Despite a gale lashing the Western Approaches for the last 48 hours two boats landed for the market this morning...
with a selection of quality flat fish like these lemons...
Doversole...
and plaice...
along with the beam trawler's favourite, monk fish...
giving one new recruit to the industry a chance to practice IDing fish by species...
with some rare for these days fish like these mackerel...
and bass which will soon be absent from the market should the proposed bass ban come into effect as planned in the new year...
at this time of the year many of the beam trawlers target cephalapods like these octopus...
but far more abundant species like these cuttlefish from the Cornishman...
and the St Georges...
not a single box of net fish on the market despite it being a neap tide when they would normally be landing part trips...
keeping the buyers very short of fish to share between them and pass on to their customers...
with the forecast possibly easing tonight a few of the bigger boats like the Cornishman might decide to stick their noses out through the gaps later this evening...
ID this fish by its fin...
caught by the Twilight...
with just a handful of boxes to sell...
even the port's biggest trawler has tied up for weather...
along with the rest of the fleet...
so it is likely that the market will be in darkness tomorrow morning...
while the fleet shelters form the passing gale...
giving Tom little to watch over other than fellow sailors in much bigger ships...
under dark and stormy morning skies.