Thursday night #FishyFriday morning.

Even the bigger boats in the fleet, like the Twilight III, that arrive at high water often take the opportunity to land direct to the fish market...

IRB Ivor & Mollie Dent crew disembark after their second shout of the day...

a 'mackerel gurdy', used by many of the smallest boats in the fleet which enables them to catch a surprisingly wide variety of species...

WIP or Under Constriction, work on the new lifeboat surges ahead...

the harbour is now home to three rowing gigs...

calm enough this evening...

the lifeboat has sports a weight-saving wooden construction...

high water also allows the smaller netters to access their net store direct to take on and off gear...

and so into #FishyFriday morning...

just one of a handful of sharks on the market this morning...

probably more popular with those of a certain age, hard roe fried gently in butter on toast or smoked and turned into taramasalata, delicious either way...

a big haul of scallops for a beam trawler...

line caught pollack should make good money...

plenty of mackerel about again but the run is very small...

there's there's a good chance that these two fish represent an entire morning's fishing for a certain dedicated handliner working from Newlyn...

when what he was searching for are fish like this...

they come in pairs...

the price of hake continues to rise as it begins to feature on more and more menus across the country - a great result for the boats who are members of the MSC Certified Cornish Hake fishery...

perfect dinner-plate sized turbot...

the unmistakable silvery skin of the 'king of fish' as Floyd deemed the mighty bass...

another good shot of ray for the inshore trawler...

Mousehole fish man Colin, hanging on every bid and poised ready to strike, like a king cobra...

these boots...

a cracking brace of red mullet...

quality and quantity of flats from the inshore trawler Elisabeth Veronique....

name the fish to which this tail belongs to...

monk tails...

more monk tails...

there's only one...

there's two side to every Dover sole...

top tally...

a good run of plaice from the Twilight III...

at this time of year these little chaps are hard to come by in any quantity...

there's enough ray wing cuts to keep Ben's Tolcarne Inn busy all week...

the eyes have it, the eyes have it...

dawn breaks...

one of the few withy pot makers left practising his art, Dick Ede with the first crop of willow reed cut this year from the Somerset flats ready for the season...

as a bevvy of Dutch visitors gets the benefit of John Thomas' fishing knowledge on the history of fishing for dogfish from Newlyn...

he ought to know as he held the port record for many years at £37,500 with his boat Boy Gary seen here alongside the quay with the crew still picking out dogs from the nets at midnight...

Capn' Cod and Plugger ponder the state of the fishing nation over breakfast in the Harbour Cafe...

which is looking distinctly cheerful this morning owing to a huge bunch of early season daffodils...

down the quay, the Galilee is benefiting from a foremast with some rather fetching curves...

as the sun tries its best to peer between the sea and the cloud cover...

there seems to be an increasing number of Cornish flags sporting the Union Jack in the harbour...

ever watchful Tom...

and a lonely gull on patrol off the gaps.

CIFA Inshore Fisheries Summit

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Brexit no deal? Fishing industry encouraged to get ready for EU catch certificates

Fishing industry encouraged to get ready for EU catch certificates in the event of a no deal.  Advice on preparing for the introduction of catch certificates part of contingency planning.

The fishing industry is being encouraged to start preparing their businesses for EU Exit to ensure they can continue to import and export fish and fish products, once the UK leaves the EU.

Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. However, the Government must prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario.

From 29 March 2019, in the event of a no deal, most fish and fish products will require a catch certificate for import or export between the UK and EU. This also applies to fishermen who land fish directly into EU ports.

Catch certificates prove that fish has been caught in line with established conservation and management measures. All non-EU countries are required to present catch certificates when trading with the EU.

Under the requirements, on leaving the EU:

• UK exporters will be required to obtain a validated catch certificate to accompany their exports of most fish or fish products into the EU (excluding some aquaculture products, freshwater fish, some molluscs, fish fry or larvae)
• Importers will have to submit an import catch certificate to the Port Health Authorities or relevant fisheries authority to be checked before the estimated arrival time into the UK;
• Exporters may also need to obtain supporting documents if the fish has been processed or stored in a country that’s not the flag state;
• A new IT system to process and issue export catch certificates, and other supporting documentation, is being developed to help streamline the process. Exporters will receive full instructions on how to register and use the new system before we leave the EU. Import catch certificates will continue to be processed through the current paper-based system.

In addition to documents required under IUU regulations, businesses will also need to follow additional steps to comply with health and customs regulations, in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU Exit.

To plan ahead for creating a catch certificate, businesses and individuals that export fish products to the EU will need to know the:

• species,
• vessel that caught it,
• date it was landed,
• weight of the consignment.

Fishermen and fishing businesses can stay up to date with the latest advice on importing and exporting after EU Exit on GOV.UK.

Mackerel on the move again in Mounts Bay.

As the morning sun picks out the huge marquee covering the Ocean Pride...

and the hull of the chemical oil tanker, Elka Hercules...

in the foreground a small fleet of handliners...

are busy fishing for mackerel on the best morning of the year so far, and the coldest...

with the Lizard picked out 18 miles away in the distance.

CHAMPIONING CHANGE IN THE FACE OF INERTIA

Established to provide the small-scale fishing sector with a dedicated voice of its own at European level, LIFE (Low Impact Fishers of Europe) came into being in 2012 on the eve of the new CFP, but took a few years to make its presence felt.

‘LIFE started to gather some real momentum in 2015,’ said Brian O’Riordan, LIFE’s former Deputy Director, now appointed Executive Secretary to guide the organisation as it goes through some fundamental restructuring.

LIFE represents small-scale fishing, mainly under 12 metre boats, fishing with low-impact gear.

‘In 2015 LIFE was awarded a generous start-up grant that made it possible to open an office in Brussels, employ staff, and get into action. First came Jerry Percy, recruited as Executive Director to set up and steer the new organisation. He was followed by two staff in Brussels to liaise with the EU institutions, and Marta Cavallé as Mediterranean Coordinator based in Barcelona to build up a presence in the Mediterranean region. I came on board in 2015,’ he said, adding that growth over the last three years has been rapid as LIFE now has affiliation with 31 organisations in 16 EU member states from the Baltic to the Black Sea, altogether representing more than 10,000 small scale fishermen.

‘These are people generally working from vessels under 12 metres, spend less than 24 hours at sea, committed to working with low-impact fishing gears and selling most of their catches fresh and as near as possible direct to the consumer,’ he said, skirting the thorny issue of defining what is or isn’t a small-scale low-impact fishing operation.

‘The primary aim has always been to promote a differentiated approach for the management of small-scale fisheries. Since the first CFP emerged in 1983, the default option has been for small-scale fishing to be left to the member states through the 12 mile zone derogation. European fisheries policy has from the outset been skewed towards larger-scale fisheries. It’s clearly not good enough. We need a differentiated approach for small-scale fishing and a set of policies and regulations that realises that. Small-scale fishing needs a voice. But change happens slowly and we need to rectify 35-plus years of alienation. There’s a lot of catch-up needed,’ he said.

Jerry Percy has stepped down as LIFE’s director and takes up a role as part-time policy advisor. 

‘What has become abundantly clear during LIFE’s development phase is the absolutely vital need for a specific and dedicated voice for the small-scale fleet across Europe. This need has been acknowledged and supported by both past and current DG MARE Commissioners and their staff, and at LIFE we are appreciative of this.’

From Heroic to Institutional

With LIFE now firmly established, he described the challenges are to take it from an initial heroic mode, with fishing people finding they have a voice and clamouring for representation, to a more institutionalised existence and the daily business of dealing with the bodies that govern fisheries across Europe.

This is going from the euphoria of arrival to the daily grind of monitoring legislation, including checking on the new EMFF post-2020 proposal, and engaging with the process to revise the Control Regulation. These are expected to take a few years of negotiations before adoption. Meanwhile, multi-annual plans are being adopted and implemented at sea-basin level and affecting small-scale fisheries, as reflected in the workings of the Advisory Councils (ACs), where LIFE is also active.

Now LIFE is set for another change as it shifts from its roots in Britain and to become a Belgian-based organisation, on the door step of the European bodies where policy is shaped. Jerry Percy steps down as LIFE’s Executive Director to take up a part-time role as Senior Advisor as he focusses his attention on the unfolding drama that is Brexit and the UK’s new Fisheries Bill. Meanwhile Brian O’Riordan’s role as Deputy has evolved into the new post of Executive Secretary, which is where the buck now stops.

Small-scale fisheries are at the heart of numerous coastal communities:

‘It’s a change, and it’s a logical step to take – and it makes sense in the light of Brexit now that it’s anybody’s guess what’s going to happen,’ he said.

‘That doesn’t mean we’re cutting ties with British fishermen, and there’s a lot going on in the UK with the under-10 fleet and getting the Coastal PO established – and we remain committed to the concerns of the UK small vessel fleet, and depending on the Brexit outcome, LIFE’s UK members will continue to receive our support under an associate membership arrangement.’

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Sardines packed at sea.

Ludovic Le Roux, a fisherman in La Turballe, has just invested € 150,000 in a mobile packaging line. He can now pack his sardines directly onto his boat.


The sardines are boxed directly aboard the boat

"Today, too many of us to catch the sardines in La Turballe , finding new markets has become a necessity. To this end, Ludovic Le Roux , a fisherman at the head of the company Celejeanne , which specializes in blue fish since 2007, is counting on its new mobile packaging line. A first for the port of La Turballe.

"Thanks to this equipment, the sardines are packed on board in small crates and shipped as soon as we land," says the fisherman, who employs 14 people on his pair of pelagic trawlers Cintharth and Marilude .

He has just received support from the European Funds for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (Feamp) of € 58,556 and € 19,518 from the Region to finance this innovative process which cost it € 156,149.

Doubled price

Out of the trawl, the fish passes in chilled water tank located at the rear of the boat for a first temperature descent. Then it is packaged in glossy polystyrene boxes of 4 kg. With ice flake, the fish continues to go down in temperature to reach 1 ° C in 20 minutes.

No handling, no risk of a temperature break, and late afternoon delivery of a sardine caught in the early morning are all arguments that have already convinced fishmongers and buyers of major brands. Three are already interested. A salesperson has been specially recruited to find other markets. Good news for the fisherman, who with this process doubles the selling price of the small blue fish. In the cannery, they are sold 0.83 € per kilo against 1.60 € for large retailers.

A longer season

With this new package the fisherman will also be able to start the sardine season earlier. And so fish more small pelagic fish. Supermarkets are demanding from the month of May while the cannery, it is necessary to wait for the month of July.

In the long run, he hopes to sell as much sardines to the mass market as to the cannery. The tests started in July and are rather promising. Four tons of sardines have already been packaged on board and the ship hopes to reach seven tons a day quickly.

Full story courtesy of Actu.fr