Mid week coming and goings in Newlyn.

The Charisma of Ladram passing down St Clement's Isle off Mousehole on her way to Newlyn to land...

way out in the bay and heading towards the Lizard, the P&) flagship Britannia at 330m in length...

passed down by the Cormorant a mere 8m in length...

the hake netter Amanda of Ladram heading back to sea...

still in Newlyn after landing her trip on to a lorry headed for pain, the Falmouth Flag of Convenience stern trawler, Suza Uno..

Charisma of Ladram heads for the gaps.

 

Listen to the Westminster Hall Fisheries management after the UK’s departure from the EU.

On Tuesday 13th July, MPs will held a general debate on fisheries management after the UK’s departure from the EU in Westminster Hal

To put this debate in context - several years ago pre Brexit, local MP Derek Thomas with regard to Brexit negotiations wrote: 

"Last Thursday, 28 January I was joined by Richard Benyon MP, Shadow Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Julie Girling MEP on a visit to Newlyn. Many livelihoods depend on Cornwall's fishing industry, yet it is an industry in need of urgent effective action. Fishermen must be given far greater control over the future of their industry and fast. Richard Benyon MP understands this. His willingness to listen to the industry and his common sense approach will help to secure the future of Newlyn as a fishing community I want to see Newlyn's fishing industry survive for future generations and I will do all I can to improve the prospect and opportunity of a career in the fishing industry for local youngsters. I am confident that under a Conservative Government with Richard Benyon as our advocate Cornwall's fishing industry can go from strength to strength. The key to this is giving power back to the industry. As for me, I will be working with local fishermen and Truro and Penwith College to raise the profile of employment in fishing amongst our school leavers. Julie Girling MEP was able to stay for a briefing regarding the Route Partnership Proposal to develop Penzance and St Mary's Harbour and provide a new ship for the lifeline link to the Isles of Scilly from Penzance. Julie will use her influence to maximise EU funding to safeguard our economy and jobs in Penzance. This is very welcome.

Listen to the debate in full here.

Here is a transcript of the opening statement from Charles Walker Chair, Administration Committee, Chair, Administration Committee 9:25 am, 13th July 2021 on "Fisheries management after the UK’s departure from the EU."

"Okay, everybody, you know what the rules are. Mr Carmichael will lead off. The three Front Benchers have 10 minutes each, and there will be two minutes at the end for Mr Carmichael as well."

 

 

You can read the transcript of the debate in full here:

"I beg to move, that this House has considered fisheries management after the UK’s departure from the EU.

It is, as ever, a pleasure to serve under you in the Chair, Sir Charles. First, I place on the record my gratitude to the Backbench Business Committee for allowing time for this debate.

Before turning to the business of today’s debate, I want to say a few words about the recent and very sad passing of David Linkie, former editor of Fishing News. David’s work on Fishing News was more than just journalism; it was a mission to give a voice to the fishing industry and to the communities that depend on it. I will not claim to have agreed with every word he ever wrote, but we do not have to agree with someone to acknowledge their passion, sincerity and commitment, and in David, all that and more shone through. His contribution will be missed, and I am sure that hon. Members from all parts of the House will want to send condolences to his family.

I hope that David would approve of what today’s debate is about, which is giving a voice in Parliament to our fishing industries—industries that were promised so much by politicians, from the Prime Minister downwards, and that now look to him and them to deliver on what they promised. When the holding of today’s debate was first announced, I put out a call for evidence to hear the views of people in the industry and its associated sectors. I anticipated a healthy response, but even so I was astonished at the volume and content of what I received. The emails came in from all around the coast, from catchers, processors, engineers and traders, and all with the same message: the deal struck by the Prime Minister on Christmas eve is not what they were promised and, six months into its first year, it is causing massive difficulties.

One Shetland skipper spoke for many when he wrote:

“I run a small wooden 22-metre trawler around Shetland. We have a ridiculously small cod quota and we find it impossible to avoid cod, there is more cod around Shetland right now than at anytime in living memory but our quota is minuscule. It has been said by skippers recently that you can catch your year’s quota in one day! There are also plans to cut the cod quota further in 2022, so it begs the question why are we still using the broken quota system the EU put in place now that we are an independent coastal state?”

Magnus, a 19-year-old fisherman from Whalsay, who has plans to buy into a whitefish boat with a few close friends and so is the future of this industry, asked:

“Why is the fishing industry having to fight their own Government for survival? Why do their advisory boards have no qualified fishermen or ex fishermen or fish processors advising them? Why are they allowing uncontrolled fishing by foreign vessels in our waters?”

From Cornwall, at the other end of the country, a skipper wrote to me as “someone who has fished for 40 years from my home village of St Mawes in Cornwall.”

He said:

“There were 18 boats worked here when I started, all with 2 or 3 crew and now we are down to the last 2 trawlers, both working single-handedly due to the constant negativity surrounding the industry. With Brexit we had a golden opportunity, the one and only chance to keep these vessels out to at least 12 miles, the meridian line would be the next goal but no, an unbelievably weak Government has put us in a worse position than before.”

In coastal and island communities around the country, the anger and frustration felt by fishermen is almost palpable. They feel let down and used, and they want answers. At the start of the year, we saw catastrophic gridlock as exporters seeking to take advantage of what would traditionally be the busiest week of the first quarter were unable to get their fish to market in continental Europe. Promises were made then that British businesses would be compensated for their losses, and I spoke to one local exporter in Shetland who was looking at a loss in the region of £50,000; he was not alone. 

As reported on Scottish TV - "A sea of lost opportunity"

The Minister and the Secretary of State made big promises about compensation schemes, but how did that work out? I spoke to the same person again yesterday. He had sought to mitigate his loss by selling his fish at a much lower price on the domestic market and, in doing so, he managed to limit his loss to £20,000 rather than the £50,000 loss that he had originally faced. When he applied for help to meet that restricted loss, he was told that because he had sold his fish—he had done the responsible thing—there would be no assistance for him. If, when the Minister promised in January to help exporters, she had meant that to qualify for that help, they would have to leave their fish to rot, she should have said so. Will she revisit how that compensation scheme has worked?

Processors have been badly hit as a result of their inability to source the labour that they need to run their businesses. One major processor in Peterhead told me a few weeks ago that he was constantly at least 10% down on his required staffing levels. That means that either he is paying overtime to his staff, or he has to restrict the range of work that he takes on; either way, it has a massive impact on his profitability. What is the Minister doing to bring home to our colleagues in the Home Office the need to ensure that the processing centres have access to the skilled labour that they need?

The Prime Minister’s deal was deficient in many respects. For the catching sector, one of the most dramatic of those was the loss of easy access to in-year quota swaps. The Secretary of State assured us that those could easily be agreed on a Government-to-Government basis. However, as we enter the third quarter of the year, having only recently and finally established the quota entitlement for this year, we still do not know how these in-year quota swaps are going to work. Can the Minister tell us when the industry might expect to be told how it will get access to the extra quota that it needs? With every week that passes, this becomes more urgent.

Another theme that came through loud and clear from fishermen in every part of the country was their unhappiness at the inequality of treatment when it comes to sea boardings by fisheries enforcement officers. In Scotland, that is the responsibility of Marine Scotland. Marine Scotland figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show a massive disparity between the approach to UK boats and to the French and Spanish fleets, which are allowed to go about their business virtually unmolested. Why is that? Is it, as was suggested to me, because fisheries protection officers do not have the same access to real-time catch data from foreign vessels as they do for UK boats? Again, the complaint is the same around the coasts; it seems that what is true of Marine Scotland is true also of enforcement agencies south of the border.

The Minister has heard me speak before about the practice of gillnetting off the west of Shetland. This practice is environmental lunacy. It is just about the most unsustainable form of fishing imaginable: it contributes massively to the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans and means that for several square miles of water at a time, local boats are excluded from fishing areas that they have traditionally seen as their base grounds. For years, we were told that this was something that we had to live with as part of the common fisheries policy. That no longer applies, so why do we still allow it?

The Minister also knows, because I have told her, of the friction between local boats and gillnetters. When the Fisheries Act 2020 passed into law, I urged her to give the Maritime and Coastguard Agency powers to police the waters in our exclusive economic zone, between 12 miles and the 200-mile limit. She knows how close the Alison Kay came to disaster in her encounter with the Spanish gillnetter Pesorsa Dos. I have to tell the Minister, though, that the situation continues to be bad, and that in fact it is getting worse.

On Monday 28 June, Ross David Robertson and his crew, in his trawler Mizpah, were operating in traditional grounds north of Shetland when they were confronted by the Genesis FD 19, a 30-metre, 298-tonne longliner. It crossed the bow of the Mizpah and came within three metres of hitting it. Ross David Robertson told The Fishing Daily,

“‘We are trying to fish on grounds to suit our quota allocation but can’t get fishing because of these vicious wolf packs chasing us off. The seamen ship off these guys are totally horrendous. Put the fishing to the side on this matter, it’s the danger they put both vessels in that’s totally against the law,’ says Ross. Asked if he has experienced this before, Ross says that he has, and it is a growing concern for him and skippers across the fleet, but they are afraid that the authorities are not doing enough to protect the fleet and one day it will lead to a tragedy. ‘Yes, it’s happening too often,’ he said. ‘Last year another vessel did the same to us and I reported him to the Coastguard and MAIB but I didn’t hear any outcome, so I just presumed it was a waste of time.’”

I have met the Minister and officials from her Department and others about this, and they all come out with lots of good and detailed reasons why it is awfully complicated and difficult to fix. These reasons no longer hold water, however. Will it require a boat to go to the bottom of the sea before somebody takes responsibility and acts to end this irresponsibility?

I am aware that I have already taken quite a lot of the time given to today’s debate. I have a lot more to say, but I am afraid that that must be left to others. In January, I asked the Secretary of State if he would meet me and industry representatives to discuss the problems facing the industry. He ignored the request then and has done so since, so I make it again today. Will the Minister sit down with Members of this House and industry representatives? Will she listen to us and engage? If not, I fear the anger and frustration in the industry will only grow. Our fishing industry still has enormous potential, but to realise that potential requires political will. Do the Minister and her colleagues have that political will, and will they use it for the benefit of our fishing industries and the communities that rely on them?

Listen to the debate in full here.

Profit and turnover down as UK fishing fleet weathers a challenging year.

 

Our first economic performance estimates for 2020 show impact of pandemic on fishing industry.

Fishing fleet performance in 2020 The total operating profit of the UK fishing fleet fell by almost a fifth in 2020 as the sector dealt with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The data we’re publishing today shows that:

• Operating profit fell by 19% from £264 million in 2019 to £214 million in 2020. 
• Turnover, which had been above the £1 billion mark for the previous three years, fell to £843 million. 

This is a 17% reduction. These totals include £18.6 million of grants paid directly to fishing businesses by the UK Government and devolved administrations. While this support helped some businesses to keep cash flows positive, many have reduced their fishing effort or changed the species they target to stay in business.

The total weight landed by the fleet was around 620 thousand tonnes. This was close to the 2019 figure. However, fishing income fell from £990 million in 2019 to £806 million in 2020. This was due to lower levels of fishing activity and lower fish prices.

Operating costs decreased from £757 million in 2019 to £629 million in 2020. This fall in costs is attributed to lower levels of activity and reduced fuel prices. The total spent by the fleet on fuel in 2020 was an estimated £91 million. This was 31% lower than in 2019. The average cost of fuel fell from 49.5 pence per litre in 2019 to 37.1 pence per litre in 2020.

Crew costs also decreased on the previous year, falling from £272 million to £216 million. With many workers on fishing vessels paid through crew share agreements this drop likely means a reduction in their incomes.

The total number of active fishing vessels fell from 4,548 in 2019 to 4,301 in 2020. More vessel operators licensed to fish opted to remain in the port in 2020. The number of inactive vessels grew to 1,692, a 16% increase on 2019.

Commenting on the results, our Chief Economist Arina Motova said:

"The global pandemic has affected every part of our lives so it’s no surprise that the UK fishing fleet had a challenging year in 2020. The impacts can be seen in the figures published today, which show overall operating profits falling by 19%.

These are top-line average figures and different parts of the fleet have had different experiences. For example, vessels normally supplying shellfish into hospitality markets were acutely affected. Overall nephrops trawlers and scallop dredgers saw fishing income drop by 39% in 2020 compared to 2019. Elsewhere those catching mackerel enjoyed higher quotas and relatively stable average prices.

2020 has again shown the resilience of the UK fishing fleet in extremely challenging times. Most vessels could not avoid tying up or reducing their activity for a period. That said, adaptation, diversification and collaboration have kept vessels fishing and the seafood supply chain moving.

While it’s too early to understand the full impact of the pandemic on the economic performance of fishing vessels, these figures do give us an early indication of the situation. We expect to see more detail as company accounts are filed next spring. 

Further information and resources The figures are based on preliminary landings data and the results of our 2020 survey of the UK fishing fleet."

This new data has now been added to our interactive Fleet Enquiry Tool. An updated Fleet Economic performance dataset, which spans 2010-2020, has also been released. Both allow for the data to be broken down into fleet segments, by home nation and port of landing. We have also published the latest edition of Quay Issues magazine. Links to these resources can be found on our Fishing data and insight page at the link below:

Fishing data and insight

Fishing fleet report and survey

The full 2020 Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet report will be published in the coming weeks. The 2021 survey of the UK’s fishing fleet will get underway in July. Seafish researchers will be able to visit ports and harbours this year, where restrictions allow and following health and safety protocols. Vessel owners willing to participate should email fleet.survey@seafish.co.uk with their name, email and/or phone number and port of operation.

Student's Cornish Cuttle Fishery survey.

Through the Gaps is often approached by students working on a wide range of subjects to help complete their final research projects - from creative subjects to marine studies. The latest such request came for Danielle Grumann at the University of Plymouth who was fascinated - as many people are - by cuttlefish! She came to discover that the humble cuttlefish, though not consumed to any extent in the UK is a firm favourite with countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy. Her initial research also told her that many fishermen rely on cuttles to make a contribution to their annual income - some more than others - ranging in method from traps to beam trawls.

Please help Danielle to complete her degree by competing her survey which will in turn provide more detailed and valuable information about the cuttlefish fishery.

Research Project: Investigating the sustainability of the cuttle fishery in Cornwall.

What is this research about?

You are invited to take part in this research as an interviewee. Before we go any further, please read this information sheet carefully and understand what you might expect to do and what it will involve. You may discuss with others if you wish. Feel free to ask us if you need more information. Please consider if you want to take part or not in this research study.

What is the project’s purpose?

The purpose of the project is to gather information about the sustainability of the cuttle fishery in Cornwall. The principal investigator is hoping to gather information from direct stakeholders via a questionnaire. The questionnaire aims to gather the opinions of the Cornish fishers and provide them with a platform to have their voice heard. The project is in partnership with Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) who will have access to the final project report. The final report will not make recommendations for management but will help accurately inform CWT (and others) on the fishery and the fishers opinions.


This questionnaire is your opportunity to have your opinion on the sustainability of the Cornish cuttle fishery heard.

Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?

The information collected by the questionnaire will be stored securely, kept confidential and cannot be used to identify you. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications either. Your anonymous responses will only be accessed by the Principal Investigator for the purpose of the research project outlined above.

Who is organising and funding the research?

This project is part of the MSc Marine Conservation degree at the University of Plymouth, Faculty of Science and Environment.

Contact for further information:

danielle.grumann@postgrad.plymouth.ac.uk

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Plymouth University Drake Circus, Plymouth PL48AA

It's all go at Argoe!

There's a new way to celebrate locally caught fish about to go live located on what was once just a beach between Streetannowan and Newlyn town...

the simple signage steeply based in traditional craft courtesy of Mike Johnson at Newlyn Copperworks mirrors the approach to the menu taken by Richard Adams and his new waterside restaurant, Argoe... 

where a fresh new team will take your order of tapas-like dishes that will change regularly to reflect fish caught and landed locally...  

plenty of glass means Mounts Bay light floods the deck-like wooden floor and the spacious seating at the inside tables...

and waterside windows make this a unique eating experience... 

on the second of several soft openings the yet-to-be adorned bare walls reflected the general hubbub as the orders came and went...

richly marinated Mediterranean octopus...

followed by one of Argoe's signature dishes, Kokotxas, chilli and garlic flavoured hake throats...

the grilled new season sardines and cockles in cider and Sobrasada lasted seconds...

as did the huge turbot tranche on rainbow chard along with a whole deep-fried megrim sole...

sides included grilled onion, beans and oregano, pea with homemade ricotta...

enjoyed no more than a stones throw from where the fish being eaten are landed...

prayers apart, the idea behind Argoe sprang from Richard's Forgetten Fish concept - when he saw an opportunity to use the whole fish to maximise the nutritional value and minimise waste...

from the fish landed by the local fleet moored within sight of every table...

for those entering into the spiritual side of eating, wines and beers on tap and by the bottle come courtesy of near-neighbours at Lovetts Wine bar and Coffee shop in Newlyn...

one the restaurant is open proper...

alfresco dining when the sun shines will be an option...

and, while they are in season, what's not to like about totally traditional strawberries and Treen ice cream...

while the sun shines the doors will open for real this coming weekend, the 16th of July...

when Richard, Issy, Kara, Ben and the rest of the team will be all set to give you a taste of Cornwall to write home about.

 

Saturday in Newlyn.

There's bows like the sleek and slim bow of the  classic sailing ship Irene...

and bluff and blunt bow of modern crabber designed to protect the crew on the working deck...

and the brutally functional transom stern of the trawler Unity to the swept lines of the canoe stern of the classic yacht Maybe built in 1926 that sailed in the first Tall ships race in 1956 and the only boat still to be doing so today...

young Jamie and the guys, needles in hand braiding in panels of 10mm mesh on their sardine seine net in readiness for this year's season to start...

Lucy Too, landing another shot of top quality inshore trawl fish...

it won't be long before the fore deck of the Argoe restaurant is brimming with people enjoying tapas style cuisine overlooking the harbour...

as the weather changes...

 there are heavy looking clouds hanging over Le Men Dhu up on the slip...

and the classic yacht Irene on the end of the Mary Williams pier...

doesn't look like the Fishermens Arms will be open any day soon.

Small Vessel Engineering- Conversion for Certificates of Competency

For those with a Fishing Class 2 Certificate of Competency who wish to convert to:

Small Vessel Second Engineer less than 9000kW 

or 

Small Vessel Chief Engineer less than 3000kW.

Small Vessel Engineering - Conversion for Certificates of Competency in 4 modules. 


Why take this course?

Comprising of 4 modules this forms part of the conversion route towards the Engineer Officer Small Vessel Certificate of Competency less than 9000kW, less than 3000 GT, unlimited area CoC or an SV Chief Engineer less than 3000 kW, less than 500 GT.

Please see MIN 524 – Conversion routes J1 and J2

The MCA units are delivered over the course of 9 months in sequence via 6 weeks of distance learning and 4 days exam revision per module.

Duration Aug -April

Starts 13 Aug 2021

Fees £3580  

Total cost is £895 x 4 = £3,580.

Funding for all 4 units is available through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) for eligible fishermen. 

How to apply.