CFPO's Phil Trebilcock (left) holding the coveted MSC Certified Cornish Hake symbol over the first ever landing of certified hake from Ajax skipper, Alan Dwan.
Skipper of the "Ajax" Alan Dwan is being nominated for the newly created, Sustainability category in this year's Fishing News awards.
Alan's dedicated work using increased mesh sizes, less gear and shorter trips together with eleven other Cornish hake netters eventually bore fruit with the coveted MSC Certified Cornish Hake awarded in February, 2016, "Obtaining MSC certification has been a lengthy and rigorous process but we're very proud to have finally achieved it," said Alan Dwan, skipper of the Ajax. "This is great news for the hake catching fleet but also for the wider Cornish industry and hopefully will help to bring more Cornish seafood into the spotlight."
The significance of Alan's and many other Cornish fishermen's efforts in creating a demand for Cornish fish cannot be emphasized enough - to put things into perspective, ten years ago, 80% of hake bought by one major Cornish company was exported straight to Spain - today, 80% of hake is sold by the same company into UK markets. MSC Certified hake along with Line Caught bass, mackerel and pollack all significantly improve the market share of Cornish fish.
Please take a minute to add your nomination for him here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JCXN2JF
The 2018 Fishing News Awards themselves will be held in Aberdeen on the evening of Thursday 24th May 2018.
The event is dedicated to shining a spotlight on achievements, expertise and innovation from within the UK and Ireland’s commercial fishing industries during 2017.
David Linkie, Editor, Fishing News: “Last year’s successful Fishing News Awards illustrated the industry’s tremendous support for its members, and celebrated the achievements of an enterprise whose strength is so much more than the sum of its parts. We are delighted to be able to recognise and reward the individuals and organisations whose achievements in their respective fields do so much for commercial fishing.
“I am pleased to announce two new categories for the 2018 Awards. The Sustainability Awards, sponsored by The Fishmongers Company, will recognise outstanding innovation and achievement in improving sustainability and environmental responsibility within the UK or Irish fishing industries. The introduction of a Trainee of the Year category, sponsored by Sunderland Marine, reflects the importance of encouraging new entrants into the industry. This award will acknowledge both trainees’ academic and personal achievements.
Ultimately The ‘Fishing News Awards’ is very much a team effort, in which everyone has an important role to play in supporting the industry by putting forward their nominations in the various award categories.”
The Nomination Process
We are now open to receive your nominations, through to midnight on Tuesday, 13th February 2018. We cannot accept further nominations beyond this point.
To go straight to the nomination forms, click here
To see last year’s winners, click here
