Fish of the day week 30 - Mediterranean octopus

 

Back in 2022, as spring turned to summer on odd days boats ranging from beam trawlers to inshore trawlers land...

the odd Mediterranean octopus - which, as its name suggest, are common in the Mediterranean...

this year, they have been caught and landed in much bigger numbers, one inshore punt working lobster pots close to the shore landed over 250kg in one day...

the downside of having these visitors is that they love dining on lobster - with disastrous consequences for any that they discover in a pot where they are a captive prey...

the octopus at this time of year move inshore seeking places to spawn - in this instance the eggs have been laid on a trap used to fish for them!...

there are any number of ways to cook these fine tasting fish, grilled on a BBQ with simple oilive oil, lemon and herb dressings are the most simple, marinading and cooking in boiling water - lowering the fish very slowly into the water so that the tentacles curl up is another way to enjoy the current supply of fresh fish. m,any local restaurants like Argoe and The Shore have them on their menus this year.

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Mid-week comings and goings in the harbour.

On the move, Rowse crabber Nimrod...

and it's smiles all round...

as the boat gets turned to take up a quayside berth...

down the North pier where there used to be a fleet of big beam trawlers now rests a workboat and the classic German yacht, Roland von Bremen...

not quite sure whose stove requires the services of a sweep...

Rose of Mousehole heads back the pontoon berths...

as the port's largest trawler...

Enterprise heads in through the gaps to land for tomorrow morning's market...

past an empty slip...

a classic Mevagissey tosher, Ocean Queen which is for sale - call 01326290208...

back up to full strength for the fish market landing cranes after today.

 

The Seafarers’ Charity to put fishing safety high on Parliamentarians’ agenda

In another key moment to mark Maritime Safety Week, and its commitment to supporting Safer Working Lives at Sea, The Seafarers’ Charity has announced sponsorship of a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries meeting - focused on fishing safety.

The meeting, to be held on Tuesday 24th October and Chaired by Sheryll Murray MP - a vocal advocate for safe fishing practices – will highlight a range of initiatives, both nationally and internationally, aimed at improving the safety of all who work in commercial fishing, including those supported by the Charity. The APPG will draw on expertise from those working in fishing communities, examining safety management practices and regulation. A number of speakers will address the meeting - which is free and will be open to delegates from across the fisheries sector.

The Seafarers’ Charity’s Chief Executive, Deborah Layde, commented: “We are really pleased to announce our support for this upcoming parliamentary event as we raise awareness of working safely at sea this Maritime Safety Week. We’ve been developing really innovative work in partnership with industry and others to help improve fishing safety and we will be announcing more of our plans during Maritime Safety Week. The upcoming APPG meeting will be a valuable opportunity to share our approach to fishing safety and hear from others across the sector on their priorities in this area”.

The Seafarers’ Charity’s mission is focused on five key ‘strategic outcome’ areas for those who work at sea: enhanced financial resilience; better working lives at sea; improved health and wellbeing for seafarers; increased social justice, and; safer working lives at sea.

Underscoring the importance of fishing safety as one of the key themes of Maritime Safety Week, Maritime Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton, has lent her support to the event, saying: “Maritime Safety Week is a unique opportunity to bring to the fore the real challenges of a working life at sea. The Seafarers’ Charity is dedicated to fishing safety and thanks to its efforts, this important topic will be tabled for discussion as part of the Fisheries All Parliamentary Party Group programme. It is vital that we build on the momentum to protect fishers and this event will continue to shine the spotlight on the importance of sharing best practice to improve fishing safety in the future, particularly as we approach the more challenging fishing months during autumn and winter”.

APPG Chair Sheryll Murray MP confirmed she anticipated a “truly important discussion - providing a timely update to our previous APPG meeting on fishing safety held in 2020” adding “it’s so important to gather new insights, updates on regulation, and personal experiences about staying safe at sea, to prevent tragedies that can devastate families and communities”.

The full programme for the event, which is to be held on Tuesday 24th October at 10.00, will be announced by the APPG on Fisheries in the coming weeks.

Read more about The Seafarers’ Charity work on fishing safety at: https://www.theseafarerscharity.org/what-we-do/our-influence/fishing-safety

Fewer langoustine in Breton trawls.

Man of the moment in Newlyn this Monday morning.

Busy scenes around the fish market this morning...

and an excellent view of New Spirit, one of the newest inshore boats to arrive...

hake this morning came courtesy of the Britannia V and the Ajax...

no signs yet that the Mediterranean octopus invasion s over...

or that spurdogs are doing anything but increasing in number...

tub gurnard...

and John Dory were an added bonus from the Ajax...

while a few of the netters landed sots of turbot...

and more JDs...

boxes of these guys...

seem to be less common than bass!..

good to see the younger generation of fishermen coming through, young Jamie here has just bought his own boat and is busy making it seaworthy...

while one of the most experienced fisherman in the fleet checks up with the driver where his broken down vivier lorry has go to, this is the sort of skipper that needs listening to when it comes to informing management tools like the Fisheries Management Plan, Alan Nudd has fished all his life, inshore, offshore, trawling, netting and potting - what he doesn't know about how the tide ebbs and flows around the Cornish coast isn't worth knowing - relying on tidal charts, as the Coastguard did when sending oft search boats after a diver went missing off the Longhsips years ago, it was Alan who informed them that they were looking in entirely the wrong direction - the benefit of years spent fishing in that area with both trawl and pots...

three crab boats waiting to land, June not the best month for crab catches or prices...

the Karl fleet at rest...

the irony, cuttlefish pots covered in....cuttlefish eggs...

sure signs the sardines are on their way...

but don't get out of your depth...

or, if you do, wear waders...

 name the bird spotted while...

sketching near Lands End yesterday.

MP says East fishing industry 'still struggling' after Brexit

Is all it seems in this story?

The East has some of the richest fishing grounds in northern Europe, Mr Aldous told the debate An MP says the fishing industry in the East of England is still struggling despite hopes of a Brexit revival. Peter Aldous, the MP for Waveney in Suffolk, told a parliamentary debate on the state of fishing that there had been "no significant improvement" since Britain left the EU. He blamed high fuel costs and labour shortages as well as "the poor terms for fishing that were negotiated".

"In many respects the situation has got worse," he told the debate. "Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have some of the richest fishing grounds in northern Europe but I'm afraid catch opportunities for local fishermen remain poor because we do not have full control over our waters."

The fishing industry had hoped for a revival after Brexit with Mr Aldous praised the inshore fleet as "the future and lifeblood of this industry", adding that Brexit "was intended to mark the start of a revival." He said not having full control of the waters meant the inshore fleet had to compete with larger vessels, often non-UK owned supertrawlers.

He said that when the fishing part of the Brexit agreement is renegotiated in 2026 the government should consider allowing the inshore fleet to fish exclusively in waters 12 miles off the coast. Mr Aldous also criticised the Brixham fish market, which buys fish landed in Suffolk and drives it to Devon to be sold.

Mr Aldous said the situation for fishermen in the East of England had worsened since Brexit Several MPs pointed out that other regions do the same thing - but Mr Aldous argued that the practice was preventing local markets and food producers setting up in the county. "Lowestoft was once the fishing capital of the North Sea, for a fishing industry in the East of England that yearns to re-grasp that crown this is what Brexit is about," he said.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow insisted the government was moving away "from the straitjacket which was on the common fisheries policy, which was so disliked by fishermen".

"I do hear the calls about making the most of these Brexit opportunities," she added. "Fishers want to see that and we must make sure it comes about."

By Andrew Sinclair Political correspondent, BBC East