Where are our young recruits?

Four years ago Seafarers UK ran a recruitment campaign. Seafarers Awareness Week highlighted 'Opportunities to Work at Sea' - promoting education, training and recruitment services leading to employment in the maritime industry.  To showcase some of the job options available, Seafarers UK produced five films which feature young people embarking on a career at sea. This compilation shows short versions of all five films, introduced by Anshie Patel from the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST):

• Seafarers Cruising to Success - Royal Caribbean Cadet Robert Mackin-Lang aboard Anthem of the Seas
• On the High Seas - The Merchant Navy - Officer Cadet Georgia Atkins studying at Warsash Maritime Academy
• A Life Without Limits - The Royal Navy - Engineering Trainees Beatrice Ramoala and Aaron Adam training onboard HMS Northumberland
• Super Jobs on Superyachts - Tom Clegg, superyacht engineer and Jamie Guerreiro, superyacht trainee talk about their roles
• The New World of Workboats - Jack Owen, a trainee with Holyhead Towing Company talks about the emerging role of workboats.

Today, Warsash Academy tweeted about an open day being held tomorrow.

Noticeable by its absence, the fishing industry did not get its own video despite providing 1000s of seagoing jobs.

The fishing industry is facing a crisis that will not manifest itself to day but have the greatest impact in a generation to come. Right now, as can be seen during programmes about the industry like Fish Town, increasing numbers of boats are left with no apparent alternative but to employ foreign nationals to crew their boats.  Some Scottish and Irish vessels are crewed almost exclusively by Philipino and African crews which means that individual fishing business continue to function. 

But what of the future in 10 or 20 years time when the current crop of skippers and others retire? Without recruiting British crews willing to gain certificates of competence like the Watchkeepers or Skippers Certificates who will be the mates, skippers, relief skippers, engineers and watchmen of the future?

This problem isn't just an issue for the fishing industry of course. Many vocations and professions that require workers to deal with harsh environments, unsociable hours, heavy practical skills and a go-get attitude that necessitate hours days or even weeks spent out of the comfort zone are proving increasingly difficult to staff.  In particular, Further Education colleges have noticed that since the Millennium students demonstrate a culture of entitlement whereby the best jobs, the 'easiest' and the 'top' jobs are there for the taking simply as a result of having signed up to a particular course without having to graft and participate in all those menial and mundane tasks that every form of employment has an element.

We need Secondary & Further Education, the careers service, individual employers and employment organisations to reach directly into our schools, colleges and minds of the young supported by positive and informative TV and Web programmes. These initiatives need to truly inspirational showcasing every kind of employment and career opportunity available - not just the seemingly 'glamourous' posts. For example, seafaring is almost unique in the kinds of demands it makes on creating hugely rewarding team operations and the life-affirming job satisfaction that this brings to the workplace.

Initiatives like this series of videos below, funded for the Dorset Coastal Forum by their local FLAG are all well and good and to be commended but if the country is to address the wider problem it needs something more coordinated than just a few isolated regional videos - however appealing they may be!  In the coming months (whatever Brexit brings us) Through the Gaps will be looking to canvas thoughts, ideas and views on where we go from here - or even currently prosperous ports may well be finding a viable future for fleets, family businesses and severely constrained by recruitment issues that require long-term rather than short fixes.

In the meantime, enjoy these videos celebrating an inshore industry career in terms of both financial and emotional rewards. These are small stories in the grand scheme of things but highlight the diversity and richness of seafaring opportunities throughout the UK coastline.

First up is Sam Shuker, a 17 year old trainee commercial fisherman takes us out on a scallop boat from Lyme Regis and tells it like it is. He works long hours, determined to get as much experience as he can ready for the day when he is old enough to skipper a boat himself. Despite having all his fisherman tickets, Sam is also going to train to be a commercial diver, so that he can hand dive for scallops. He talks about the importance of the marine reserve for his fishery. He's seen first-hand the ups and downs his fisherman father has gone through so he knows he's chosen one of the toughest careers out there. But he loves the sense of freedom fishing brings. He says 'the opportunities I have - it's so much more than a job, it's something I live for. I am determined to fight for it and if I have to rebuild it.'

Next, the fisherman chef Ashley Stones - an inspirational story of how one commercial fisherman affected, like so many, by quotas has found a way to make it work. For several years Ashley lived the dream. He tells us 'I spent all my weekends and school holidays fishing - I absolutely loved it I couldn't get enough of it. After college I went into catering but it was the fishing I wanted to do. I decided to jack in my proper job and turn my hobby into a career." He's passionate that rod and line fishing is sustainable and describes how quotas rocked his friends and colleagues in the Weymouth bass fleet. He has managed to keep fishing, catching less fish (under quota) but using his entrepreneurial and cheffing skills to add value to the fish he catches.

Not everyone wants to fish but that shouldn't stop anyone with an interest in fishing seeking related career opportunities like Ruth Hicks. She's their fisheries observer, says 'people are surprised when she says she's been out on a fishing trawler for a week, but more and more women are coming into the job now'. They follow her working on a fisheries science partnership, with fisherman Mark Cornwell and his crew, out of West Bay, (Bridport) looking at an issue - the discard ban, which could seriously impact the livelihoods of many small fisherman - especially those in mixed fisheries like Mark. It's a fascinating story and as Liseve, Ruth's co worker says ‘there's a lot fishermen can teach us and working together we get the best blend of information and knowledge and sharing.’ In this case if, the scientific data proves what the fishermen are saying anecdotally -then there's a chance for a win all round - including the fish!

It'a not just the catching sector that appears to be suffering from changes in the markets. Tescos, the UK's largest supermarket chain announced the closure of 90 fresh produce counters which includes wet fish counters this week.  However, it has to be noted that this is against a backdrop of ever-increasing competition from the likes of Lidl and Aldi.  Emma McKeating, @GirlyFishMonger and posts on her blog about the wet fish trade recently posted with the headline, 'Why the fishing Industry affects us all' - it is this appreciation of the industry that can be tapped into in creating a professional outward looking industry of the future based on sound training and education at all levels driven by clear career and aspirational goals.

Watch this space!

Brexit. An ocean of uncertainties - another Breton view.

The maritime district of Guilvinec has 216 boats of which 58 practice fishing offshore.

In the absence of an agreement, access to British waters could be brutally prohibited in the aftermath of Brexit (from 30 March). What worry all the fishing industry? 

Pulse taking in the maritime district of Guilvinec.

Jacques Pichon, director of the La Houle armament at Saint-Guénolé Penmarc'h. "I'm connected to Sky News (English news channel) all the time. I am debating in the British House of Commons. We are a bit of a spectator of all this. The problem is that you can not get into investment. About 50% to 60% of our fleet (ten trawlers of 23 m) fish in English waters. A share that is decreasing because of our strategic orientations. The notion of uncertainty is inherent to our activity, but the Brexit perspective added to the launch of the zero discharge at sea rule is still a lot. "

Soazig Palmer-Le Gall, director of Bigouden Armament in Guilvinec and president of the producer organisation (PO). "Nobody knows how it will end. We are very dependent on British decisions. If this leads to a hard Brexit, we will have to be very responsive and find an agreement as soon as possible. Between 20 and 30% of our vessels (eleven offshore trawlers) fish in the English areas. What is worrying is the new distribution of quotas that will ensue. We are used to clubbing on the head. We are not going to stop living. The proof: a new boat will leave the yards in May.

Serge Guyot, director of the Hent Ar Bugale armament at Loctudy. "We will only be partially impacted as about 20% of our vessels (six offshore) fish in English waters. Most of the time, they are in Irish areas and west of Brittany. Lack of visibility blocks investments. We are just suffering this situation. This is annoying. At our level, zero discharge regulations at sea are even more impacting. Nothing has been properly prepared on land. Everyone is trying to do the best. The year 2018 had already not been terrible with the drop in inputs and the increase in the price of diesel. Profitability is more difficult to achieve. In this context, it is complicated to put in place an innovative policy.

Guy Le Moigne, vice-president of the fisheries committee of Finistère. "We are waiting. This is the great mystery. I think we are heading towards a hard Brexit, that is to say the complete closure of British waters. For some boats, this simply means the end of their activity. For others, they will have to regroup in another zone and this will cause problems of cohabitation. Many small boats think they will not be affected, but that's not true. If the deep-sea fishery is affected, the whole area will be impacted. Infrastructures, like auctions, will no longer work. Offshore fishing accounts for 80% of inputs and 80% of jobs. We must not forget it.

* 140 vessels involved in Brittany, which make more than half of their turnover in British waters.

Full story courtesy of Steven Lecornu writing for Le Télégramme.

Newlyn loses a little bit of Magic

Picture above after earning the coveted MSC Hake Certification for which he and a dozen other Cornish skippers fought so hard to obtain.

Well respected  Newlyn skipper, Michael 'Magic' O' Connell sadly passed away last night after losing his personal battle with cancer that cut short both his fishing career and life.

Cornish and Irish flags flying over the harbour.

Originally from Cork, Michael fished for many years from Dunmore East, a port with strong links to Newlyn, where he skippered his own inshore netters. Eventually, like several other Irish fishermen he was drawn to Newlyn. In his early days in the port while he studied for his skipper's ticket he crewed aboard the CKS skippered at that time by Sid Porter.  

Once qualified, he subsequently took command of one of Cornwall's most legendary boats, the Britannia V - a boat that had proved its fishing and sea-keeping prowess for many years after being built for and skippered by Mevagissey skipper, Freddie Turner. Over the next nine or so years the boat continued to make consistently high returns from both gill, wreck and trammel nets fishing all round the south western approaches - the large size of many hake catches often belying her apparent small size.

(Music courtesy of the Irish busker who played in Penzance, summer 2015)

Considered a gentleman in every way by crew and all those with whom he came into contact with during his all too short fishing time in Newlyn, his easy going quiet presence will be missed by all within the harbour.

Episode 3 of Fish Town.

In Episode 2 of Fish Town we learned from fish merchant Jason Jack how he helps increase the value of fish landed by processing every available part - including the cheeks of monkfish which in Scotland - as opposed to the South West and Cornwall - are landed head-on.

Newlyn beam trawlers land only monk tails.

In Episode 3 of Fish Town the fishing boat Zenith sets out from Fraserburgh - 20 miles away from Peterhead - in search of whitefish and prawns. At the helm is 26-year-old skipper Adam Robertson. He starts fishing 40 miles out to sea, but his net fills up with mud from the seabed which means he has to haul in early. When the net comes up, it's been torn. Adam gets his net back in the water, but it then gets stuck on an obstruction, meaning Adam could lose his net. He manages to free it, and finally starts landing huge hauls of fish.

The Peterhead boat Amity is on its way to a fishing ground near the Shetland Isles when it runs into trouble. Something is tangled in the propeller. As night falls, skipper Phil Reid puts a waterproof camera over the side to try to work out what's causing the problem, but it's too dark to see. If he can't fix the problem, the Amity might have to be towed back to port without catching a single fish. But he manages to clear the obstruction and make it to his fishing ground. After weeks of poor fishing, Phil and his Filipino crew need a good catch but the fish prove elusive. Small catches mean less money at the end of the trip for both Phil and his crew, and while Filipino crewman Mikko's cooking lifts the mood, the hauls don't improve. After days at sea, Phil decides to land his catch in Lerwick, in the Shetland Isles, to get the best price for it.

Back on land, a 300-tonne trawler comes into Peterhead port for a paint job. It goes onto the harbour's ship lift and is hoisted out of the water - one of the port's most impressive sights. Local boat painters then have just six days to get it cleaned, painted, and back into the water. A few miles away at net-makers Jackson Trawls, the staff are busy making huge fishing nets mostly by hand.

You can catch up with last night's third or all three episodes here:

It's not that cold on Monday morning's market here in Newlyn

With a full on strong gale over the weekend some merchants were left to scratch their heads in disbelief at the prices being paid on Monday morning's market...

even for fish like these mackerel caught by a few hardy line fishermen in St Ives Bay...

and especially for top quality fish like these John Dory...

monk fish tails...

or even these Dover monk fish tails...

the Twilight III as one of a handful of beam trawlers to put fish ashore...

which included some early season undulate ray...

the odd bass...

and a smattering of scallops and octopi...

three stacks of mackerel, a good day's work for one small boat...

big tub gurnards are right up there now with the quality league and much sought after by some chefs...

name that fish...

many smaller gurnards still go for crab pot bait...

thereby hangs a tail or three...

limited supplies of big white fish come from beam trawl landings...

and a handful of specimen squid to go with...

some sweet looking tails...

an inky glaze on the market floor is a tell-tale sign of heavy cuttlefish landings...

and an inky sky as a result of a weekend of heavy weather promises to break later in the day...

which will see the guys on the Sapphire II back down aboard the boat and a full day's work putting the trawl together again...

as the first of the netters... 

pumps ice aboard well before first light...

as netter crews muster aboard the rest of the fleet down the quay.

How Brexit risks upsetting European fisheries - from a French perspective.

The netter Harvest Reaper entering Newlyn through the gaps having fished on grounds shared with many French fishing vessels.

From an article in Le Monde:

Access to fishing grounds, stock management, the consequences of Brexit on the European fishing sector, and in particular French, are worrying.

This is an essential but still little known part of the Brexit negotiations, which is due to enter into force on 30 March 2019. For the United Kingdom, which is the largest island in the European Union (EU), the question of Maritime sovereignty is unavoidable; the subject was besides a totem of the campaign of the partisans of Brexit.

Five months before the deadline, London firmly affirms its desire to resume, at that date, control of its waters, the largest in the Union and among the most fish. This announced divorce worries the European fishing industry, and in particular the French sector, one of the most exposed, with that of Denmark. Certain regions - the Hauts-de-France, Brittany and Normandy - are particularly dependent on access to British waters. In total, 30% of the French fishermen's catch depends on it, a rate which rises to 50% for Brittany, the leading fishing region in France, to 75% for the Hauts-de-France, according to the National Committee for Marine Fisheries and Fisheries. marine farms (CNPMEM).

What is the fishing policy in the EU?
The European Union is the world's fifth largest producer of fisheries and aquaculture. It adopted a common fisheries policy (CFP) in the 1980s, like the common agricultural policy. It is one of the most integrated European policies. The CFP is based on the pooling of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of European countries and the joint management of the fishery resource.

What is an Exclusive Economic Zone?
The EEZ is a maritime area over which a coastal State exercises sovereign rights in the exploration and use of resources. This space, which was defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982 , extends up to 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) from the coast of the state; beyond that it is international waters. Within the EEZ, territorial waters represent an area of ​​up to 12 nautical miles in width (approximately 22 km) where the coastal State exercises sovereignty.

Equality of access. The CFP allows all European vessels access to the waters and fishing zones of the Member States, provided that they comply with the fishing quotas.


Preservation of resources and sustainable management. The EU has exclusive competence in the conservation of the living resources of the sea. The CFP, revised every ten years, strives to combine the sustainable exploitation of resources, the maintenance of marine biodiversity and decent income insurance for professionals in the sector.

As the Union has expanded, the CFP has undergone several reforms. The most recent took effect on 1 st January 2014 has strengthened the environmental requirements. The current policy is to set sustainable catch limits between 2015 and 2020 to maintain long-term fish stocks. These are then divided among the countries of the Union in the form of national quotas, applying a different percentage per stock and per country in order to guarantee a "relative stability" of the quantities fished, according to the number of vessels involved. They aim to perpetuate the stocks of a hundred fish species.

The threats that Brexit poses to the sector, which would weaken the CFP, include restrictions on access to certain fishing grounds, a new allocation of quotas, access to the seafood market and regulations that apply to all member countries.

What does the United Kingdom want and have done?
With the exit of the EU, the UK will leave the CFP and regain control of its entire exclusive economic zone, the vast seabelt that surrounds the country.

White Paper. In its White Paper on fishing published in early July, London plans eventually to unilaterally decide the access of its waters to European boats, highlighting "the interest of British fishermen" , who voted 92% in 2016 in Brexit in protest of the EU's fishing quotas, which are considered "obsolete" and "unfair" .

London would like to renegotiate the current quotas according to the location to which the resource is attached, particularly cod and haddock. According to an EU report published in January, between 2011 and 2015, European fishermen harvested an average of 760 000 tonnes per year of fish caught in British waters, when British fishermen caught only 90 000 tonnes in the UK. the waters of other European countries.

Currently, Britain exports about 75% of its catch to EU countries, 35% to 40% of which goes to France, its largest customer for € 500 million a year, with British catches being little consumed the domestic market. In its discussions with Brussels, the United Kingdom wants to separate the issue of access to its territorial waters from that of the quantities of British fish exported to the Union. In Brussels, European boats are expected to continue to be allowed free access to British waters if London wants to continue selling its products on the European market.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also "Brexit": Scottish fishermen angry at "unelected technocrats"
The unilateral withdrawal of the London Convention. By unilaterally denouncing the London Convention on Fisheries on 2 July 2017, the United Kingdom sent an unequivocal signal on its willingness to regain full control of its maritime area. "With this withdrawal, the British show us that the negotiations will probably be complicated," said Alain Cadec, MEP and chairman of the fisheries committee of the European Parliament, during a round table on the subject in Lorient (Morbihan ), in November 2017.

Concluded in 1964, before the United Kingdom entered the EU in 1973, the London Convention is an international agreement on fishing rights in coastal waters. It authorises catches in an "area between six miles and twelve miles [11 km and 22 km] " off the coasts of the six signatories - France, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands - all members of the the EU. "Leaving the London Convention on Fisheries is an important moment (...). This means that for the first time in more than fifty years, we will be able to decide who can access our waters after 2020 and under what conditions ",said British Environment Minister Michael Gove, a supporter of a "green Brexit" that would respect resources.

The chief negotiator of the European Union on Brexit, Michel Barnier, had immediately put into perspective and judged that the British decision would have no impact, saying that the convention had become de facto obsolete with the CFP. However, some European fisheries law experts believe that once the EU exit, and hence the CFP, has been negotiated, the London Convention on Fisheries would have resumed service. Leaving this agreement, British fishermen themselves lose the right to work near the coasts of five other signatory countries.

A sector mobilized
Member States wish to defend their historic rights. A few months after the vote on the Brexit in June 2016, the European Fisheries Alliance (EUFA, European Fisheries Alliance) was launched in March 2017 in Brussels. It includes Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, the nine most affected Member States, which derive one-third of their catches from within the EEZ surrounding the British Isles.

Chaired by the Dutchman Gerard van Balsfoort and representing 18,000 fishermen - 3,500 boats - and 21 billion euros in turnover, the EUFA calls for fishing to be a priority in the Brexit negotiations. It wants to continue joint management of shared stocks after Brexit, modeled on the current common fisheries policy.

Full story courtesy of Anne Guillard writing for Le Monde.

Brexit: the risks for the Breton economy

Brittany is France's Cornwall - one part is named Cournouaille and its western end is also named Finisterre (Lands End). As a region it is very much a mirror image of Cornwall - a holiday destination full of Celtic history and the arts with agriculture and fishing still the mainstays of rural and coastal life.

Here is an article from France Bleu:

Brittany's economic players are preparing for Brexit with concern. According to official figures, Brittany exports the equivalent of 830 million euros of merchandise per year. But in reality, it's a lot more. Bretagne Commerce International will schedule two meetings per department.

According to customs figures, Brittany exports the equivalent of 830 million euros worth of goods per year . In reality, it is much more because this figure only takes into account the products that have left the national territory by the Breton ports and airports. Breton companies also export via Calais and especially Le Havre. This is the case, for example, with Le Gall butter made in Quimper and accounted for by customs in the Normandy exports because of a departure by the port of Le Havre.

So there are no real figures but we know that Brittany exports agribusiness in fresh and frozen, automotive spare parts, electronics.

Eight million cauliflowers exported to Great Britain
Marc Kerangueven, producer in Lannilis (29) and president of Cerafel (2,000 producers) is worried. Of the 100 million cauliflowers produced by Prince de Bretagne, eight million go to Britain. This corresponds to 20% of the volume exported: "I have two fears: a new drop in the pound, which makes our products too expensive and leads the British to produce locally, and paperwork that makes it necessary to pay employees or service providers for 'This administrative hassle will be worth it for a cauliflower truck but not necessarily for other products of diversification that are currently exported in half-pallet.

No decline in exports for the moment
Breton companies have already had to adapt to the depreciation of the pound sterling : - 14% since the announcement of Brexit. They have either increased their price or reduced the quantities. We also know that the British are currently stocking, including car parts. As a result, the volume of Breton exports to Great Britain has not declined for the moment.

Soon new meetings to accompany companies
Bretagne Commerce International should quickly schedule two new departmental meetings for business leaders. "The bosses are starting to realize that Britain may soon be as inaccessible as Azerbaijan with terrible paperwork," says Vincent Chamaret, Director of BCI. Future meetings are likely to be a hit.

Concern for the Breton fishery
Another fear in Brittany of economic consequence of Brexit: fishing. According to Olivier Le Nezet, the president of the Regional Fisheries Committee, " 140 to 150 Breton ships fish in British waters and take out 50% of their turnover." This represents a workforce of about 800 seafarers and several thousand onshore processing jobs.

For Olivier Le Nézet, " these boats make the financial equilibrium of all the Breton auctions, and then they are likely to refer to the French areas.That is the whole sector that risks being impacted. " Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced measures that will be detailed in the coming weeks. Olivier Le Nézet insists: "We especially need to be able to continue fishing in British waters."

Translated by Google.
Monday 21 January 2019 at 6:16
Full story courtesy of Valérie Le Nigen , France Armorica Blue and France Bleu Breizh Izel

Monday morning's full moon market is full of fish.

Well past the appointed time the cloud lifted enough eventually to reveal a not-so-super not so blood-red moon over the harbour...

inside the market there were big landings of hake from the Amanda of Ladram and the Karen of Ladram...

name the fish to which this tail belongs...

and this fish...

a very sullen cod...

some ray have vicious tails with which they can defend themselves...

while conger eels are just slippery fells and even harder to pin down...

specimen example of a rub gurnard...

Ian the auctioneer in full flow selling hake...

brill fillets were a very popular dish on British Airways trans-Atlantic fights back in the day...

Gary from Cefas finishing up his morning's fish data collection...

plenty of ray wings with the Imogen III...

the John Dory is one of several fish that carry a thumb mark, but which fish is this...

the middle fridge is now being used to hold landings of line caught mackerel which can be heavy at times...

like this 107 kilos from the punt, Sea Maiden...

looks like John Boy had a good day in St Ives Bay aboard the Nik-Nak...

red mullet are popular with the best restaurants as they look so good on the plate...

mackerel move fast at sea and on the market...

lights like this would make you rush for the almanac if you saw this sort of combination at sea...

with so much fish on the market the beam trawlers filled...

the middle auction hall...

even a boat as powerful as the inshore trawler Imogen III only ever catches a handful of hake within sight of the land as they prefer marauding in deeper waters......

young Mr Cripps keeping an eye on proceedings...

away in Penzance, the Scillonian III is preparing to exit dry dock.