Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
Seafood Cornwall’s #FishToYourDoor campaign - launched within hours of the first Covid-19 impacts on South-West fish markets - sees overwhelming response within first week. A new campaign that facilitates quick match-making between Cornish fish merchants and fishmongers and would-be buyers across the country has been inundated with orders since launching last week.
Cornwall-wide seafood promotion initiative Seafood Cornwall launched the #FishToYourDoor campaign alongside the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation on Tuesday 17th March. Responding to the closing-down of restaurant trade and export markets, and aiming to keep sales routes open for domestic catch, the scheme was designed to connect individuals and households with fresh Cornish fish - via fish merchants with capacity to deliver. One such merchant registered to receive customers through the #FishToYourDoor campaign is family-run business Celtic Fish and Game. Speaking of the impact of the initiative, Director Naomi Bullus commented: “Thanks to the #FishToYourDoor initiative, plus our own efforts, we have kept the doors open. We are delivering fish individually portioned, prepped and packed, and calling our customers to notify them that their contact-free delivery is on their doorstep". Local MP Derek Thomas added: “I’m delighted to see a scheme like this come together so quickly in the face of all the troubling impacts of this Covid-19 pandemic. Fishing communities and seafood businesses deserve our support more than ever at this time - and it’s reassuring to see a system delivering healthy, local fish directly to households when many are struggling with supermarket shops. I hope this demand continues to grow over the coming months, and beyond the current circumstances”. More than three requests per minute have been flooding in via the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation Facebook page, and Seafood Cornwall social media. Thus far, well over 400 new customers have been connected to merchants, many offering messages of support for Cornwall’s fishermen and reporting back, with comments including: “Thank you so much for going the extra mile to connect fishing families with the locals”, "I had some delicious fish delivered the next day and would like to place another order" and “this service will be a lifeline for me!”. The #FishToYourDoor campaign is continuing to register interested merchants and buyers via: ● Facebook - www.facebook.com/Cornishfpo ● Twitter - @CornwallSeafood ● Email - info@cornwallseafood.org.uk A phone number, web form and leaflet will be available shortly. Many merchants can deliver beyond Cornwall - please spread the word to family and friends across the county to support our Cornish fishermen, and protect coastal communities from the worst of the economic onslaught from the coronavirus. Newlyn suppliers of fresh fish by mail/courier: Fresh Cornish Fish
While the rest of the country takes on board and begins to comes to terms with the need to stay at home, practice social distancing and isolation our fishermen all around the coast are doing the same - only for them it's what they do every day - at sea, miles, sometimes hundreds, from home, out of sight and mind, whether singlehanded or in a crew of six fishermen have learned to spend most of their working lives under such circumstance. This time it's different. Skippers sailed this morning, prepared to do full trips, committing themselves to thousands of pounds of expenses to catch fish without being certain that when they land there will be sufficient demand for them to even pay the expenses for the trip. The biggest of these vessels in the south west might burn up to £6000 worth of fuel per day, just one of the many bills to be paid before the crew see a wage. One such boat is the Julie of Ladram, which sailed from Brixham this morning.
First mate Mike Smith aka Sprat had a few words for followers of Through the Gaps...
and its easy enough to follow the boats on any AIS app so the boats have promised to keep us posted on how the trips are going and what news they are getting from ashore re the effects COVID19 is having on their fish markets...
the Julie is not the only boat out there with huge overheads, right now David Stevens has the Crystal Sea...
away south of Newlyn trying to target the kind of fish UK consumers enjoy - like haddock but they will also be catching monk, lemon sole and other fish that UK consumers need to enjoy!
here is skipper David's haul now boxed and iced away in the fishroom!
Dawn breaks behind Penzance's Jubilee Pool over St Michaels Mount...
as a few Battery Rockers take their early morning dip in the Bay...
plaice...
lemon sole...
Dover sole...
monkfish...
and brill are mostly exported from Newlyn to the EU - and are the fish showing the biggest drop in prices across the board as the trade between countries dwindles owing to the COVID19 restrictions...
boxes of lemon sole...
plaice...
and cuttles from the Lisa Jacqueline will be on the auction in the morning...
brill...
John Dory...
and tub gurnards are all fish suffering from very low demand with buyers...
newly introduced 'social distancing' measures are being take seriously...
especially by young George, determined to keep anyone at least 2m from him...
it is quiet this morning...
with many if the boats tied up, unsure if they go to sea there will be a market for their fish when they return...
Jeremy on the Nazaren has pots to haul...
the George and Julian demonstrate social distancing for the benefit of other market users......
as dawn breaks over an uncertain future for the port.
This was translated from a Spanish website - the situation is the same for all fishing communities throughout Europe: "The owners of the port of the capital meet to analyse their situation and make a decision. The fish market will continue to function 'normally'. Plants do not understand viruses and neither do the stomach
The influx of buyers to the Almería fish market is falling over the days and prices have also plummeted, thus around 70% for seafood and 50% for fish. In this situation, the development of the activity is going uphill. For this reason, the owners of the capital have met to assess the impact in the sector of the crisis caused by the coronavirus and each one has made their own decision, with the result that 40% of the fleet (trawling in this case, since that the purse seine is in biological stop) the catches will cease, while the corresponding 60% will continue to fish to guarantee the supply of fish.
As José María Gallart, manager of the Association of Fishing Entrepreneurs of Almería ( Asopesca ), explains , ten boats have decided to stop as much due to economic problems, since the price of shellfish is at stake and it is their main species captured by what ceases to be profitable their fishing activity, as toilets, because in these boats it is very difficult to comply with security measures against Covid19. The other 14 ships will continue to fish to supply fish to society. In this way, "activity in the fish market will continue and fish is guaranteed in the market, but it will be necessary to analyze the situation day by day." TEN OF THE 24 TRAWLERS IN THE CAPITAL DECIDE TO STOP FOR HEALTH AND ECONOMIC REASONS
Given the moment of uncertainty and the impact generated in fishing due to the pandemic, which has had an impact on tourism and hospitality, causing a turning point in the demand for fresh fish with the consequent drop in prices, the Andalusian Federation of Fisheries Associations ( FAAPE) has sent a letter to the Government, to which the fishing sectors of Valencia and Catalonia have also joined. It calls for a series of measures necessary for the survival of the sector, as well as other activities, such as aid to crew and shipowners, according to the scale of temporary stops of the FEMP (European Maritime Fisheries Fund); the exoneration of the quotas to the Social Security and of the fiscal and tributary obligations while the state of alarm lasts, and the suspension of the deferments of the payments of the debts with the Social Security, Treasury and sanctions while this situation persists. Call for urgent measures from the EU The European fishing sector grouped into the Europêche organization and of which the Spanish Fisheries Confederation is part(CEPESCA) has asked the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, to adopt urgent and extraordinary measures to face the socio-economic impact caused by COVID-19. The fisheries sector makes this request after the negative impact that the escalation of measures taken by EU governments to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is having on its activity. Specifically, the sector is already registering a significant reduction in the demand for fish, in addition to a notable drop in prices in certain fish markets with inshore fleets that will inevitably lead to the cessation of fishing activities in some areas. In this situation, the fishing sector considers it a priority that the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries of the European Commission communicate, minimisor the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), and that it also adopt the necessary mechanisms that allow the activation of extraordinary measures. According to the fisheries sector, and since the current EMFF does not allow aid for temporary cessation due to a health or epidemic crisis, these measures should include the possibility that fishermen and operators in the EU receive aid and compensation for the temporary cessation of its activity as a result of the pandemic. In this sense, the fishing sector has requested the Commissioner to urgently modify Article 33 of the current EMFF and include this possibility in it, given the case of force majeure that this crisis entails. Likewise, asks the Commissioner for authorisation so that the Member States can be flexible when reprogramming the EMFF and that the measures that can be put into practice are mainly financed by the European fund. Additionally, the fishing sector considers it necessary to adopt additional measures and extraordinary actions to compensate for economic losses in those cases in which these sources of financing are not sufficient in the long term or are not foreseen at the national level."
At the end of a turbulent week fish is still being landed in quantity form the Newlyn fleet, like this specimen turbot from the inshore trawler New Venture...
along with ray wings...
John Dory...
red mullet...
brill...
hake...
and shellfish like these scallops, squid and octopus...
name this big flat fish landed by the Sapphire II...
and a small trip of hake from the netter Britannia V...
Ocean Fish's latest beam trawler to join the fleet, Le Men Dhu landed a nice little trip of quality flats...
while the Sapphire II filled the grader chill room with monk, megrim and other prime fish...
along with plenty of cuttles...
the number of boats now in port has risen...
the boats that landed big trips of pollack amongst them...
let's hope this notice in the window of the Fishermen's Cafe and the photo of all the regular merchants on Newlyn's fish market will not have faded too much from the sun by the time it comes down!
Seafood Cornwall’s #FishToYourDoor initiative is bringing together fish merchants and customers across the country to support our fishermen through the coronavirus crisis. Launching in the face of the current coronavirus pandemic, and coordinated by Seafood Cornwall, a new service is creating a register of would-be fish buyers and merchants across the county - and further afield. Project lead and CEO of the Cornish Fish Producers’Organisation, Paul Trebilcock, encouraged those practising social-distancing, or in self-isolation - or those simply wanting to get hold of top-quality local catch - to get in touch with Seafood Cornwall to arrange contact-free doorstep deliveries of fresh Cornish fish: “This is a unique opportunity to support our fishermen and ensure you have access to plenty of healthy, local fish and shellfish. We’re working as a team to connect customers and merchants - in turn, this keeps the demand for fish up and keeps our fishermen going to sea. Everyone wins!” As the spread of the coronavirus made headline news and restaurants across the country have been forced to close their doors, fish prices at markets across the south-west slumped. Pulling together as a community and keeping seafood businesses going through the coming months is a priority for Seafood Cornwall - an initiative launched one year ago to support Cornish fisheries. “None of us planned for a pandemic” notes Trebilcock “this is an unimaginably tough situation for businesses across the country. Thankfully, with Seafood Cornwall in place now for over a year, we’re in a great position to support our local seafood businesses, and make the lives of people in our community easier, too. We don’t see this ending once we are through the current situation, rather, this is the beginning of a better relationship between consumers and local fishing fleets so more people can benefit from eating healthy, sustainable locally caught fish and shellfish year-round.” Those interested in ordering fresh fish and shellfish deliveries to their doors in the coming days, weeks and months are encouraged to: · email Seafood Cornwall on: info@seafoodcornwall.org.uk; · message Seafood Cornwall on twitter @CornwallSeafood, or; · contact the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Cornishfpo.
A register of merchants with fresh fish available and vans for delivery is being coordinated through the Seafood Cornwall team, who are also happy to answer any questions about Cornish fishing and local, seasonal fish species.
Many merchants can deliver beyond Cornwall - please spread the word to family and friends across the county to support our Cornish fishermen, and protect coastal communities from the worst of the economic onslaught from the coronavirus.
The EU fishing sector has presented to European authorities the critical measures that have to be taken in order to overcome the operational, commercial, and safety problems that the sector has only begun to endure and which will inevitably and without doubt worsen in the coming weeks due to the protective measures taken against the spread of the COVID-19. The primary concern of the sector is the continuity of fishing activities and food supply to EU citizens. Measures are also needed for those vessels forced to cease operations. In a position paper sent to EU decision-makers the sector points out severe operational problems such as port and equipment supply restrictions, logistical difficulties, and soaring freight prices on shipments of fish. With regard to commercial factors, the sector shows concern over the collapse in first-sale fish prices, largely due to the closure of restaurants, schools, businesses and food markets and the strict limitations imposed on travel and tourism. Europêche reminds EU consumers that seafood is a vital part of a healthy diet and remains a safe, smart choice at grocery stores. Europêche underlines that the industry is increasingly limited in performing crew rotation or changes due to quarantines, get supply of drugs or protective materials or simply repatriate fishermen. In order to alleviate as much as possible the current situation of trade and value chain disruptions and evaporating market demand resulting in falling price levels, Europêche asks for legislative changes to enable fishermen to carry over more than the existing 10% of their fishing quotas to next year and for fair intervention prices for unsold fish. In the document, the industry demands a series of measures that guarantee the logistical needs of crews and ships, such as the transport of crews, equipment, health protocols tailored to each fleet and guaranteeing the supply of masks and gloves both to ships and to fish markets or fish auction halls. Europêche also urges policy-makers to modify the fisheries fund regulation in order to quickly adjust and provide financial aid for those fishing companies that are forced to cease their operations for imperative reasons such as member states measures to avoid the spread of the COVID-19, designation of high risk areas, crew infections or lack of market demand. In addition to these vital mitigation measures the sector calls on Member States to introduce national measures such as VAT reduction, suspension of social security contributions and tax exemptions. Furthermore, in view of the current developments, it only seems logical to extend the Brexit transition period with another 12 months at least, although Europêche understands that such decision depends on agreement by the UK. Daniel Voces, managing director of Europêche, declared: “Our fishermen are doing a fantastic job. While far away from their homes and families, they continue bringing healthy seafood to our plates in a very challenging environment. They deserve the full attention of our public authorities to secure their safety, their economies and the continuity of the food supply”. Letter with recommendations to the EU Commission
