Breezy #FishyFriday in Newlyn!

Once-upon-a-time way back in the 1970s when there was a mackerel 'boom', hundreds of toshers like this were built, many continue to provide a living for inshore fishermen throughout the south west... 

a sure sign on the morning's auction that there's a landing of fish from a Scottish boat - head-on monk...

and hake from the seiner Acciona...

luckily these are not the same as the deadly blue octopus found in the waters off Western Australia...

there's tub gurnards and tub gurnards...

and some summer scad...

a good run of brill...

Dovers...

prime stuff like red mullet and John Dory...

along with plenty of monk ails form the two beamers that landed...

with the odd bream thrown in for good measure from the Lilly Grace...

while the handliners fill up with pollack...

mackerel are still proving very hard to find, despite some bog marks well offshore......

there were some ominous looking clouds building from the west...

ominous enough to delay Brackan and his crewman from departing until this evening...

the two orange posts were placed just far enough apart to allow easy access by forklift trucks ferrying gear up and down the quay - so please park to allow them to do so, harbour staff asked nicely...

hopefully, these guys will deposit their load further up the coast!

 

Government funding backs scallop fishing industry breakthrough

UK Seafood Innovation Fund supports world-first, environmentally-friendly ‘scallop discos’ technique Sustainable, low-impact scallop fishing method pioneered by scientists at Fishtek Marine UK government calls for collaboration between industry and academia to support a sustainable fishing industry and healthy marine environment.

A world-first method for catching scallops which offers an alternative to damaging dredging activity has been developed using funding from the Government’s Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF). The full paper can be read or downloaded here - Scallop potting with lights: A novel, low impact method for catching European king scallop.

This new low-impact method, pioneered by scientists at Devon-based company Fishtek Marine, uses illuminated pots dubbed ‘scallop discos’ to attract and catch scallops.

Due to having 200 eyes, scallops were found to be particularly receptive to the lights and naturally moved towards them, making the lights an effective means to catch large quantities without trawling the seabed. Findings indicate this could replace traditional dredging methods which can have a damaging effect on valuable marine habitats.

The Seafood Innovation Fund, a multi-million programme funded by Defra and delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), is supporting innovative projects across the fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries that use cutting edge technology or new techniques to limit the impact of fisheries on the marine environment.

The Seafood Innovation Fund sits under the £100 million UK Seafood Fund, set up by the Government to support the long term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. It will ensure industry is able to process more fish landed in the UK, create more job opportunities across the supply chain and upskill the workforce and train new entrants, to level up coastal communities across the UK.

Fisheries Minister, Victoria Prentis, said:

“It is great to see Fishtek Marine benefitting from our Seafood Innovation Fund, and developing a world-first method for catching scallops in an environmentally sustainable way.

“The funding is supporting innovation, helping industry use cutting edge technology and protecting the marine environment. It is also an important part of levelling up coastal communities – and it is great to see Devon leading the way.”

Suzanna Neville, Seafood Innovation Fund programme manager at Cefas, said:

“This is an important project that has the potential to make a real difference to the sustainability of the scallop fishery. The opportunity to transform commercial scallop harvesting has been made possible by providing funding for the development of early stage ideas. This is exactly the sort of innovative project that the SIF was set up to support, helping the UK lead the way in developing a sustainable seafood sector.

Dr. Rob Enever of Fishtek Marine, and lead scientist on the study, said:

“The support of the Seafood Innovation Fund was vital to this work. The research simply wouldn’t have happened without it. The discovery that scallops can be attracted into crab pots using light is a world first. Beyond the UK, the innovation of a new low-impact scallop fishery has application in scallop fisheries world-wide. With the continued support of Defra, we look forward to developing this exciting work and hope for “pot-caught scallops” to be a consumer choice of the future!”

Fishtek Marine received around £245,000 of SIF funding to collect data and trial several designs for the pots, which confirmed the illuminated light ‘scallop discos’ technique consistently attracts significant numbers of scallops.

Following these promising results, the next steps involve optimising the trap design and developing and manufacturing a new, low-cost light specific to the operational needs of crustacean fishers. Further sea-trials will then be conducted with the new designs, focusing on crucial factors such as fishing region, light intensity, light colour, flashing rate and trap efficiency.

Sitting under the £100 million UK Seafood Fund, the Seafood Innovation Fund brings together industry, academia and the UK’s wealth of scientific expertise to help the sector become more sustainable at every level. Alongside this, the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme is a further boost for science and innovation in the industry, together totalling £24 million.

Bids for the next round of the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme and the Seafood Innovation Fund are due to open this summer. Businesses can find out more information and how to apply to the schemes on GOV UK.

Fishing boat building plans for Penzance.

 

British shipbuilding industry is growing, and Penzance Dry Dock is able to help meet the rising demand and supply the maritime industry with high-quality vessels. The historic dry dock, with a long tradition of serving maritime industry in the heart of Penzance, has some exciting news:

"We have a wealth of experience in ship repair and building that has been passed down through generations. When we took over Penzance Dry Dock in 2021, our goal was to create a shipbuilding hub in West Cornwall, which would create more jobs, and rejuvenate the industry in the area.

Our first step was to build strong shipbuilding partners who could support our goals. We partnered with the some of best companies in the industry to complement our skills. These include Macduff Ship Design Ltd., Tor Group International, Kort Propulsion Co Ltd, and Wills Ridley Ltd. Being situated in one of the biggest fishing areas in the UK means Penzance Dry Dock has become a hub for fishing fleets and can support the full life cycle from vessel design and build, to repair and maintenance to end of life support. We can build, repair, refit, and convert everything from Fishing Boats to Passenger Ferries to Superyachts up to 75 metres.

The DIT invited Penzance Dry Dock to present our shipbuilding strategy at the Tanzania UK Business Forum. The event was held on the 16th of November 2021 at the JNICC Dar es salaam. The conference focus was B2B Agritech And Blue Economy And Mining & Infrastructure. The Blue Economy forum is a government department in Tanzania and Zanzibar whose responsibility is to enhance sustainability and decarbonisation in the Marine Sector. 

During the week, CEO Jamie Murray met with the government officials and the head of Blue Economy. As part of the Trade Mission, they had a tour of the current operations. They discussed the similarities and differences between the Zanzibar waters and Newlyn and what infrastructure they would need to achieve their vision of developing a sustainable deepwater fishing industry."

Proposed vessels:

"Following the recent trip to Zanzibar, there is a deep understanding of the aspirations for a new fishing fleet to capture the rich deepwater opportunities. Penzance Dry Dock has been working in close consultation with the UK Department of International Trade and its shipbuilding partners to create a high-quality concept ship that meets Blue Economies' vision for a more sustainable and profitable future. 

Our multi-purpose fishing vessels are built with quality materials and constructed in an industry-proven manner that ensures a longer lifespan. The hulls are carefully designed with more hydrodynamic considerations, increasing the Vessel's efficiency. The vessels include a low-emission propulsion system. The vessels are operationally adaptable with a long line and crabbing capabilities, allowing for sustainable fishing. They will allow the end-user to capture the deep-sea fishing market opportunities and create a new sustainable industry."

Trip to Cornwall:

A delegation led by Capt. Hamad Bakar Hamad, Director of Blue Economy, and Coordination also included Dr. Salum Soud Hemed, Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Dr. Amir Haidar Mshenga Executive Director of Zanzibar Corporation

The visitors were blown away by the operations and impressed with the scale of the industry. Going forward Penzance Dry Dock will be working on signing a memorandum of understanding with the Blue Economy, this is the first step to starting this mass shipbuilding project, which will see a shipbuilding hub develop right here in the heart of Penwith. This will establish Penzance Dry Dock as an industry leader in its field. As the project moves forward, we will be supporting the building and development of the vital infrastructure required to support a deep-sea fishing fleet and help the country develop their fishing industry. This will see Blue Economy and Zanzibar realise their full potential.

Promising new innovation aims to reduce environmental impacts of scallop dredging

Dredging An innovative new gear modification that lifts steel bags used for scallop dredging off the seafloor has shown potential to reduce damage to the seabed during commercial fishing expeditions.

Standard spring-toothed scallop dredger

Scientists from the Low Impact Scallop Innovation Gear (LISIG) project, led by Heriot-Watt University, fitted ‘skids’ to the bottom of standard spring-toothed scallop dredges and monitored its effectiveness during trials with commercial scallop fisheries in Scotland and Wales.

They found that the skid, which lifts the metal bags a mere 10cm off the seabed, helped reduce fatal damage to bottom-dwelling species and fauna. Organisms on the seafloor are routinely disrupted through the use of standard dredges due to their heavy drag along the ground.

Data from the trials also found that the skids increased the catch of king scallops by an average of 15%. Catches of undersized scallops, crabs and starfish, which are often repeatedly caught and returned to sea, were more variable and the study proposed that additional modifications, such as increasing the size of the metal rings, along with implementation of skids could reduce bycatch.

The commercial viability of gear modifications was another key factor during the study.

Due to the added weight of the metal skids, the commercial fisheries involved in the trials closely monitored the amount of fuel consumed during each expedition using the skids and reported no changes between the two dredge types, likely due to the reduction in drag during travel. It may even be possible to lower CO2 emissions when using the skids if an alternative material to steel was used to construct the bags.

Dr Marija Sciberras, Assistant Professor in Fisheries at Heriot-Watt University, led the study and said:

“The scallop sector is one of the highest value commercial fisheries in the UK, yet its current management lags behind other fisheries due to its sustainability standards. Efforts are being made by the fishery tomove towards a more sustainable fishing practice and towards net zero.

“Our study suggests that skid dredges are a promising start to developing more environmentally sound fishing gear that is also profitable economically for the industry, yielding a higher number of scallops and reducing replacement costs of belly bags from excessive wear and tear on the seabed.

“Adoption of technical gear modifications like our skid dredges would be a big step forward in the evolution of sustainable management and lower impact of scallop dredges.”

Professor of Fisheries Conservation and Chief Scientist at Heriot-Watt University, Michel Kaiser, co-wrote the paper and said:

“Evidence from this study demonstrates that simple, practical modifications have significant potential in reducing impacts on target stocks and the environment in the scallop dredging sector.

“However, to be truly effective, potential technical interventions such as these have to be considered alongside effective fisheries regulatory systems that promote harvesting efficiency and appropriate controls at sea.”

Dr Sciberras will be exhibiting the findings of the LISIG project at the Scottish Skipper Expo, taking place in Aberdeen on 13-14 May.

Spanish flag of convenience boat just one of many boats to land on a busy Monday morning in Newlyn.

Over the weekend...

the out-bound Acciona...

and in-bound Debbie V...

all set to sail aboard Cornishman...

and the Lilly Grace is tied up at the fish market waiting for the tide to drop...

the 400kg tub full of water used to lean her into the quay so that she does not fall the wrong way when taking the bottom...

Monday morning's market saw a solid landing of seine net fish...

mainly hake...

and haddock...

along with boxes of prime like these red mullet...

and whole monk...

the beam trawler St Georges filled in the gaps with a trip that included greater weavers...

brill...

megrim...

and monk tails...

all set for despatch...

the inshore fleet landed plaice...

John Dory...

and a cracking Mediterranean octopus...

mackerel are still thin on the ground...

so may inshore boats are taking advantage of the cuttles that have come inshore to lay their eggs...

the Maverick was top of the line caught pollack landings...

many of these boats keep their day's catch in these insulated tubs which add days to the shelf life of their catch...

the latest netter to join the fleet is the refitted Kelly of Ladram skippered by none another than Alan Dwan...

after the fire and nearly two years of time the scaffolding has finally come down from the Fishermen's Arms...

boats like the Monte Mazanteu will be an increasingly familiar sight when the flag of convenience fleet are required to make 70% of their landings into a UK port after 2026 and the end of the transition period...

the 23m French stern trawler Cézembre also stopped by over the weekend...

Spanish crewman all set to let go the bow rope...

as the big stern trawler prepare to leave...

another red stern trawler, the visiting Brixham boat, Sophie Jane of Ladram.