relationship is struck with the EU.

The issue, it seems, is that Brexit realities have begun to set in at Defra. Chief among these realities is that there is still much to be negotiated in the UK’s withdrawal and fisheries – as Michael Gove was forced to admit when fisheries were included in the transition period.

The leaked White Paper is remarkably candid on this point:

“It is proposed that the Bill will enable government to act in the future. It does not as some have called for, create a new fisheries policy. This is because we do not yet know the outcome on the UK’s negotiations to withdraw from the EU or on a future economic partnership. The negotiations on an implementation period may also have a bearing on when new powers can be exercised.”

While this pours cold water over some the promises made to the fishing industry during the referendum campaign, it comes as no surprise to some close to the EU negotiations. Many of these experts have been emphasising that while the UK government tries to label the transition period an “implementation period” it is nothing of the sort. There may be an actual transition period to follow the implementation period, pushing back the date for any new UK fisheries policy.

All of this is very annoying for the fishers whose expectations have been raised and then dashed, but in reality it is extremely critical to get the implementation right. Even under a scenario where the UK reaps great quota gains from Brexit, half the fleet fishes non-quota species for export, mostly to the EU market. For these fishers one issue alone – hygiene checks at approved Border Inspection Posts – has the potential to impact their future prospects more than any of the contents in this White Paper.

And it is not only about trade flows. Even drawing a border around the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone would mean we continue to share over 100 stocks with the EU (only one, Clyde herring would be an exclusively UK fish stock). This means that without an arrangement on how to share quota post-Brexit there is a huge risk of overfishing. Finally, it seems, Brexit realities may be having their day over Brexit bluster.

FINALLY, IT SEEMS, BREXIT REALITIES MAY BE HAVING THEIR DAY OVER BREXIT BLUSTER

So, what of the White Paper contents? On quota management, again there is a let down for those looking for a root-and-branch reform of UK fisheries policy anytime in the near future. The White Paper notes that quota gained through Brexit could be allocated on a different basis but refuses to address the issue of current quota holdings. The small-scale fishers, largely shut out of the fishing sector, have been sounding the alarm over the continuation of existing quota holdings, but to no avail. It is true that the way the UK government has managed its quota – and it has always been a responsibility of the UK government – has led to an accidental privatisation of fishing quota, but this need not be the end of the story. Denmark has had the same basic quota system but recently reallocated quota to the small-scale, low-impact fleet.

THE SMALL-SCALE FISHERS, LARGELY SHUT OUT OF THE FISHING SECTOR, HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM OVER THE CONTINUATION OF EXISTING QUOTA HOLDINGS, BUT TO NO AVAIL.

What makes this failure to address existing quota holdings more frustrating is the fact that everyone in fisheries, including Defra, will admit that a mistake was made in the past with a one-off gifting of a public resource, for free, to private commercial users based on their track records. The White Paper states that “Defra will look to allocate any new quota as public assets, in ways that help deliver our new management regime” but why not use this as an opportunity to correct mistakes made?

To be clear, the proposed approach for any quota gains looks very good. The White Paper states that Defra:

“…will consider the establishment of a Reserve of quota to be managed…in accordance with new criteria to meet the future needs of the industry. We will consider allocating some new quota within the reserve through a tendering system which will aim to deliver sustainable fisheries, to promote the economic interests of coastal communities, to create opportunities for new entrants to the industry and to fund a world-class fisheries management system.”

For nearly a decade now, New Economics Foundation has been arguing for exactly this type of thinking in Defra. As fish stocks are a public resource, we should be designing our fisheries policy to work in the public interest. This means allocating quota not just on historic track records (as is currently the case) or based on profitability (as some have proposed) but on the social, environmental, and economic objectives for marine fisheries. Fully in line with the statement above, NEF has produced research on criteria-based quota allocation, a “Quota Reserve” to help new entrants into the industry who were not around when quota was initially gifted, and a landings tax to fund the management system. A “consideration” is a step, albeit a timid one, in the right direction.

AS FISH STOCKS ARE A PUBLIC RESOURCE, WE SHOULD BE DESIGNING OUR FISHERIES POLICY TO WORK IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

This leaked White Paper contains some progress on a number of issues and has admirable commitments to sustainability and using quota gains in the public interest. What is unfortunate, however, is that some of the larger issues are still very much up in the air, including whether there will be a new fisheries policy at all. This stands in stark contrast to the rhetoric used during the referendum. Over the coming months NEF will be working with fishing communities around the UK to ensure that the resulting legislation – fisheries policy or otherwise – delivers for them.

Full story from New Economics here:

Full fishmarket in Newlyn on Helston Flora day.

Heavy, wet-looking low cloud hangs over a flat-calm harbour at first light...

as Gary measures the last of the morning's fish for the Cefas landing data logs...

as both auctioneers elicit bids from the assembled buyers on a packed fish market...

with most of the inshore trawl and net fleet landing their usual varied mix of fish (which is why there is still a huge elephant in the room called the Landing Obligation) boxes have been stacked eight or nine high for some single species...



and taken up most of the floor space in both market halls...

with a good few boxes of big cod...

and mackerel featuring in the netter Britannia V's latest trip...

other boats pitched in with good shots of ray...

while the John Dorys of this world seem to be eluding young Mr Nowell for the moment...

he had better luck with a good shot of lemons...

while fellow inshore trawler skipper Tom on the Harvest Reaper scratched a few monk from the sandier bits of his regular patch off to the south'ard...

some of the punt boys are still getting results setting pots for cuttlefish...

while others, like 'Cod', aka Steven Astley, have been working handlines or rodsthe odd cod...

pollack...

while Andrew Pascoe brought back another good shot of ray from the banks off Land's End...

while Uncle Pascoe gave the pollack some stick over the weekend in all that fine weather...

the biggest and best of the hake form the Britannia V...

kept the buyers on their toes and such was the frenzied bidding that...

Butts involuntarily broke the habit of a lifetime and lifted a fish-box - the look on young Mr Tonkin's face says it all according to Edwin, who very kindly captured this unique event...

seems there wasn't to much room in either cold store this morning... 

so big whitefish like these haddock from the Asteria...

and a good run of John Dory...

monk tails...

even more JDs...

and of course as it is summer the beam trawlers are back on the megrim soles again...

and a few kissing JDs...

the netters always manage to pick up a few sharks..

along with one dozen of the bof the Britannia V's

a handful of red gurnards topped off with a witch sole...

visiting Scottish prawn boats always pick up a good few boxes of hake working west of the Scillys...

looks like prices are sky high again judging by the look on Colin's face...

noisy, omnipresent, black-back gulls in scavenge mode...

the trouble with twin-rigging - one boat towing two trawls at a time is that there is twice as much work to do compared to working a single trawl...

still plenty of work of a more serious nature in the winchroom aboard the Billy Rowney as the bottles of gas are testimony...

if all things maritime, historical and contemporary are your thing - at some time in your time on this planet get across the channel to the Temps Fete Maritime in Dourarnenez - a celebration of all things to do with the sea like you have never seen, or heard before as hundreds, maybe over 1000 musicians, provide the festival's background ambient sounds to create an incredible atmosphere charged with sea-passion.  If you can, book a berth on a boat to live the festival intimately!

Sunny, Bank Holiday Monday morning in Newlyn.

Another first time visitor, this time its the Plymouth registered, PH97 Stella Maris...

laying just astern of her is the Brixham beam trawler, Chloe Olivia with the guys busy overhauling her starboard-side beam trawl......

while the end of the Mary Williams pier is graced by the Asteria one of the visiting prawn trawlers...

though much later in the day she has joined a fleet of boats from France, England, Scotland and Ireland working the north west banks west of the Scillys...

on her way from Newlyn to the fishing grounds west of Scilly the Asteria had to cross one of three traffic separation schemes that help thousands of ships pass the Lands End peninsula safely every year - the AIS track would suggest that as she crossed the southbound lane she had to avoid several passing ships - from steaming west, she made a hard turn to starboard and headed north in order to pass astern of the southbound shipping before resuming her original course in accordance with the rules - the rules that apply in such a situation are:

Rule 8 is particularly important - as anyone who has ever navigated in a busy shipping lane in very poor visibility (heavy rain, or every sailor's dread, thick fog) will testify - in small vessels like fishing or yachts, tracking other vessels on a radar screen where every action is only relative to the heading of the viewing ship at any moment in time makes predicting changes to course or speed very difficult to determine with any accuracy - unless the change is significant - hence the importance of the rule.

These days, AIS determined by the IMO (Automatic Identification System) has made this situation much less hazardous as the course and speed of every vessel over 300 tons (and now many others under that size) is displayed for all to see - the skill and consequently the worry of navigating in restricted visibility have both been reduced.