Cornwall Good Seafood Guide does Ben and Chris during Covid-19.

 

The recent COVID lockdown caused huge disruptions to the whole fishing industry supply chain. Through the closure of restaurants, markets and exports overnight many were forced to adapt quickly or tie-up.

This film gives you the chance to meet some of the Cornish fisherman and women that have sustainability at the heart of their fishing and hear their stories of how COVID pandemic affected their trade.

The small-scale industry has seen huge support from the local Cornish public, in which they have been able to reconnect with their local seafood. We love to see this shorter supply chain and hope to see this to be our ’new normal’, so we urge you to continue to support your local fisherman, fishmonger and merchant! 🎣

Special thanks to @carrick_roads for this brilliant production and all the members of the Cornish industry that told us their stories - @benlowecrabbing, @porthilly_shellfish, @amityseafood, @theoysterlady and Barry Preston! 🐟 🦀

‘Calm before the storm’ for UK fishing fleet as 2019 economic estimates published

The first economic performance estimates for the UK fishing fleet in 2019 have been published today by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry. The Fleet Economic Performance data is based on preliminary landings data for 2019 and the results of Seafish’s 2019 fleet survey.

The UK fleet saw a decrease in fishing revenues to £980 million in 2019, compared to £1,025 million in 2018. 

There was a notable reduction in the weight of landings which decreased by 12% from 700,170 tonnes in 2018 to 619,553 tonnes in 2019. Half of this decrease is associated with the reduction of mackerel fishing opportunities. The rest is driven by lower herring and blue whiting landings.

While the average price per tonne landed increased to £1,582 (8% higher than in 2018) this was in part due to the change in composition of landings by the UK fleet. Lower priced small pelagic species as a share of total UK fleet landings by weight decreased from 55% in 2018 to 50% in 2019. At the same time, and due to reduction of supply, the average price per tonne of pelagic species increased by 10%. The average price per tonne for demersal species remained stable and shellfish species saw a decrease of 3%.

Fuel costs fell in 2019, with prices between 46.9 and 53.4 pence per litre during the course of the year. This was lower than the peak of 56.8 pence per litre in October 2018. Estimated total spend on marine fuel in 2019 fell to £132 million (7% less than in 2018). Although this has been relatively stable when taken as a proportion of total income (14% in 2018 and 13% in 2019).

At an estimated £240 million in 2019, total operating profit was largely unchanged (down 1% compared to 2018’s £243 million). This represented 24% of total income in 2019.

There were 4,491 active fishing vessels in the UK fleet in 2019 (a small decrease compared from 4,590 in the previous year). 1,524 of these were ‘low activity vessels’ with fishing income of less than £10,000.

Commenting on the results Arina Motova, Chief Economist at Seafish said:

“This data from 2019 shows how the UK’s fishing fleet was positioned just before having to deal with a major shock to the system. It represents ‘the calm before the storm’ that Covid-19 would bring just months later.

“The consequences of the global pandemic will continue to be felt throughout the seafood supply chain. Fishing businesses will continue to face them as they navigate through the challenges and opportunities ahead as the UK leaves the Common Fisheries Policy and develops a new trading relationship with the EU.”

“While estimated overall economic performance in 2019 did not vary greatly from the previous year, these figures represent an overall picture averaged across the fleet. The picture will vary for individual businesses and some types of vessels will find themselves in a challenging position. For example, these preliminary figures show that the economic performance of North Sea beam trawlers has been significantly affected. These vessels were facing average reductions in revenues of 30-50%.”

Seafish will begin the 2020 Fleet Survey later this month. The annual survey is usually conducted by a team of researchers visiting hundreds of ports and harbours across the UK. Data collection methods have changed due to Covid-19 impacts, and a mix of postal, online and telephone methods will be used instead. As well as the usual questions on economic performance, vessel owners will be asked about the impact of Covid-19 and any adaptations they made to their business. They will also have a chance to provide information on which Government support measures they accessed and how effective they proved for their business.

The full Seafish Fleet Economic performance dataset for 2009 to 2019 can be accessed here. It gives more detail on the overall picture and broken down into different segments of the fleet. A full report and updated dataset will be published later in the year.

Marine ecologist and marine biologist Bryce Stewart's view of Covid-19's effect on the fishing industry.

Trees A Crowd · "A Brycey Bonus": Covid and Fisheries

An excerpt from my conversation with Bryce to follow the special episode on Oyster Reefs. In this episode we discuss how British fisheries have been affected by COVID-19, and how a slight realignment on how we source fish could help support an industry and ecosystem in turmoil.

Impact of Covid-19 on UK seafood processors explored in major industry survey

29 July 2020 | Insight & Research A major survey is underway to find out the financial and socioeconomic impact of Covid-19 on the seafood processing industry in the UK and to put together a profile of the sector. Running throughout July and August, the survey is being conducted by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry. Seafood processors are asked to provide information on how Covid-19 has affected their business and how they are responding. The survey also asks for financial data and information on operations and recruitment to determine the size and economic performance of the sector.

Commenting on the survey, Ana Witteveen, Economist at Seafish, said:

“Early returns from the survey show that, unsurprisingly, many seafood processing businesses had to reduce production or close down completely in response to covid-19 and lockdown restrictions. Sadly for some businesses the doors may never reopen, with smaller processors at particular risk of owners opting to wind down or retire early.

“However, some smaller processors have proved particularly agile in responding to the extraordinary circumstances of recent months. Businesses with small workforces or staffed by family members have been reporting that they were able to quickly implement new working methods and continue to operate throughout. Some small processors have also been able to adapt by setting up or scaling up home delivery offerings and online sales. This has offset the absence of wholesale trade, and the increased margins associated with retail has seen some businesses reporting that profits are up compared to the same period last year.

“For larger processors who may be more dependent on wholesale trade, and who have had to remodel work spaces to meet new guidance, we are tending to see a gradual return of workers, with more being brought back from furlough each week.

“These of course are only the early indications from the first businesses we have spoken to. It is clear that we are looking at a mixed and complicated landscape. We would invite all seafood processing businesses to take part in the survey to help us put together the most accurate picture we can of the sector as it weathers current challenges, adapts to new working practices and prepares for the future.”

Commenting on the survey Jimmy Buchan, Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Seafood Association (the national representative body for seafood processors in Scotland) said:

“While we know the challenges we are facing, we should never underestimate the importance of clear statistical and financial data on the sector.

“When the Scottish Government was developing the Scottish Seafood Business Resilience Fund, it was data from previous Seafish processing surveys that they turned to. This really illustrates to me that, while we can debate whether the right support has been provided, we will always be better placed to make our case to governments if we have the data to support it.”

“I would strongly encourage seafood businesses of all sizes, wherever you are in the UK, to fully engage with Seafish to complete the survey and provide the requested financial data.”

Seafish will attempt to contact all UK seafood processing businesses and invite them to take part in a short phone call, and in some cases a subsequent online survey.

The survey results are used by government to understand how the sector is impacted by changes in policy, and can also be used by the industry to highlight to government the challenges it faces and provide evidence to support this. They also inform Seafish’s own work in supporting the seafood processing sector. The 2018 survey revealed 353 sites which derive 50% or more of their annual turnover from seafood processing, supporting 19,191 full-time equivalent jobs.

Find out more about the survey and other support Seafish can offer seafood processing businesses here or contact processingenquiries@seafish.co.uk

Misty morning in Newlyn.

When the conversation drifts towards ribs in the harbour they mean thse not what you get in the Chinese...

landing at the fish market, good to see the Algrie still fishing 

Spirited Lady III looking good outside the Karen of Ladram...

as is the Joy of Ladram not long back from her big refit at Parkols in Whitby...

like the rest of the netters the Amanda of Ladram is waiting for a drop in the big spring tide before setting out on her next hake trip...

further down the quay is the Belgian beam trawler Storm Vogel...

with a lorry alongside...

making another landing,...

and it's smiles all round from the crew...

and skipper...

at the end of the quay the Kilkeel trawler Unity...

pulling off her heavy combination bridles...

from the twin-rig trawl...

she has been working well south of Scilly...

on the cleaner ground...

Plugger has been scraping off all the paint back to the bare wood on the Shiralee...

more mist than twilight...

netters Ocean Pride and Ygraine between trips...

Still Waters heads for the iceworks...

the buoys are ready...

visibility is down this morning...

with the gaps barely visible astern of the Emma Louise on the slip...

all fifty feet of the promenade has been oped to the public, at this rate if they had built the M1 at this speed they still wouldn't have finished it today...and the prom has anew name it seems.

A wet day in Newlyn!

Big spring tides keep the netting fleet in port for the best part of a week - here the Ygraine is being readied for her next trip...

while the port's largest privately owned beam trawler, the immmaculate Sapphire II is also preparing for her next trip after landing with her starboard-side trawl being overhauled...

across the harbour the Stevenson fleet are either undergoing major overhauls like the St Georges...

and the Cornishman...

working on the trawls after landing...

or laid-up like the Lisa Jacqueline and the William Samson Stevenson...

Intuition and Nimrod, two of the Rowse crab fleet take a day off from hauling pots...

while the crew of the sardine netter Mayflower look like they have a long day mending in the rain still ahead of them.

Newlyn and Penberth - in a day and a bit.

A rare sight indeed! Just the one boat against the Mary Williams pier this morning...

Plugger is literally halfway through this year's paint-up!..

the night time sky out at Treen was full of stars, but,  as soon as dawn broke the clouds rolled in from the west and produced some interesting effects...

and out to sea...

ideal conditions to choose a subject for a little plein air study...

I took a photo of him taking a photo of me painting a picture

rain stopped play...

classic Cornish cove boats, the stuff of legends...

"climb when you're ready".