Final #FishyFriday for April in Newlyn

Low water and reverals just how deep-drafted modern fishing boats are, the Amanda of Ladram  is only 18m long...

one of the more voracious ocal residents takes off for supper...

high water Thursday evening sees the return of the day boats like the Harvest Reaper...

and skipper Tom jumping ashore to land days days work...

as does Brackan on the Spited Lady III...

Tome heads of to find a berth and then it's home for a few hours kip...

as does Patch in his punt Shikari...

wind the clock forward to #FishyFriday morning and fish are being pulled off the auction floor for packing...

with excellent landings of inshore fish like these red mullet...

haddock...

and lemons from Brackan...

all the boats picked up a few John Dory...

the the big Irish trawler Unity hit the jackpot in terms of quantity...

with over 60 boxes of these gorgeous fish, unfortunately it seems the whole trawling world is doing the same as a result prices already took a dive on Thursday...

Tom had his fair share...

while the port's Dory king was nowhere in the running, a gutted young Roger Nowell...

Dovers...

and monk tails make up some of the the high quality fish that the port is renowned for...

of which a whole host of buyers are keen to get their tallies down on those boxes...

to keep a smile on the faces of all concerned, these must be some of those 'happy fish' the indescribably condescending Jacob Rees-Mogg referred to earlier this year...

up goes the market doors..

with all but a handful of boxes ready to sell...

seems the handliners in both are finding mackerel difficult to locate...

though there do seem to be a few blues for those guys willing to put pots in awkward places...

or some hard-fought-for pollack caught by hook...

ray are still to be had though the season of plenty is now passing...

it was up to the Unity to land some quality hake fished over the very big tide, more will arrive from early next week when the hake netters are able to get back to sea again...

got to love a gurnard...

there's red...

and the odd black bream accompanied by a greater weaver...

seems blue is most definitely this year's colour...

with a hint of orange over the deep blue sea...

only the gribble work have are more voracious than the black-back gull population...

plenty of fishing news, finance, grants and of course all the fishing training news tou need from Seafood Cornwall Training...

calms don't come much flatter than this, not a breath in the harbour this morning...

there are some exciting new projects underway in the harbour - keep your eyes peeled for more Argoe news!

 

Weeknd action in Newlyn.

Good to see skipper Alan back in the wheelhouse, first landing of hake from the Charisma...

Stevenson's tug gives a helping hand...

to turn the Twilight around...

as the Annie-May...

 heads to the market...

every inch of space on the boat is made use of...

landing her turbot and monk...

in insulated tubs...

as quickly as possible...

ready to be graded for the morning's auction...

showing off the sweeping lines of St Ives ligger Barnanbas... 

all that scrubbing and new stern tube extension have paid off aboard the punt Kathleen.

When is a fishery sustainable?

 

Despite the many scientific and public discussions on the sustainability of fisheries, there are still great differences in both perception and definition of the concept. Most authors now suggest that sustainability is best defined as the ability to sustain goods and services to human society, with social and economic factors to be considered along with environmental impacts. 

The result has been that each group (scientists, economists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc.) defines “sustainable seafood” using whatever criteria it considers most important, and the same fish product may be deemed sustainable by one group and totally unsustainable by another one. We contend, however, that there is now extensive evidence that an ecological focus alone does not guarantee long-term sustainability of any form and that seafood sustainability must consistently take on a socio-ecological perspective if it is to be effective across cultures and in the future. 

The sustainability of seafood production depends not on the abundance of a fish stock, but on the ability of the fishery management system to adjust fishing pressure to appropriate levels. While there are scientific standards to judge the sustainability of food production, once we examine ecological, social, and economic aspects of sustainability, there is no unique scientific standard. 

Abstract and writers from:

Ray Hilborn, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Bridget S. Green, Klaas Hartmann, Sean R. Tracey, and Reg A. Watson 

MCA calls Falmouth registered Gonpez 1, Spanish flag of convenience boat in to Newlyn.

The Falmouth registered Gonpez 1, Spanish flag of convenience boat arrived in Newlyn this morning...

she is typical of the big Spanish trawlers that fish for hake, monkfish and megrim sole on banks like the Pistola and the Sole Banks south west of Cornwall...

using very long combination bridles over the soft often muddy grounds...

as a member of the UK fishing fleet she is proudly flying her red duster...

as the crew help pull her astern to a deeper berth...

 before preparing to meet an MCA inspection team...

she dwarfs one of the local mackerel handliners heading back to her berth after an early morning haul...

visiting Brixham beam trawler Sam of Ladram...

a paint job is underway on the St Georges.

 

Ten hour tow back to Newlyn

 

After picking up discarded trawl netting the Karen N was towed in by sister-ship Louisa N from 50 miles south of Newlyn. All those involved showing excellent seamanship after the ten hour tow. 

The rescue was brought to a satisfactory conclusion with support from Jeremy and Chris aboard the tug Danmar who kept the Karen N on a steady course as they entered through the gaps in half a gale of sou'easterly wind.

It is not just UK skippers that see fly-seiners as a threat to inshore fishing

Industrial fishing: how the Netherlands empty French waters Industrial fishing

French artisanal fishermen are currently negotiating with foreign seafarers, who practice industrial overfishing using the Danish seine. Redoubtedly effective, this technique threatens fishery resources and the future of French fishermen.

“After their boats have passed, it is no longer even worth going fishing." Philippe Calone, fisherman with nets in the Bay of Seine (Normandy), is one of those sickened sailors no longer tolerate the presence of large foreign vessels . In recent years, tensions between French artisanal fishermen and Dutch, English or German professionals - who in turn practice industrial fishing - have steadily increased. The French hold foreigners responsible for the economic crisis they are currently experiencing.

In November 2020, the auction in Dunkirk (North) went bankrupt and had to close its doors . The following month, sailors blocked the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) to protest against the “ overexploitation ” of the Channel's resources by Dutch ships. “ These are large boats, and their catches are too large in relation to the available fish resource,” describes Philippe Calone "Only one of their passage scares the resource over an entire given sector for at least two weeks. They had started in the southern North Sea, they took it all - artisanal fishing has been in big trouble there ever since - and they are now coming to the Eastern Channel. "

"This gigantism means that there are not enough fish for everyone" These large vessels (over 25 meters long) often practice a particular fishing method: the “ Danish seine ” . Contrary to what its name suggests, it is mostly used by the Dutch. Appeared in France only ten years ago, it consists of putting long nets formed of two "wings" into the water for several hours. Lateral steel cables ensure the catching of the fish.

"This technique is very efficient," indicates Mathieu Vimard, deputy director of the Norman Fishermen's Organization ( OPN ). It is much more efficient than traditional trawling methods. For the same time spent at sea, it will not be the same fishing production at all. "The combination "big very modern ships" and "technical super-productive fishing" has inevitably created inequalities between fishermen. "This gigantism, in a small space like the English Channel, means that there are not enough fish for everyone" , regrets Mathieu Vimard.

In addition, some French fishermen have suspicions about the legality of the presence of Dutch vessels in these French areas. To fish in the east of the Channel, boats must have a European fishing authorisation, in place to regulate access to the resource. While the number of large authorised foreign boats should remain stable, French fishermen are nevertheless seeing them increase. Sign, according to them, that the regulations are not correctly applied.

"If we do not supervise the technique, we are going straight into the wall" To calm the spirits, the Dutch industry therefore undertook to put in place an agreement between the various stakeholders to “frame” the practice. For more than a year, the Dutch, English, Belgians and French have been negotiating on this issue, led by VisNed, a federation of Dutch producer organisations.

"The problem with this agreement is that we do not start with the same basic observation" laments Mathieu Vimard, deputy director of the OPN . The latter participates in the negotiations: it represents 240 Norman craft boats, none of which practice Danish seine. "We see that there is a decrease in resources and that if we do not supervise the technique, we are going straight into the wall. The Dutch are there to make an agreement that is a guarantee, a way of pretending that we can come to an understanding between us."

“Dutch industrial fishing destroys the ecosystem and our profession". Some French fishermen also tick on an element: the dice seem loaded to them. The British are represented by Andries de Boer, director of the English producer organisation, Lowestoft Fish Producers Organisation. Yet Andries de Boer is… Dutch. On the Belgian side, it is a builder of "purse seiners" (a vessel designed specifically for purse seine fishing) which represents the profession. In short, everything seems to be in place so that Dutch interests take precedence over the rest.

Negotiations are still ongoing, and no agreement has been signed. However, on April 15, 2021, the organisation VisNed congratulated itself on its website that " the representatives of the fisheries of the four countries concerned have finally agreed on management measures " in the Channel. Better yet, the deal was supposed to start this Monday, April 19.

"We will die if this continues." Currently, the text under negotiation provides for a maximum number of seine fishing vessels (28 for France, 24 for the Netherlands, 17 for the United Kingdom and 6 for Belgium), a limit on fishing days ( 8 calendar days of fishing period per period of 14 days, which is all the same nearly 200 days) and technical measures (size of the mesh, cables, etc.). "The agreement provides that the organisations of producers of the vessels concerned must undertake to ensure that the rules thus defined are respected and to apply penalties in the event of infringements."

“The number of vessels authorised is already too many. And these are people who agree with each other. Who will actually control the cable length of a boat?" Asks Matthew Vimard. The OPN therefore refuses to sign the text. Some French producer organisations are still in the process of thinking.“The purpose of this agreement is to ensure a sustainable future for all fishermen and their families,” says Pim Visser, the leader of VisNed. "We are therefore continuing discussions between the fishing organisations of the four countries and it has been agreed that when further measures are necessary, they will be taken. This agreement is in this sense "a living document."

The fisherman Philippe Calone, who does not take part in the negotiations but "follows them very very carefully" , even wants access to the Channel to be prohibited for boats over 25 meters. 

"French fishermen fish less and less every year," he sighs. "We have never overfished, we always try to manage ourselves. We're not perfect, but it's not comparable with Dutch industrial fishing. It destroys the ecosystem, it destroys our profession. We're going to die if this continues, we can't take it anymore."

Full story courtesy of Reporterre.net 

Now's the time to, Discover Seafood!

Discover Seafood will join with creatives across the country for the UK Seafood Relay to shine a light on the people and coastal communities embedded within the UK fishing industry.

In an exciting next step for the innovative web portal Discover Seafood, the launch of the UK Seafood Relay will advance its ongoing work in celebrating UK commercial fishing and the special coastal community behind it. By collaborating with volunteers from around the country, the Relay will gather stories, photos and videos from key fishing towns to share with the British public on a purpose-built, interactive map. The project aims to foster a greater understanding of local seafood at a point in time when support and recognition of the UK fishing industry is critical.

Coincided with the gradual ease of lockdown restrictions, the Seafood Relay will take users on a vibrant, UK-wide journey to discover everything that local seafood has to offer. Forming a unique collective of local journalists, bloggers, photographers and filmmakers, both hobbyist and professional, the relay ‘adventurers’ will travel along the UK’s dynamic coastline to gather stories from fishmongers and fishermen, and share them with the online Discover Seafood community.

Gavin O’Donnell, Fisheries Programme Officer at the Fishmongers’ Company said,

“The UK Seafood Relay will support Discover Seafood in its mission to educate the public about seafood, seasonality and sustainability, shining a light on the ‘faces of fishing’ that deserve to be put on the seafood map but as of yet remain ‘undiscovered.’ By telling the story of British fish through the people and communities behind it, we want to encourage the public to support the UK’s rich fishing culture and turn to local, sustainably-caught, British seafood in the wake of Brexit.”

As well as providing the public with a portal into the UK’s coastal communities, the Relay will provide young creatives with an opportunity to advance their journalistic skills and share their work on a popular platform. The project hopes to inspire a new generation of coastal enthusiasts to discover the seafood businesses on their doorsteps, through carrying out interviews, writing blogs, and taking photographs.

Katie Stilwell, one of the relay’s first adventurers, said:

“Taking part in the Relay has helped me to reconnect with the coastal community in my hometown. It’s a great privilege to be able to share the stories of the people making a living through fishing sustainably and to engage a new audience through storytelling and creativity. I’ve met so many interesting characters and have learnt so much about the people who land the catch on my plate!”

Gavin O’Donnell continues:

 “The collected images and writings will be a documentation of how we live now, the many ways in which ‘a fishing life’ has changed over the generations, and a celebration of the varied, seasonal fare that is landed every day on our shores.”

You can follow updates of the UK Seafood Relay through Discover Seafood’s social media channels and register to become an adventurer on their website.