Muggy, misty, mizzly Monday morning in New;yn.

It seems flaming June did not turn into inferno July...

not that the fish take any notice, plenty of top quality hake from the Ygraine on this morning's market...

to go with a few boxes of scad...

dinner plate sized turbot are still being caught by the boxful...

as are every netter's nightmare, spurdogs...

top fish for flavour and delicate flesh are brill...

at the opposite end of the scale are BBQ favourites blue shark...

and for those who love something different to cook, John Dory from the Britannia V...

and the less well know small eyed ray - difficult to spot when just the wings are landed...

beam trawl favourites included Dovers...

and monk tails...

all of which need careful tallying up...

also from the Britannia V, a handful of boxes of blacljacks or saithe...

which bream is this?...

red mullet...

mackerel...

and bass will no doubt be on sale across the country tomorrow...

those eyes really are small...

and that back really is thorny...

turbot a-plenty...

while crawfish keep coming...

as do hake for the net boats...
 

which is what Cito, long serving crewman aboard the Karen of Ladram smiling as he overends another tier of hake gear.

Cornish fishermen, Lottie needs your help!

My name is Lottie - I am doing research on how there is less and less space for fishing boats because of other activities like marine renewable energy and marine protected areas (MPAs). I want to hear from fishermen about how this affects them.

If you would like to take part, I will interview you for about 40-60 minutes. We can meet in the harbour, a cafe, or online, whichever you prefer. I want to hear about your experiences and how these things are affecting you, and how it is affecting your community.

Your participation is completely anonymous and you can opt out at any time. Your answers will help me understand how activities other than fishing are affecting some Cornish fishermen, which is an important issue that is often overlooked.

Thank you for your time.

Contact Information 

If you would like to participate or have any further queries, please contact Lottie Pearson at: cp752@exeter.ac.uk

Warming seas in North East Atlantic could harm key fish stocks - MSC report.

The combined impact of the record-breaking marine heat wave in the North Atlantic on top of warming seas linked to accelerated climate change could have a significant impact on iconic pelagic fish species in the North East Atlantic, warns the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the NGO that sets a global standard for sustainable fishing.

Mackerel, Atlanto-scandian herring, and blue whiting rely on the cooler waters of the North Atlantic to reproduce and maintain healthy populations. However, warming seas could limit their ability to spawn, leading to declines in the numbers of fish and significantly affecting seafood supplies and ocean ecosystems.[1]

Warming seas can also influence a northward movement of fish towards cooler temperatures, making it important that governments work together across national boundaries to ensure effective monitoring and management of shared fish stocks.

These species are already being overexploited because key fishing nations such as the UK, Norway, EU, Iceland, Faroes, Greenland and Russia are unable to agree on total fishing quotas in line with scientific advice. This political impasse coupled with warming seas pushing fish further north and changing their distribution patterns, are creating a perfect storm putting the future health of these important fish stocks at risk.

As seas become warmer and marine heat waves more frequent [2] governments must prioritise managing these stocks sustainably to help ensure they are resilient to climate change impacts.

If they cannot agree on climate-smart fishery management strategies, the consequences on fish populations will be even more severe, with research finding that warming seas, including marine heat waves, have reduced some Atlanto-scandian herring populations by 40% between 2005 and 2015. [3]

Dr Olav Sigurd Kjesbu, Principal scientist, Institute of Marine Research, Norway, said: 

“We know these pelagic fish stocks are sensitive to temperature changes. We have already seen that climate affects their distribution, their ability to spawn and mortality rates. Rapid warming of the seas could accelerate these changes. They could also have a significant impact on the ability of herring and blue whiting to reproduce based on recent analyses."

Scientists are concerned that if the current North Atlantic marine heat wave continues it could repeat the impact of similar marine heat waves around the globe. Both the 2011 Western Australia [4] and 2014-2016 US West Coast [5] marine heat waves reduced fish populations to such an extent that fisheries closed for more than three years to help rebuild fish stocks.

Dr Christopher Free, Marine Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, said: 

"In the last decade, marine heatwaves have disrupted fisheries all around the world. If conditions in the North Atlantic stay hot, similar catastrophes may be on the horizon."

The El Niño phenomenon, predicted to cause 50% of oceans to develop heat waves by September, [6] has already caused the world’s largest pelagic fishery, the Peruvian Anchoveta fishery, to cancel this year’s fishing season.[7]

Erin Priddle, the MSC’s Regional Director for Europe, said: 

“Policy makers must find a way to incorporate stock shift changes, such as changing distributions of the North East Atlantic pelagics, into long-term and robust fisheries management plans. Without joined up and effective planning, our fisheries resources could be put at risk of overexploitation, overfishing, and even stock collapse. Take the example of Atlanto-scandian herring in the 1960s[8], where overfishing and mismanagement of the stock led to huge economic and social consequences, with many fisheries and herring processors going bankrupt and thousands of jobs lost. With even greater political and environmental change ahead, we must learn from the past and ensure that fisheries management is climate-ready, resilient and adaptive to change.”

Fish of the week 32 - Spotted Ray

 

Blonde and spotted - two very common types of ray landed pretty much every day on the market in Newlyn - but which one is the spotted one?

It's the one on the right - where the spots don't extend to the edge of the wings and are generally less well defined. Spotted ray also don't grow to the size that blondes can.

Spotted rays are a small to medium sized, inshore and coastal shelf species attaining a maximum length of 80cm and weight of 4kg. Males mature at a length of about 54cm and females at about 57cm (both between 3 to 8 years old). The species has a maximum recorded age of 14 years. Mature females produce between 20 and 70 eggs per year. Its small body size and relatively high recruitment rate means that it is less vulnerable to fishing pressure than many. All skates and rays are managed by a mixed quota system in EU waters.

Ray and skate are a bit of a marmite fish it seems - though once tried are a firm favourite. An added bonus is that they are good fish to introduce to the small ones in the house as there are no bones to speak of - only cartilage from which the flesh is very easily separated.

Local fish-meister, Ben Tunnicliffe at the Tolcarne Inn is a big fan of ray cooking as can be seen from his demonstration some years back at the Jubilee Pool restaurant. There is hardly a fish cook book from the likes of Nathan Outlaw, Mitch Tonks, Gordon Blackiston, Rick Stein all have great ray recipes in their armoury. 

A few days then it's a fine #FishyFriday in Newlyn

Inshore trawler Still Waters in to land after a few day hauls...

and good to see that down the fishroom is the next generation putting in the graft...

as skipper/father Richard gets a hand landing the catch...

then it's time to pick up a few crabs claws for a well-earned snack...

before the fish head off to be sorted and weighed...

alongside young Gary, hand grading mackerel...

before recording the catch weights on auction landing sheet...

Friday's market saw a few inshore trips with ray wings...

some huge turbot...

plenty of bass...

more mackerel...

and good supplies of crab paws...

handline bass...

ring-net sardines...

and a few line caught pollack rounded off the week's landings...

with most of the fleet at sea...

through square window...

around midday and midnight for high-water today...

one of those things you should never find on a fishing boat, the other two are a soldier and a watering can...

on the lookout for an easy breakfast...

almost every spare yacht berth was taken this morning with boats from...

the Netherlands...

Ireland...

the USA

and UK...

teenage beam trawler and an elder...

visiting Brixham boat, Carhelmar.

 

Cornwall fishing industry support 'nothing new' say Lib Dems

 

Cornwall Council has voted to show its support for Cornwall’s fishing industry, but has come under fire for tabling a motion that says “nothing new” and will have no practical impact.

A meeting of the full council on Tuesday, July 25 voted in favour of a motion that its members recognise and note “the significant contribution made by Cornwall’s fishing industry to the Cornish economy, Cornwall’s ports and harbours, and our maritime communities”.

The council committed to “sustaining strong partnerships with Cornwall-based industries engaged in fishing, processing and distribution of Cornish fish and shellfish worldwide, thereby supporting and sustaining the growth of our fishing industry” and “commits to supporting our fishing industry through encouraging locally caught produce to be served in our schools, colleges and care homes”.

The council also agreed to continue supporting Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (IFCA), working in close collaboration with Cornish fishermen and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), to ensure the conservation of fish and shellfish stocks and the preservation of the seabed and our coastal waters.

However, the motion was criticised by some councillors as a sop that doesn’t actually offer anything new in support of the beleaguered fishing industry.

The council’s Liberal Democrat leader Colin Martin said his party supported the motion but said it would have no “practical impact” and called on the Conservative-run council to carry out an online survey asking people how they have been affected by changes to the fishing sector over the past five years and what specific, practical changes they would like to see.

He said: “Unless we give everyone in the industry a genuine chance to tell us what support they need, then this motion is nothing more than a flag-waving exercise that doesn’t help the sector. We all have great respect for those who risk their lives at sea in order to put food on our plates, but it seems like some politicians don’t actually want to hear the truth about the problems the industry is facing.”

Cllr Martin’s proposal was seconded by fellow Liberal Democrat Thalia Marrington, who represents Newlyn, Cornwall’s largest fishing port. She expressed concerns that too many decisions were being made without taking into account the views of small family businesses.

“Big businesses know how to make their voices heard and there’s a danger that this can distort the way decisions are made. As councillors we should ensure we’re as informed as we can be before we make decisions, so getting clear information and views on challenges, threats and opportunities from all involved in the industry seemed a sensible and welcome addition to me.”

The proposed survey was rejected by one vote. The original motion was then approved with cross-party support.

Independent councillor Julian German also believed it was a missed opportunity to give more support to Cornwall’s fishing community.

He said: “Of course we all support our fishing industry, the Harbours Board, the IFCA and all those involved, but this is motherhood and apple pie. In this motion there is no policy change or financial commitment.

“What this motion is about is assuaging the guilt of those IFCA councillor members who did not support the introduction of the emergency by-law for crab and lobster pot fishing back in December 2022. A consultation showed strong support for the aims of the by-law from fishermen wanting to see measures to manage and reduce potting effort for crabs and lobsters. The data underpinning the proposals showed that there is a very pressing need to find solutions to managing effort, before it is too late for the stocks that directly support 271 vessels across Cornwall.”

Cllr German added: “Rather than support conservation and the sustainability of the fishery, some IFCA members succumbed to political pressure from MPs and this has fatally harmed the fishery. What make my blood boil, is that fishermen around our coast, including Gorran Haven, Portloe, Portscatho and St Mawes, are going out of business due to this lack of action.

“So, to give a positive way forward for the movers of the motion and the council’s administration, let’s use the historic Memorandum of Understanding with Brittany, albeit ignored over the last two years, the first three articles of which relate to working together to support our fishing industry. Let’s proactively engage with Brittany to work together in the best interests of our fishing industry. Do this and we may see something of substance as a result.”

Full story from the Packet courtesy of Lee Trewelha

Medical Certification - a must read for all fishermen!

 

Seafood Cornwall Training has put together all the details for Cornwall for contacting GPs and booking appointments for Medical Certification.

Please see attached our useful guide below for the differences between the two types of certificates – and the knowledge you need to work out which is the correct certificate for you. If you have any other questions or queries about the medical certificate that you need or if you need to take anything up with the MCA then you can contact:

medicals@mcga.gov.uk or 

Workinfishing.convention@mcga.gov.uk

If you have already written but your case is stalled or you haven’t had a full response then you can also contact Charles Blythe at NFFO, charles@nffo.org.uk.

NOTE: You don't have right of appeal against a decision on the ML5 but you do for the ENG1.

All GPs in Cornwall are aware of the medical certificates but you might help things along by taking the ML5 certificate questions with you. Pick up a copy from SCT Office or give us a call for a paper version. Full list of MCA Approved doctors and Full list of GPs across Cornwall

SCT aims to give up to date and accurate information but if you have any new details or additional info please contact us at SCT Office 01736 364324 and we will update our information for all fishermen. For all health and safety queries on board your vessels please contact our safety project via the SCT Office 01736 364324.