Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
Here is just one example of the dilemma inshore fishermen face - too little national quota available to share out to the nation's fleet of small inshore boats who, even if they fished to the max, would have little tangible effect on particular stocks of fish - based on their assessment of these stocks. One of them has written yet another impassioned letter to his local MMO office in desperation:
I have been fishing the wrecks in the Thames Estuary for the past week or so, I have been using 10.7 inch gear in very short fleets. I have been placing them right across the top of the wrecks and I still cannot avoid catching skate. I had four hauls last week and dumped at least 450 kg (71 stone/ 0.43 ton) of prime fish.
The reason for fishing the wrecks is to catch lobster as I have very little quota regarding other species of fish.
How can the idiots that run your organisation (the MMO) come up with a monthly figure of 75 kg, I can catch that in less than an hour.
There are literally thousands of them on the ground and as we both know, dumping fish with little or no chance of survival is totally unacceptable and does nothing for conservation.
Same story, different fish is being repeated up and down the length of the country - with no obvious solution. Wanted, ideas please!
The St Ives-designed and built mackerel driver Barnabas, famed for flying an enormous St Piran’s flag at the Queen’s diamond jubilee pageant on the Thames in 2012, is the flagship of the Cornish Maritime Trust (CMT).
To raise funds for the trust, Barnabas will recreate the annual voyage which many Cornish drift-netters made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to catch the enormous shoals of herring which were then available off the coast of Britain during the summer months.
Walter Langley : Departure Of The Fleet For The North
The idea is the brainchild of CMT trustee Peter Morgan, who said he was inspired to organise the trip after seeing the 1886 Walter Langley painting In A Cornish Village: Departure Of The Fleet For The North.
“The boats would pick up the Peel fleet from the Isle of Man, renowned for their kippers, and sail up to Fort William, then through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness and the Moray Firth,” he said.
“Often the crews could not afford to hire a horse to pull the boat along through the canal and so the crew hauled the boat themselves – a two-day, exhausting effort.” Once they had reached the east coast, the fleet, which could number 1,000 or more vessels, would head up to Orkney and Shetland in search of vast quantities of herring.
From there, they would have followed the shoals down the east coast of Scotland and England, fishing and landing their catches as they went.
Mr Morgan says he has discovered that Barnabas definitely made this trip in 1883, 1884 and 1885.
This year, the journey will be undertaken over the course of ten weeks with volunteers, each paying £200, crewing Barnabas for week-long segments.
Barnabas will set off on her journey from the Looe Luggers Festival which takes place this weekend and will called in on Falmouth early next week; she will be in Penzance harbour on Mazey Day before heading off on Monday from Newlyn. Follow their adventures on the BAB blog here:
See the Barnabas leaving Newlyn in the early hours of this misty morning!
It's Saturday morning and a sizeable flotilla of yachts have assembled in Penzance wet dock for the Golowan weekend which culminates on Sunday better known as Quay Day...
though Friday night's celebrations aboard the lugger Barnabus look as though they took their toll...
the historic lugger is due to make a round Britain passage and will include the Shetland Isles en route...
quay boat in her tier is another historic lugger...
the Guide Me, now well over 100 years old and still sailing without power - using just her lugger rig she has sailed the Atlantic and beyond in her travels...
a very Cornish weekend for all those who can make it to Penzance...
home of Pirates...
and others who will relieve anunwary public of their gold coins over the weekend...
there's a final opportunity to sample some of the amazing artwork produced by Penwith College students...
many inspired to use resources reflecting local tradition and working practices...
followed by a huge range of weird and wonderful creations from local schools who take part in this annual celebration of the eclectic mix that only Penzance could come up with!
Not much in the way of Sea Spray in the light winds today...
which will make Captain Smith's job fishing for pollack single-handed that much easier...
fish fanatic Ben Tunnicliffe gets his hands on some of the latest MSC Certified Cornish hake to be landed on Newlyn...
with David Pascoe, skipper of the Serene Dawn, the smallest boat to receive certification from the MSC sharing a joke with CFPO boss Paul Trebilcock, @ChloeFNorth and @PeskyCod visiting Newlyn to see the result of six years' hard work...
and a trip of hake from the Govenek of Ladram...
at 7 kilos and well over £12 a kilo this prime turbot will provide some cracking meals ce soir...
name the fish?...
all set for another day's work...
good to see more and more local pubs making a point of serving the best fish on a #FishyFriday !
