Bart's Fish Tales with Sardines and Hake

Hot off the press is this new cook book from Dutch chef, Bart van Olphen.  Bart actively promotes cooking with sustainable seafood and has done so for many years. He was presented with the title of the world s most sustainable seafood entrepreneur in 2008, and travels the world looking for the stories behind the fish. Fishing communities all over the globe have inspired him to develop a range of fish products that tell their stories.  He is also about to start presenting on Jamie Oliver s Food Tube Network...

While researching for his latest book, Fish Tales, which saw him travel the world...

looking for sustainably caught fish to cook with, he happened upon Newlyn...

and as everyone knows...

and at this time of year when you need to keep up your Omega-3 input and what better way to do it than by making sure you get the freshest fish from Newlyn's fleet of Cornish sardine boats...

 seen her landing on Sunday...

  

it's nothing for 2-Kit to shift 3 tubs of sardines without breaking sweat...

and there are several sardine recipes to enjoy from the Newlyn chapter of the book...

as well as images of those who help put fish on the people's plates like auctioneer...

 and part-time fisherman, Ryan 'Wiffer' Ladd...

enjoying a little joshing on the quay...

while a familiar face from the past lends a hand...

for the punt men like father of the fleet, Dennis Pascoe aboard the Sprigs of Heather heading in to landing their fish ahead of the gill netter Ajax...

which sees young Aaron Williams happy in his work down the fishroom helping...

to pout ashore their last trip of hake for the year...

sans barb MSC Certified hake netter skipper Alan Dwan also stars in the Nelwyn section of Bart's book having provided the fish for some superb hake recipes... 

while Alan is just about to get his complimentary Fish Shop insulated fish frail...

crew member Matt is looking forward to the Christmas break after working through 8s, 9s and 10s this week...

as will all the guys aboard the port's top trawler, Crystal Sea.

Newlyn sustainable hake fishermen win Waitrose contract

Paul Trebilcock, Chief Exec CFPO and Alan Dwan, skipper of MSC certified netter 

A group of Westcountry hake fishermen are celebrating after winning a contract with high-end supermarket Waitrose. The Newlyn-based fishermen will be providing the supermarket chain with the first Marine Stewardship Council labelled sustainable hake.

Cornish fishermen have a long history of catching hake and were MSC certified as a sustainable and well-managed fishery in June last year.

They work from a fleet of 15 boats ranging from 12m to 23m long, catching hake in the Celtic Sea to the west of the UK mainland and south of Ireland.

Together they land just under 1,000 tonnes of European hake each year into Newlyn.

Alan Dwan, skipper of Cornish hake fishing vessel AJAX PZ36, which featured in the ITV three-part programme Trawlermen Tales.

Mr Dwan said hake fishermen take care of the stock – which they have built up to double their size in 2001, using nets that only target the larger hake and allow the smaller young fish to swim free, leaving more fish to reproduce.

He added: "We're really delighted that a British company such as Waitrose is taking on MSC certified and ecolabelled Cornish hake.

"It's been a long process but we're really happy to have Cornish hake recognised for how sustainable it is and to see it being sold as such to the UK public.

"We use highly selective fishing nets with larger mesh sizes than necessary by EU regulations so that only much bigger, mature fish are taken.

"It is great that hake fishing is benefiting from fishermen's responsible behaviour over recent years."

The Newlyn-registered Ajax boat is now MSC certified for hake fishing

Jeremy Ryland Langley, Waitrose aquaculture and disheries manager, said: "We promised to support the Cornish fishery when it was certified and we are delighted to be able to do so.

"Supporting British fishermen and ensuring we always offer our customers the best in responsibly caught fish and seafood are key priorities for Waitrose."

Toby Middleton, MSC programme director for the North East Atlantic added: "Every time a Waitrose shopper buys Cornish hake with the MSC ecolabel they are playing a key role helping to drive the health of the world's oceans, as well as sustaining livelihoods of coastal communities."

Made by Wild Pictures, the producers of the acclaimed ITV series HMP Aylesbury, Strangeways and The Zoo, Trawlermen depicted how the fishermen of Newlyn in Cornwall toil around the clock with little sleep, often in rough seas, hunting for their catch.

It also provides a vivid insight into how they struggle to meet the expectations of their wives, girlfriends and children at home while they are away for a week at a time.

The video below tells the story of fishing for hake aboard the old Ajax - shot in the run-up to Newlyn Fish Festival when Caroline Quentin met and interviewed skipper Alan and the crew of the Ajax.

Old Blues standard - Rolling and Tumbling the netter's way.

Ajax PZ26 filmed from the wheelhouse of the Karen of Ladram as she makes her way to the next tier of nets...

and later in the day the Padstow registered Berlewen passes down - a reminder to videographers to shoot with your phone in landscape (bottom) not portrait (top) mode!

Work in progress - Karen of Ladram dodging way west of the Scillys.

More work in progress on the boat detail above the waterline - especially to place the two crew stood on top of the shelterdeck ahead of the hauler hatch cover - more sea detail to follow.

All hail the Halloween hake!

Scare your friends with some Halloween #Cornish #hake on the menu tonight.

Mid-week market in Nelwyn.

The mid-week market is often full of small shots of fish from the inshore fleet like this smattering of monk form the New Harmony, a hard-won catch from off the Lizard...

or these banging bass from the likes of Cap'n Cod...

or these beautiful blonde rays from the trawler Shiralee...

and his sparkling plaice...

the only beam trawler to land was the Sapphire II who had decided to go with the cuttlefish...

while both the Gary M  and the Britannia V both put their trips of net caught MSC Certified hake ashore...

while outside the market the Girl Pamela takes on enough bait for a day on the pots - despite a scuffly forecast for the day as the back end of a front bringing wind and rain pass across the south west this morning.

Newlyn's latest boat the Ajax lands her first trip to the fish market.

Ten days after leaving McDuff in Scotland the Ajax makes her first landing on Newlyn with over 300 boxes of hake and whitefish on board. As per usual, the landing is split between Newlyn and the fish market at Brixham to get the best prices for the boat. 

Ajax steaming south off the coast of Cornwall now

A short animation of the Ajax as she makes her way down the Irish Sea, through the St George's Channel towards Land's End...

using her current speed of 9 knots as a guide she is due to arrive in Newlyn around 14:30

where she hopes to pick up some strong ebb tide off the Brisons (off Cape Cornwall) and make 11 or 12 knots which should get her round the corner...

tide times courtesy of the TidePlanner app

in time to get Through the Gaps before low water at 14:20 (times here are not BST).

News from the Ajax - working close to Breton trawlers

Here's an update via Inmarsat C from the Newlyn netter, Ajax:

Message from Inmarsat-C Mobile

good morning 

We had good day fishing 60bxs Hake aboard. Today is calm and fog has lifted we have a lot of trafic here today French Trawlers Pluton,Laura,LeMurex, Ar Laeres,Hent Ar Mor,Hunure Gouet Gwel A Vo and La Nautile Sat C been busy and they staying away from our nets

The AIS shot shows the relatively small area of ground being worked by the trawlers that skipper Alan Dwan mentions in his post. 

A very Fishy Friday to all blog followers!

Catch a flavour of the fish auction on Newlyn's fish market in the early hours.......

That's a cracking Dover nestled in the ice.......

as are the Sparkling Line's pollock......

at this time of year many fish are full of roe......

even the beam trawler Twilight can't leave the big bass alone........

whole monk tails just begging to find a home in an oven near you......

the greater striped cuttlefish shows off.......

more shining examples of prime white fish.......

and a box of roes to boot........

plus a few kilos of bass for the Britannia IV.......

this half box of cod represents 15% of a boats MONTHLY cod quota for Area VII a - caught in one net.........

nearly ready to set sail for the rest of the tide......

evidence of fresh sardine landing during the night, 14 tonnes from the Lyonesse.........

a sight more familiar to the port of Fleetwood, the Isadale is in town......

viewed from the bow.......

brand new beam trawls being put together for the Cornishman is taking shape on the quay......

Angle's lifeboat is on passage.......

the three Belgian flagged beamers are back in town again.......

that's one big squid Mr Smart, some serious deep-fried squid rings in the offing!.......

a little creativity along the memorial fence.