This mornings view down the harbour from the fish market is all very seasonal...
with the entire fleet in and tied up for the Christmas period...
it will be that last time the MMO takes a walk down the quay to check out the boats landing this year...
also, let's hope that thew lifeboats get to stay in berth until well into the New Year...
back inside, the final market for the year is stacked out, literally, with fish from three beam trawlers, two netters and a handful of inshore boats all expecting good prices for their last sales for 2017...
the guys on the New Venture went out of their way to see that all their fish was laid out and looking good ready for auction...
while a few of the punts had been busy with their handlines adding to this year's bass quota caught...
with the fridge well stocked with similar fish...
biggest of the beam trawl trips was the St Georges hoping for a repeat of the high prices of her last landing...
followed by the Sapphire III with some quality plaice...
and well over a ton of haddock - which, given that haddock tend to swim well off the bottom and need a trawl with a good headline height just shows how much haddock is on the grounds these days - a beam trawl's headline height is probably less than three feet most of the time!..
the other beamers to land were the Resurgam...
and the Lisa Jacqueline...
beautifully markings on this undulate ray...
while the big flats were a bit thin on the ground...
there were some prime specimen cephalopods with the imshores...
and cracking gurnards were landed by all the boats...
along with a few good JDs...
and probably the biggest eight-legger for the year...
while the netters, Govenek and Joy of Ladfram landed decent shots of hake between them...
Dr Smart, one of the more recognisable sights back on the market again...
congers don't come much blacker than these guys...
or flats bigger then these...
with no fish likely to be landed for nearly two weeks even the humble scad gets a look in...
along with a few smooth hounds or, 'pissers'as they are affectionately known in these parts...
top of the Christmas table must be the big, beautiful bass though...
always enough to tempt the buyers...
along with those big, meaty hakes...
and for those keen to try something affordable and different there were even a good few pot from all the trawl boats...
along with a selection of good gurnards, red mullet and plate sized JDs...
and even more from Dumps' final trip of the year...
down the qauy, Rowse's latest boat is still undergoing a massive refit...
and still waiting for the name change to Nimrod...
the old engine is out on the quay...
Suzie and a blaze of lights in the distance...
and aboard the St Georges...
while over in Penzance wet dock the boys have been at it all night making good the gear for the next trip.