Can you help? Ratings consultations update for Cornwall Good Seafood Guide 2024.

Winter Ratings Review

Transparency and credibility are important to the Good Fish Guide. After we’ve researched and drafted a set of ratings updates, we put them out to consultation. Ratings consultations are open twice per year, in February and August. We welcome feedback from anyone with technical insight and information that could contribute to the comprehensiveness and quality of our ratings.

After consultations have closed, we consider and respond to all feedback, which is kept anonymous. We then finalise and publish our new and updated ratings on all the Good Fish Guide platforms.

The Winter 2023/24 ratings consultation is live until, Wednesday 6th March. To comment, please download the Good Fish Guide Ratings Review, and complete the indicated column for ratings of interest.

Please send your completed sheets back to ratings@mcsuk.org along with any supporting information.

We welcome feedback until 5pm Wednesday 6th March 2024

You can see the download here, there are four sheets altogether - sheet 4 "Cornwall Wildlife Review" is the sheet to add your comments to the file download or you could identify any species and include it in an email to ratings@mcsuk.org

In its hour of need, the MMO is reaching out to the industry.

The MMO is reaching out to all under 10m vessel industry members to make them aware of the ‘Regional Fisheries Group’ team within the Marine Management Organisation.

Regional Fisheries Groups (RFGs) are a way for the fishing industry to come together to share their views with organisations such as the MMO, DEFRA, Cefas, and IFCA. These groups exist to give local fishers a chance to be part of the decision-making process for managing fisheries and share their expertise. There are five RFGs in total: North East 4b, North West 7a, South East 4c, South 7d, and South West 7efg.

 

We want to build stronger working relationships between people who regulate the industry and the fishing community. By doing so, everyone involved in fisheries management can have a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the fishing industry regionally. We hold formal meetings for each region up to 3 times per year and visit ports and fishing locations in person to have one-to-one conversations with fishers. Our team is available during the working hours of 9am-5pm Monday to Friday to answer any calls, texts, or emails.

 

You can find out more information about the RFG’s, including our newsletters and notes from previous meetings, on our webpage: Regional Fisheries Groups - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

 

If you are not interested in the Regional Fisheries Groups and would like to opt out of any further information, please contact the team at: Regionalfisheriesgroups@marinemanagement.org.uk

Fine start to #FishyFriday in Newlyn..

Early doors in Newlyn as the light begins to creep into the sky earlier and earlier by the day...

on offer this morning, hake from the Ygraine

and Britannia V...

guess the fish...

now you see him now you don't...

the reds are coming - seine caught too!..

magnifique monk...

landing time for the Ocean Pride...

inseparable...

put your back into it...

away the fish go...

market box history.

 

Calling all fishermen - can you help Improve PFD Design?!

The shortcomings of the current pfd design are immediately obvious - they restrict foul-weather clothing which makes wearing one restrictive and uncomfortable when the wearer is exerting themselves handling gear, they have the potential to catch or be caught on net or fittings and they add to the general bulk of clothing worn on the working deck.

Give us your suggestions here!

Roll up roll up! Anyone (there's a lot of you) with ideas on how to design a PFD that is more appropriate for fishing, here's an opportunity to contribute your knowledge to folks who will listen. The NFFO are undertaking some research with the ultimate aim of producing an updated, more fit for purpose PFD design to help keep fishermen safe. This is an industry led, industry focussed initiative. 

NFFO has asked Assenti Research to carry out this research to improve PFD designs for commercial fishing.

Everyone who takes part in the research has the option to enter our prize draw to win £100.

The survey is anonymous and confidential. For any queries or difficulties accessing the survey contact sinead@assenti-research.co.uk

The MSC launched Version 3 of its Fisheries Standard in May 2023. Since its release, we have engaged in an intensive roll-out program, testing the new requirements with fisheries and gathering extensive feedback from independent assessors and fishery partners at workshops held around the world. This process has highlighted areas that need to be amended. As a result, the MSC will release an updated Standard in July 2024 to ensure its requirements are applied consistently and deliver the intended sustainability outcomes.

This will be followed by an independent review of the new Evidence Requirements Framework. (ERF). The ERF is a new approach to the assessment of evidence in the MSC program and the Board agreed at launch that it would be reviewed to ensure it is working as intended. This will begin in July 2024, led by experts in fisheries assessment. Among the issues to be addressed, is whether the framework can be applied in a more efficient manner, leading to less complexity and cost. Input from NGO and industry stakeholders will be sought in the course of the review.

Some fisheries are already moving into Version 3, and those with a favourable pre-assessment should consider going forward with certification. However, in light of the changes, fisheries are being given the option of continuing to use Version 2.01 for a further two years.

A new derogation will be effective from 1 February 2024. The extended timelines will allow all changes to Version 3 to be made and thoroughly tested before fisheries are required to be assessed against the updated Standard.

Under the derogation, new fisheries can now use Version 2.01 until 1 February 2026 while currently-certified fisheries have until 1 November 2030 to transition to the updated Version 3.

Read here for more information: https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/fisheries-standard

Fish galore! Saturday to Monday in Newlyn.

Not the usual scavenger in the harbour this morning, a much younger version on the lookout for a free feed...

the Padstow netter, Kelly Marie makes use of...

every available space of the catamaran's hull...

three of the Rowse crab fleet at rest...

what a winning combination, an ex-fisherman, Guinness and a French beret - must be Six-Nations time again, pull away Joe!..

one man and his punt, Barry in landing action...

now it's Monday moring and the harbour is busy busy...

stacked three high, Bay 1 is chocker with fish...

as is Bay 2...

as is Bay 3...

and the inshore fridge!

more than enough hake to keep tis old-timer on his toes...

as the Silver Dawn...

Britannia V...

and the Stelissa all brought home good shots of hake...

Tom on the Guardian must have been well pleased to see this little pack of dogs bulging his cod end over the weekend...

landing a solid little trip of quality inshore fish including these brill...

and congers full of chittling...

plentty of ay on the ground too...

and signs of a few red mullet...

joining the fray, the Ygraine pulls in alongside the fish market to land for tomorrow's market...

haddock are still a feature of every landing...

as are Dovers for the trawl fleet...

and some gorgeous whiting from our visiting haggis boat...

that's nice shot of monk tails...

side-by-side, herring and sardine...

there's mackerel being caught all round at the moment...

and rays...

two specimen turbot landed by the port's biggest boat...

a handful of wrasse...

and some head-on monk...

and a largosh ling...

through the square door the fish are stacked high...

that's two boats landed as the sun came up...

with smiles all round with Jimbo and the boys on the other cat netter, Annie May...

still down by the head after half the fish have gone ashore...

there's a fair few visitors at this time of year, the Colchester registered Laure Ann laying outside the Sara Lean from Brixham,,,

back in again, the Rachel of Ladram, Waterdance's latest addition their trawl fleet...

and the latest iteration of the Plymouth based Admiral fleet, the Parkol built, Admiral Gordon...

seen later berthed alongside the first Admiral Gordon, now just plain Gordon!..

top views over the Bay...

two of the green team are still laid up, languishing with their derricks in resting pose.