Misty Monday morning market in Newlyn.

 

The netter Amanda of Ladram heads out into a misty Mounts Bay long after the Monday morning fish market has finished...

one which saw an utterly delicious but fairly rare for these waters eight-legger the subject of some furious bidding...

crabbers need bait, trawlers catch plenty of lesser spotted dogfish or morki (Cornish for sea dog) to satisfy that need...

top quality fish featured heavily on the market floor like this Couch'e bream...

stunning red mullet...

still-stiff bass...

and perfect specimen jigged squid...

Cod, despite the attention it gets when it come to sharing with the French - we have around 10% of ICES Area VII quota - is only caught in quantity in spring mainly in the waters north of Cornwall...

big blondes...

were among this large haul of ray...

2-3kg bass are proving popular with the handliners, tough they would like to be seeing a much bigger run at this time of year...

one of the few fish that sports the thumbprint of a well-known religious character, but which fish?..

horse mackerel or scad, seldom seen on the wet fish shop slab but a tasty member of the pelagic fish set...

aye-eye...

tub gurnard - an absolute delight to eat baked and encrusted in sea salt - ask your local supplier to get one for when you next entertain 6 people...

last but not least, a full trip of MSC Certified hake form the netter Silver Dawn.

Brexit, Europe and the CFP - Why the UK won't back down on fisheries.

Barrie Deas Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Why the UK won’t back down on fisheries

Speculation is rife about a deal on fisheries that would unlock a wider UK/EU trade and partnership agreement.

The issue has now come down to the essentials: whether the EU will move a sufficient distance on quota shares that will allow the UK to grant a level of access to UK waters and to sign a deal. Both sides are politically committed to finding an agreement but the distance between the parties is vast. Conventional wisdom would suggest a split the difference approach could resolve the matter but that would be to miss the essential point.

Quantum and Principle

For the EU this about quantum – how much access their vessels will have to fish in UK waters and how much of their advantage on quota shares can be retained. For the UK it is about quantum too – but it is also about principle – and that is why I do not believe that the UK will back down on fisheries.

The principle involved is the UK’s unhampered ability to act as an independent coastal state in line with its rights and responsibilities under international law, after the end of the transition period. The UK government is acutely aware that it cannot surrender those rights without having to face the question from the people who voted to leave in the referendum: “What was Brexit for?”

Change is Coming

Undoubtedly, the change that will come – with or without a framework fisheries agreement - will involve a huge challenge for the EU fleets. The scale of that change is a reflection of the scale of the advantage that those fleets have had over 40 years, and to what extent the Common Fisheries Policy denied the UK the benefits of its status as an independent coastal state.

President Macron faces an uncomfortable political backwash ahead of an election year if he surrenders on fisheries; but the signs of fissures in the EU camp are already there - in comments made in Berlin - and in rising tensions between the Commission and the five member states who benefit from the current arrangements. The rhetoric is still there but the fishing five are increasingly isolated.

Litmus test

There is a reason that the UK Prime Minister, in his recent call with Commission, underlined the importance of fishing. It is because fishing is an immediate litmus test for Brexit. What Brexit means for the UK’s trade relations with the EU and with the rest of the world won’t be fully known for years – if not decades. We will know, however, if there has been a good or bad deal, or no-deal, on fisheries by the end of this year. Fishing has a political immediacy. It also goes to the heart of the vision of the UK as an independent country outside the EU. That is why I do not believe that we will see a repeat of the 1970s when fishing was considered expendable.

Everything is still in play. The talks continue, and as long as they do, people will speculate.

The NFFO and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation have made clear what they would consider an acceptable deal with the EU. The final outcome, if there is to be an agreement, will be judged against those criteria and against the fisheries agreement recently signed between the UK and Norway – a model of how two coastal states should cooperate together on the sustainable management of shared stocks.

Paul Trebilcok, chief executive of the CFPO has this to say:

As summer fades over the horizon and the crisp autumnal months begin to settle in, we take this transitional moment as an opportunity to take our busy Fathom schedule back to the quayside and touch base with the CFPO and our co-host Paul Trebilcock, to reflect and forecast.

We answer an array of fishermen's questions that have been bouncing around the quayside in recent weeks, focusing primarily on the turbulent political climate. As key changes such as the Fisheries Bill are seemingly being left down to the wire, our listeners would not be blamed for having questions about the future.

Wondering how Brexit is really going to pan out for the industry? Questioning what the three year transition period will look like? Want to know whether there is room for new measures to help maintain sustainable fish stocks? Curious about potential and emerging fisheries, such as Bluefin Tuna in the southwest? Speculating on what the industry might look like in 20 years? You are not alone.

Tune in as we have a crack at answering some of your burning industry-specific questions - it’s time for a reality check!

By way of contrast, Dennis McShane (ex-MEP)  writing in the New European has another take on how the negotiations between the UK and EU will unfold and why:

Altogether he cites 11 reasons why why Boris Johnson will be bounced into securing a Brexit dealthis is so including this on fishing:    

3) On fishing some live and let fish compromise is necessary before Britain launches an unwinnable fish war with the continent. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is no longer the racket it was when Britain joined the EEC in 1972. It is now mainly about conserving fish stocks which is as important to British fishing skippers as their continental comrades.

The British proposal for a three-year continuation of the existing status quo is a start is already a move away from previous demands that all non-UK fishing boats are expelled from UK waters. Lengthen that with a review clause and a guarantee that anything landed in the UK will have automatic tariff and quota free access to European markets and we might get somewhere.

You may also want to watch: More videos for you There is room for big compromise though Macron needs something. There are twice the number of French working in fishing boats than UK (where 30% of on board trawler workers are EU citizens and 90% of workers preparing landed fish). A long lead in transition could sweeten the pill.

and this on cross-channel transport

4) There is a real panic among road hauliers that there will be major blockages in Kent where 10,000 lorries arrive every day bringing 85 % of fresh fruit and veg and 60 % of all bacon, sausages and ham we eat. The other strong pro-Brexit man in the government, Michael Gove has publicly talked of queues of 7,000 lorries. Very few of the estimated 50-60,000 customs agents needed to fill in forms have been hired. I went to speak at a protest meeting of a giant site for a major lorry park on edge of Ashford to take up to 5,000 lorries with testosterone charged drivers hanging around waiting to clear customs. This is not popular in Tory shires.

You  can read the full text and all 11 reasons he cites here:

It's a fairly #FishyFriday in Newlyn!

Forty shades of orange...

always good to see a boat look after their hauls of whiting - one of the more delicate white fish which do not appreciate being thrown around...

plaice...

and monk tails are a little more resilient

as are lemons...

while mackerel need all the TLC they can get...

as do red mullet, their scales don't stay in place for long after entering the cod end......

John Dory...

and ray rank up their with the toughest of them...

while these beautiful squid, their thin, brown outer membrane intact, reflect they method by which they were caught, one at a time using jigs...

big bold bass often fish in a surf break and are no strangers to fighting for their food...

these pristine monk tails...

sans tête...

Red Bull gives you ray wings so the story goes...

time to sort those megrim soles...

plenty of plaice helped make up the 150 box trip from the beam trawler St Georges...

not a breath of wind overnight, which meant that most of the sardine fleet were back in before midnight with their catches.
 

Cornish Sardines galore at sunrise in Newlyn.

Thankfully for the netting fleet, the falling tide has coincided with a drop in the wind which saw them firing up their main engines before sun up, all hands keen to get away to the fishing grounds off the South Western Approaches.....

the new secure fuel oil and stores compound provides different early morning view of Newlyn, with the light from the waning moon hanging over the town...

as the first three of six sardine boats queue up to land having made a dash in the early hours to take advantage of the weather that settled overnight...

Tom Pascoe, one of the youngest fishermen in the port, pushes down his brail while the next is being emptied ashore from Serene Dawn...

away in the distance the Harvest Reaper heads for the gaps...

as the Golden Harvest lays-to, waiting for a berth alongside the busy fish market quay...

down on the deck of the Asthore...

two brails are also in action putting their morning's wrk ashore...

Dan puts the Golden Harvest gently alongside the market...

as his newest recruit to the crew begins the landing process by adding ice to the 450kg insulated tubs...

before she swings the landing crane with a full brail of sardines over the waiting tub...

Abby represents a small but growing trend of female fishers in the port...

though with nine years already spent at sea crewing for big yachts she already 'knows the ropes' in a way that many new recruits don't...

as the sun permeates light in the harbour...

the next boat, Amanda of Ladram takes ice...

while a Stevenson boxes are delivered ready to be put aboard the next beam trawler...

within a couple of hours the harbour is beginning to empty of boats kept in port for poor weather...

the new security compounds now almost full...

as the last few insulated tubs are being filled full of sardines...

Silver Dawn  skipper Tristan takes the stern line...

so that he can slip the boat out of tier...

and take ice...

as the next sardine boat to land, Lyonesse comes alongside the quay...

the waiting Ocean Fish lorry now almost fully laden with the night's catch of sardines...

with just the first haul for some weeks from the Resolute being landed and caught on film by what looks like cameraman Nathan Harrison...

time for the crew on the Golden Harvest  to head back to her berth...

as the local angling boat Mermaid makes ready for another day at sea to take advantage of what seems like an extended post-lockdown tourist season being enjoyed by businesses in the far west of Cornwall.

 

Fisheries APPG explores how regional initiatives can benefit UK fishing.

 

Last week’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries webinar was attended by a record number of attendees. Presented by an expert panel, and attended by interested MPs, Peers, and a range of stakeholders from the UK fishing industry, the event explored how regional decision-making was helping to improve fisheries management and the welfare of fishing communities across the country.

A panel representing a diverse range of fisheries initiatives presented case studies that explored the successes and challenges of local decision-making for UK fisheries management. "Our fishing communities and fisheries vary tremendously across the country,” said Sheryll Murray MP, who chaired the event. “Broad management efforts from the government are useful, but are most effective when applied alongside regional initiatives that have a deep understanding of the areas they operate in."

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of Plymouth City Council, actively engages with the city’s fishers, and shared some positive experiences from this close collaboration. Plymouth City Council have supported an initiative to increase use of lifejackets and are working with the fishing industry on a plan to build a world-class centre for fishing. “We hope that the models we have created in Plymouth could be utilised by other committees and organisations across the country,” he said.

“Fisheries management can be highly dynamic, and regional decision-making has allowed us to respond quickly to changes in fishing effort and sectoral conflicts” said Tim Smith, Senior Environmental and Scientific Officer for the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA). “Local knowledge and industry research participation have been vital in addressing environmental concerns and the potential impacts of gear conflict.” Tim attributes NEIFCA’s collaborative and consultative approach to helping Yorkshire’s inshore dredge scallop fishery to become sustainable and successful.

Considering whether localised successes could be replicated elsewhere around the UK coast, Chris Williams, Senior Programme Manager at the New Economic Foundation, cautioned, “Future funding should consider the capacity of fishing organisations to apply for funds and ensure that they are given the support they need to apply effectively.” He spoke about working with Graham Doswell and the Eastbourne Quay Project: a fisher-led programme that has overcome challenges brought on by contractors going into administration and the effects of the pandemic. The new Eastbourne fishing quay has now entered the first phase of construction - developing the quay and its facilities for the benefit of the fishermen that use it.

Mike Simmonds, a Fisheries Network Coordinator who has worked at the national and regional level, spoke about how more ‘joined-up’ thinking could help streamline efforts between sectors and national and regional decision-makers for maximum effectiveness. He said that to make effective local decisions, every stage of the supply chain needs to be communicating effectively, and that local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships are best placed to determine local fishing industry needs.

APPG on Fisheries parliamentary member Peter Aldous MP shared insights into the work of the Renaissance of the East Anglian Fisheries (REAF), which - through support from all sectors - has developed the UK’s first regional fishing strategy. Their recommendations include investment in a regional fishing port, so it can expand its capacity to accommodate landings and vessel activity. Aldous said that their success can provide a template for similar efforts elsewhere in the UK, but agreed with earlier presenters when he emphasised that bespoke evidence-gathering and regionally-relevant approaches are necessary to ensure success.

Following the presentations, a question and answer session gave attendees from across the UK fisheries sector the opportunity to engage with each other and with Parliamentarians about how local decision-making can support the UK fishing industry.

A recording of this event and a summary of the discussion that took place can be found here, and an accompanying policy brief will also be available in due course. The APPG will hold its next event online on 4 November 2020 on the subject of climate change and UK fisheries, and anyone involved or with an interest in UK fisheries is invited to attend.

Contact: All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries Secretariat 

secretariat@fisheriesappg.org 

Latest UK fisheries statistics sees Newlyn take second place in England's top fishing ports league.

The MMO have just published their annual Sea Fisheries Statistics for 2019...

there are pages and pages of broad and detailed figures, charts, graphs and tables  that give a guide as to the state of the UK fishing industry...

sadly for Newlyn the port loses out again to Brixham when it comes to the top port by value in landings though the port is still number one when it comes to volume.