Monday morning's market end-to-end with fish!

With a sky like that, you just know the odd shower will catch people out today..

youcan barely see the auction floor this morning with big trips of hake from the netters...

like the Ocean Pride...

Ajax...

Ygraine...

Stelissa...

and Britannia V...

along with plenty of pollack...

and haddock...

the odd bonito...

while the beam trawlers put ashore their usual mic of fish including these red mullet...

turbot...

and brill

this big conger is full of roe - known locally as chittlings....

there's still a few John Dory to be had if you know where to go...

no sign of the sun just yet...

at this time of year, the bulk of any beam trawl trip usually consists of three species of fish, plaice

Dover sole...

and monk...

inshore boats target the likes of grey mullet...

bass...

jigged squid...

and the odd herring...

while the lcal crabbers are still seeing the odd mediterranean octopus in the ir pots...

with some settled weather over the weekend the bluefun tuna boats were out in force, three good sized fish were landed...

and carefully checked over by the MMO...

and just for the record, the first Blue fin tunas landed to Newlyn were from Elle V SS697 on September 23rd, the second was landed on the 27th caught by my Milky and Reg fishing from a catamaran  - their fish (above) weighed in at 238kg (525lbs) and was 101 inches long!..

the very best of inshore fish just shine, like these bass...

and red mullet...

there was hardly room to move in Zone 3 of the market...

with some 7st boxes tightly packed with fish...

and plenty of dogs, the bane of netters' lives...

looks like these guys will be washing boxes from dawn to dusk...

they come from all over...

after several centuries on the seabed, this old anchor now reveals its method of construction...

St Georges up on the slip...

the safe working area indicated for the cane.

 

Spring tide, low water.

Low water on a big spring tide...

is not without its surprises for some...

meanwhile, the Ygraine is one of the last of the netters to land for the tide...

about to join the rest of the fleet now safely tucked up in port for a few days...

yet another souvenir anchor from days of yore trawled up from the deeps.

Northern Shelf Cod assessment success - is it a step back for balanced fisheries management?

 

The new Northern Shelf Cod assessment may be a step forward for multi-stock assessment, but it's a step back for balanced fisheries management, argues Dale Rodmell, CEO of Eastern England FPO.

With the much anticipated Northern cod advice now out showing increasing biomass on the northern fishing grounds including West of Scotland and a recovery trajectory in the southern North Sea, it should be a time for jubilation. Regrettably, with an overall implied 17% reduction in TAC it is anything but.

Despite an improvement in the evidence base that underpins a move this year to a multi-stock assessment model with three sub-stocks, a novel decision-making process applied by ICES has paradoxically led to a ratcheting up of precautionary procedure that has resulted in the cut. This would see the fishery considerably constrained on the main northern grounds, well below the MSY estimates for the individual sub stocks, in order to supposedly protect the southern sub-stock, the weakest of the three, not a prime consideration in previous assessments that assumed a single North Sea stock.

The decision appears to rest on a lack of knowledge on the degree to which the sub-stocks mix, meaning that the main fishery on the northern grounds may theoretically exploit a component of the southern stock should it migrate onto the grounds. But this is theoretical and does not consider to what extent it may or may not be a factor, nor the degree to which it may knock the southern sub-stock off its current recovery trajectory. Not accounting for it in previous assessments, and a resulting increasing of biomass is evidence in itself that it probably won’t. Instead, the advice, if adopted, will most likely translate to increases in unaccounted mortality and wasted yield from the cod stock.

It comes at a time when in the North Sea we are witnessing strong increases in biomass across the whitefish stocks more broadly; haddock and whiting especially, but also saithe. The evidence and views from industry also indicate a growing ling stock despite another seemingly perverse cut in the ICES advice of 12%. If, despite growing biomass, cod becomes the limiting stock because of a disproportionately precautionary TAC constraint, under a system of discard management with full control it can only translate to wasted yield from the other stocks, as well as cod.

This points to what is perhaps an even more significant problem than the headline TAC advice this year – the longer term implications of repeating such decision-making processes or applying it to other stocks based on multi-stock assessment methods that are surely to be more widely used in the future. In a single stock advisory process that rigidly and single mindedly champions single stock MSY and precaution over all other considerations, and especially discards, it threatens to deepen dysfunction in a management system that is also aimed at minimising discards.

The current Defra consultation on discard reform and REM makes no reference to TAC setting processes in shedding light on a new direction for discard policy. Unless policy makers and scientists are going to take discards seriously and embed their consideration in TAC setting decision-making, by properly recognising and evaluating the conflicting management trade-offs, we are heading closer and closer to a system of chaos.

SW MMO newsletter plus updates.

 MMO updates from their newsletter:

Just a quick reminder from the MMO regarding the engagement sessions for the Cefas led North Sea and Channel Sprat FMP, including one in Ivybridge. Cefas have asked for people to email in to confirm their attendance but have also confirmed that people are welcome to just drop in to the session too. 

And a reminder that Anna will be at the Hayle office with members of the MMO Grants Team to assist with i-VMS grants applications and guidance on Monday 27th November 10:00 – 15:00 & Tuesday 28th November 09:00 – 11:00.

 

The final FishyFriday but one for November in Newlyn.

Not a bad start to the day as the Britannia V is all set to land the last hake trip of the tide to the market...

which saw bass landed from boats fishing with a range f gear...

some cracking beam trawl turbot...

and plenty of big white fish from a couple of netters...

like these superb pollack from the Celtic Dawn, their golden scales shining under the market lights...

a good run of gurnard from the beam trawler St Georges...

a single bonito tuna from the Silver Dawn...

and a good end f season Dory collection from the Chaulde Henry...

monk tails don't come much fresher than these...

more shiny hake from the netter, Silver Dawn...

the spots are a giveaway on these beauties...

monk tails galore form the big beam trawler...

no doubt these fabulous reds will be London bound later today...

packed in ice and ready to go...

three line caught bluefin tuna...

averaging over 100kg...

were landed yesterday...

treat yourself to a little Friday morning maths exercise, by reversing the formulae you can get an approximate length for each of the fish...

much smaller cousin of bluefin, the mighty mackerel...

and more bass...

almost as cold inside as out...

there are no guarantees with fishing, Tom brings back the Charlotte Clare with empty tanks...

after setting sail at 4am this morning.

 

Mother nature's majestic sky over Mounts Bay this morning.

Not one but two lifeboats en passant...

as the netter Ocean Pride makes her way across the bay...

under a fiery sky...

with the Mount in the background...

through the gaps...

and past the lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour...

where young Roger, hand-in-hand with Andrew who, despite having recently passed both his Fishing ENG1 and his RNLI medicals and after a lifetime at sea, is now deemed too old to go out on a shout...

contemplates yet another star in his nets.

 

UK Gov Unveils Measures to Safeguard Southwest Crawfish Stocks

 UK Gov Unveils Measures to Safeguard Southwest Crawfish Stocks.

The decision was taken after a co-design workshop with fishers and considering consultation responses from the draft crab and lobster fisheries management plan.

This decision aims to ensure short and long-term sustainability of the stock so that industry can continue to generate income from the valuable species in future.

On 3 October 2023 MMO brought fishers and government together to discuss short-term solutions after industry raised concerns about changes to the fishery that they feared threatened the sustainability of stocks.

Crawfish, like lobster and crab, are transported alive in vivier tanks by road and air.

Landings have increased sharply over the last five years while the fishing season has extended into winter and there has been a rise in the number of larger vessels with a bigger catching capacity targeting the species.

Richard Hoskin, Head of Sustainable Fisheries at MMO, said: "The recent changes in the fishery, alongside its previous history of cycles of boom and bust, suggest that urgent intervention is required.

"We have worked closely with industry to understand their preferred solution and held a workshop to go through the benefits and disadvantages of two potential measures - an increase in MCRS and a seasonal closure.

"There was unanimous support for an increase in MCRS as a measure that would bring benefit to stock. There was also some support for a seasonal closure, with questions surrounding the timing of a potential closure."

How long has this 3.4kg craw been stalking the sea bed?

Consultation description 2023 consultation Background The fishing industry shared concerns regarding the recent increase in crawfish (Palinurus spp) landings coupled with an observed increase in the size of the fishery.

MMO held a co-design workshop on 3 October 2023 with fishers to discuss the current issues with the southwest crawfish fishery, and proposed options for management in the short-term.

Consultation Following this MMO has opened a consultation on a potential seasonal closure of the crawfish fishery. The potential closure would seek to prohibit the retaining and landing of crawfish in English waters of ICES area 7 for all UK and EU vessels using all gear types.

MMO is proposing the following potential closure periods for consideration:

• No closure

• Mid December 2023 to 31 May 2024: This would provide the greatest protection to crawfish.

• 1 January 2024 to 31 May 2024: This would allow fishing for the Christmas market.

• 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2024: This would align with the French (Brittany) crawfish closure.

The rationale for the closure is to:

• Offer protection for breeding and spawning opportunities.

• Reduce the risk of high mortality rates from catching fish that are in poor condition and from the potential of long net soak times or net loss in poor weather. Support future growth in the population by allowing settlement of juvenile stock.

This consultation has been drafted following scientific advice, engagement with the fishing industry, Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, and UK Fisheries Administrations. This consultation supports the work of the crab and lobster fisheries management plan.

The consultation is open from 13 November to 27 November 2023. To respond to this consultation and access further information, please see below.

What happens next? 

MMO will review all the information received during the consultation and will publish a summary of the responses and the decision on whether to close the crawfish fishery and when a closure might occur. Any closure will be enacted by a licence variation.

Here's the background reading:

Crawfish (Palinurus spp) seasonal closure consultation – Response to southwest crawfish industry workshop

Consultation on seasonal closure of crawfish fishery in ICES area 7 - Information Sheet