Plans revealed for a new marine skills centre in the heart of Newlyn

A 'good news' story where Newlyn Harbour continues to be at the forefront of innovation and forward thinking in the fishing industry.

An artist impression of how the new marine skills centre will look

A Cornish architectural practice has revealed plans for a state-of-the-art marine skills centre at the heart of Newlyn’s ancient Harbour.

The proposed Marine Skills and Resource Centre will improve and contribute to training and skills development for Newlyn’s fishers and those who work at sea or in the wider maritime industry.

Architects Poynton Bradbury Winter Cole say if plans get the green light, the Centre will replace the current training facilities, which are scattered around the town, providing a state-of-the-art building, sensitively designed to blend into the surrounding area.

PBWC Director Cian Spowart said: 

“Newlyn Harbour has been operating since the 15th century and its fishing fleet is considered to be one of the largest in the UK. The Marine Skills and Resource Centre will centralise the services currently on offer to fishers and those who work at sea. “The purpose-built centre will help to future-proof the maritime industry in Newlyn and beyond.”

The Centre will help to recruit, train, and retain the young people and adults needed to support the fishing, related food processing and wider marine sectors as well as providing learning and development opportunities.

The proposed three-storey, multi-departmental building, will be built using timber and natural Cornish granite and it will have a slate roof or a ribbed, slate-coloured zinc roof. Inside will be core seafood training spaces with engineering training on the ground floor and classroom-based training on the first floor. There will also be engineering workshops, offices, a fisherman’s lounge, and a reception area.

Cian added: “The building will have a robust and low maintenance finish that will blend well with the existing buildings around Newlyn.”

The site is currently used by Marine Management Organisation Officers, who have a temporary unit stationed there. The MMO’s purpose is to protect and enhance the marine environment, and support UK economic growth by enabling sustainable marine activities and development.

Newlyn Harbour Marine Skills and Resource Centre is one of seven projects within the Penzance Town Deal benefiting from the Government’s Town Deal Fund investment.

Full story in the Voice by Warren Wilkins

Opportunity to manage inshore fisheries and conservation

The MMO have been given responsibility by Defra to manage the process of making appointments of General Members to IFCA Committees.

These voluntary roles require candidates who can take a balanced approach to caring for our seas, assessing the priority and importance of all users and stakeholders. It is essential that candidates have a good local knowledge of the IFCA area for which they are applying. The members of the IFCA contribute their knowledge and experience to provide sustainable management of their IFCA district.

The MMO operates a rolling campaign for the recruitment of IFCA General Members, this means that the IFCA General Member advert will be open to receiving applications for all regional IFCAs from interested candidates throughout the year without the restriction of a cutoff date. The sifting and interviewing of successful applicants will be held on a quarterly basis.

The MMO accept applications from both current and former IFCA general members who are nearing the end of their ten-year term as well as those members who have left having already served a ten-year term. Applications from these members will be considered alongside all other applicants in a fair an open competitive process and appointed on merit to ensure a fair balance of sector representation.

The role of an IFCA General Member

The members of the IFCA contribute their knowledge and experience to provide sustainable management of the inshore marine area of their IFCA district. Appointees to IFCAs are legally required to consider all the local fishing and marine conservation interests in the waters of the IFCA district in a balanced way, taking full account of the needs of the IFCA district. Appointees should recognise that they are part of a committee and should not regard themselves as representing solely one area of particular interest within the IFCA district.

As an IFCA General Member you will have the opportunity to contribute your knowledge and experience to committee meetings helping to shape and direct the work of the IFCA.

This membership puts local people in the driving seat of fisheries management and is an exciting opportunity to shape the development of inshore fisheries in your region.

As a member of an IFCA committee you will work in a team with others, helping to ensure that:

• the use of sea fisheries resources is carried out in a sustainable way and is balanced with the need to protect the marine environment or promote its recovery from, the effects of exploitation

• the different needs of those engaged in the exploitation of sea fisheries and marine resources are balanced

• the conservation objectives of marine conservation zones are achieved

Although these appointments are unpaid some local authorities pay expenses and allowances.

We seek to achieve a balanced membership across various interest groups, including but not limited to those with commercial, recreational, and environmental interests.

IFCA Application Form and further information here.

Operational Notice - Keep Newlyn Flowing Smoothly!

As the winter weather ceases to bring in an endless series of gales it looks like this ear could see a record number of visiting boats using Newlyn.

As things get busier around the harbour, we want to ensure everyone has a smooth and efficient experience. Here are a few friendly reminders to help us keep things running like clockwork:

Heads Up on Arrivals and Departures: To help us plan berthing efficiently, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance if you're arriving or departing. Just a quick text or call to the Ops phone on 07771 394530 will do the trick!

Landing and Loading Zones: Remember, berths at the Market, Iceworks, and the end of the Mary Williams Pier are for loading and unloading your catch only. Once finished, please move your vessel to allow others to use these essential areas. Of course, if you need to stay longer, just let us know and we'll see what can be arranged.

Keeping the Berths Clear: For all other berths, it's important that your vessel can be moved quickly when directed. This ensures everyone has access when they need it.

Gear on the Mary Williams Pier: We understand the importance of mending nets and changing gear. To keep things safe and accessible for everyone, please try to keep your gear as close to the edge of the pier as possible, and only for the time needed. This way, lorries and crew can easily access the ladders and surrounding areas.

By working together, we can keep our harbour a thriving and productive hub for everyone!

Bright start to the week as the port record goes again!

Dark clouds, bright skies and rays of sunshine fall over the harbour this morning, and it isn't raining...

even more rays inside the market...

 from the beam trawler Cornishman...

that's a whole lot of whiting roe...

top quality seine net fish always look good...

as do these reds from the beamer...

reds were very much the predominant hues morning...

never mind the reds, the port record was broken again, this time by the Cornishman with 90 boxes of soles...

two tone boxes of fish...

if oly there was a decent market for these fish out there, a longlining bonanza waiting to happen...

there's a clue in the name...

signs of better mackerel fishing on the market this morning with the handline guys...

looks like some interesting research underway for Cefas...

the ringnetter Vesta, landed a few fish over the weekend, though they proved somewhat elusive in terms of quantity...

a bright start to the day gets brighter...

as the sky opens up...

it's a sign of the times, these boats would be fishing if there were skippers and crews out there to take them...

the there's a key berth going while the St Piran is away for a paint-up...

while the Ali-Cat gets her paint job done closer to home...

two more deep-drafted boats take up berths on the end of the Mary Williams pier, the modern fleet is very quickly out-growing the harbour and its shallow waters...

as did the harbour 140 years ago when the Old harbour was the sole provider of shelter for the fleet of the day.

 

Zero TAC and the POLLACK POPULATION SIZE STUDY - what fishermen think.

REGISTER OF INTEREST - POLLACK POPULATION SIZE STUDY IN THE WESTERN ENGLISH CHANNEL12 March 2024

Following the recent Defra announcement of a scientific assessment to understand more about the stock structure and abundance of Pollack, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is today inviting commercial fishers to register their interest in joining a study using genetic tools to estimate the population size of pollack in the western English Channel (ICES subdivision 7.e.)

The study will be delivered in collaboration with commercial pollack fishing specialists (i.e. fishers who have specifically targeted pollack) with local knowledge of spawning adult and juvenile locations, to assist in the targeted sampling of fish.

We expect to commission a total of 100 days of vessel time, ideally spread over a number of vessels from a limited range of sites and evenly over time until February 2025. We aim to collect genetic material, length and weight info from around 3000 individual fish, together with the coordinates of capture. The aim is to sample 30 fish per sampling day.

Training for the taking of genetic samples will be provided by Cefas and funding to attend training will be available. Sampled fish can be sold and will be counted under “scientific quota”, which will be available only to the vessels selected to participate in the study. We anticipate a remuneration of around £500 (excl. VAT) per day.

We are looking for a minimum of 3 years’ commercial experience targeting pollack in the area of interest, and for flexibility to collect monthly samples through to February 2025. As far as is consistent with meeting the scientific objectives of the study and the vessels meeting the criteria (to be specified in application pack), Defra will prefer applications from the most affected by the pollack bycatch restrictions.

To register your interest, please email procure@cefas.gov.uk by the 26th of March, with the following 'I would like to register to receive an application pack for the pollack population study in 7e'.

Only those who register an interest will be provided with an application pack

• Timeline (*indicative)

• March 12th – Opening Date to register interest 

• March 26th – Closing date to register interest 

• March 27/28th – Application Pack issued to those registered

• 10th April – Closing date for submitting applications 

• End of April – Vessels selected and feedback provided to all applicants 

• Mid-May (dates TBC) – Training for successful applicants

• Late May 2024 to February 2025 - Sampling Programme duration

 

Newlyn port record broken again!

High water three days after one of the year's biggest tides is still keeping the netting fleet and others in port...

giving some of the local turnstones something to chat about...

and then you line up another shot and the resident seal decides to do what comes naturally paying little head to the regulation that says, 'no dumping at sea'...

virtually all the fish on the market this morning was from just one boat, like these monk tails...

scallops...

cuttles...

and then there were the flats like these brill...

and big turbot...

and boxes...

and boxes...

of Dover sole, well over £90,000 worth which, together with the rest of the trip meant that skipper Mike Kinnaird is the latest beam trawler skipper to hold the port record with a grossing of £120,400...

seen here, having avoided the crane, landing his trip at the market yesterday evening. No doubt there will be a few other local skippers in much more powerful boats looking to remove his title - if they can!

Busy, busy Newlyn harbour!

The Mary Williams pier is crowded out with big boats this morning...

with visiting Brixham beam trawler, Monty of Ladram taking advantage of high water to land her trip to the market...

she was not the only visiting boat to land, the Acionna...

put togther  a solid trip...

of quality mixed fish...

including head-on monk...

alongside a second landing in as many days from the Crystal Sea...

there's plenty of fine details to sort out in preparation for the harbour to hand over the lease for the fish market building and market operations...

those Scottish boys just can't pass up the opportunity to put ashore that favourite North of the border fish, the humble haddock...

monk tails from the big St Ives boat...

and yet another big octopus from one of the crabbers...

and, end of season sardines, no I mean pilchards...

a few inshore boats picked away their favoured fish like these mackerel...

and mullet...

landings ready to head east to the market at Brixham...

with yet more waiting in the wings as the William of Ladram manouevers around the harbour waiting for a quay berth to land...

as the Monty lands...

to the market...

watched over by the resident seal...

with every quay berth taken...

the William heads for the ice works......

and Ollie takes his eye off the heaving line headed his way...

a stacked out Mary Williams pier - and there are up to ten big Scottish prawners heading this way over the next few weeks to join the feet...

which will make things tight for them landing on the end of the pier...

looks like a few hours work for the boys on the William...

looks like the end of the sardine season for one boat...

the Old harbour at high water on a big spring tide...

and a busy pier...

and slip...

now that is one seriously smashed up footrope...

looking over the the road to where the MMO have their temporary office...

and parking spaces...

the site used to be a storage area for fishing gear...

but later this year, building work is due to start on the much awaited, Marine Skills Centre and home to Seafood Cornwall Training.