"And now for the Shipping Forecast" a contemporary portrait of fishing.

In 2022, renowned portrait artist Morgan Penn envisioned a modern-day tribute to Britain's hardworking fishermen. He shared his concept sketch on social media, inviting the community to join him on this artistic journey.

Gathering a crew of eight fishermen to pose for the portrait was a daunting task. Luckily, the fishing community stepped in, and Through the Gaps offered their expertise to bring Morgan's vision to life.

During the 2022 Christmas lay-up period, a group of Newlyn fishermen gathered aboard the beam trawler, Enterprise, to participate in the project and bring the artist's concept to life.

Camera in hand and under Morgan's watchful eye and the curious gaze of onlookers, the fishermen took on their assigned poses, creating a scene that captured the essence of their profession.

The resulting photographs served as reference points for his studio work. Tragically, one of the fishermen featured in the portrait passed away before its completion. The artwork now stands as a lasting tribute to his life and his connection to the sea.

Prawn trawling: 8am, hauling on the Smalls.

An intriguing detail emerged during the project: Penn's original concept sketch bore a striking resemblance to a photograph taken aboard the Keriolet trawler in the 1980s. Incorporating elements from the old photo added a layer of authenticity to the final painting.

Learn more about the creative process behind the portrait by scrolling through the accompanying booklet below. The finished artwork is on display at the Royal Society of Marine Artists' annual exhibition at the Mall Gallery, London, from September 19th to 28th.

Penn's "The Shipping Forecast" depicts eight fishermen hard at work on a trawler. Each crew member was asked to contribute a personal item to the painting, adding a unique touch to the artwork. One such item, a tiny panda, holds a special significance. It was given to one of the fishermen on the day of his birth by his mother's best friend and was sometimes packed in his sea-bag, even on trips to Rockall. 

The oil-on-linen painting, measuring 120cm square, showcases the intricate details of the fishermen's work on deck and the personal items that connect them to the sea. By examining the artwork closely, viewers can discover the hidden stories and symbolism woven into the scene.

Morgan Penn's studio portrait work can be seen here.

All the works in this year's The Royal Society of British Marine Artists exhibition can be viewed here.

The Royal Society of British Marine Artists web site can be seen here.

First #FishyFriday in May!

Big clue as to which fish market this is...

and here are the boats landing this morning...

megrims aplenty from both the beam trawlers and the visiting prawn boats who are landing their whitefish to the market...

with his first chance to fish away west of the Scillys, Roger on the Imogen III has made a solid landing of his favourite summertime fish, John Dory...

and a handful or cracking red mullet thrown in for good measure, just look at the quality of Roger's fish......

Scottish boats land their monk whole...

checking out the results of one handliner's early morning haul of mackerel...

the fish are flighty and elusive this week making them hard to catch...

Don picked away good box of tub gurnards for his week at sea...

the almost prehistoric tail of a ray...

plaice aplenty...

builders bags have become a gosdsend for small and larger boats working nets...

allowing punt men like Barry to get on with the job more quickly and efficiently...

new crab pots still go aboard three at a time on the Girl Pamela though...

the business end of the latest Scottish prawner to join the fleet...

taking shape...

the stern of the Galilee is looking neat...

while the William now sports her reconditioned derricks and mast...

prawners, Solstice...

Shekinah...

and Nereus..

joined by the Astoria and Bracoden...

which was prefviously the old Solstice - many steel boats have their original names made in steel letters and welded to the bow...

which means they have to becovered over rather than burnt off when re-named...

or just painted over like the Shekinah ex-Ben Arkle...

waiting for the tide to drop to ciontinue the antifouling work on the hull...

away to sea for the Prospector...

some classic artwork coming up for auction Lane's, though the boats look Breton rather than Cornish...

unlike the luggers in this piece.

'The Business of Fishing'

'The Business of Fishing' aims to improve everyone's understanding of the business aspects of the UK fishing industry by showing some of the day-to-day and strategic challenges that fishing vessel owners face and how they overcome those challenges. The video shows the industry through the eyes of four different vessel owners from different fishing sectors and regions of the UK. The focus is on running a successful business while taking care of the fish stocks and the natural environment.

'The Business of Fishing' was screened for the first time at an event at the Mayfair Hotel in London on Tuesday 12 March 2013. At the screening event, the invited audience of policy makers, environmental NGOs, media and industry representatives each had the opportunity to meet vessel owners involved in the film and discuss some of the issues that it explored. A further launch event was held in Edinburgh the following week and several other screenings around the UK and in Brussels followed as popular demand grew. The film has been shown at a discussion event in the European Parliament and to DG Mare at the European Commission in Brussels, to the House of Commons all party fisheries committee in London.

West country viewers should have no trouble in spotting the familiar face of skipper David Stevns Jnr aboard the family owned Crystal Sea II.

Commissioned by Sea Fish Industry Authority - the Authority on Seafood

Filmed and Edited by Greenroom Films, Edinburgh Executive Producer for Seafish: Hazel Curtis ©Sea Fish Industry Authority 2013

7th May 2007, Gavroche sinks off the Breton coast north of Conquet

 

 

Not all vessels capsize and sink when they are full of water - in this instance the skipper and crew were all able to make it to aonther vessel safely.

 

Here is a report at the time:

 

On Monday, May 7, 2007 to 3:50 p.m., CROSS CORSEN was alerted by the trawler "Christda II" as "Gavroche" (a 19-meter trawler registered in Guilvinec, on board  were 5 crew members), the engine compartment was flooded while they were about 70 kilometers west of Conquet.

The "Christda II" immediately went to assist the "Gavroche". Four crew members were evacuated on the "Christda II" while the skipper of the trawler "Gavroche" remained on board to try to control the waterway.

At the same time, "Latouche Treville" Commander of the Navy was contacted by order of the Marine Operations Centre (COM Brest), it then implements its Lynx helicopter on board with a plunger and a motor pump.

With the arrival of the helicopter in the area, due to the impossibility of the ingress of water, the skipper of the trawler was removed with the help of divers from the helicopter on the "Christda II" remained close.

Shortly before 21 h00 May 7, the trawler "Gavroche" sank in one hundred meters of water.

Urgent Notice to Mariners was issued to indicate the position of the wreck.

Pair trawling in a gale of wind - top seamanship skills!

All in a day's work - when pair trawling the boats have to pass a line between them before they can tow the net - in poor weather this requires considerable skill - the Lapwing has to approach the Budding Rose at high speed because the wind would keep her off course - a tense moment every time the boats do so - which is probably around five times a day - and even more hair-raising at night! 

Enjoy 60 year old film of the Newlyn sidewinder Jacqueline trawling off the Wolf and in Mount's Bay.

Filmed just after the Second World War aboard the Newlyn sidewinder Jacqueline. The boat was an ex-Admiralty MFV (motorised fishing vessel) built during the war and bought by Stevenson and Sons to trawl from Newlyn. She was only broken up a few years ago after a lifetime spent sidewinding off the Cornish coast.  Stevenson's longest serving engineer spent most of his working life a engineer aboard the Jacqueline.

First off are a series of photos taken when she was still fishing in the late 1980s and 90s...

The rest of the wooden sidewinder fleet can be seen in this photo from around1978...

bringing the otter trawl in over the rail aided by the roll of the boat...

gutting the haul...

running repairs to the more modern steel not wooden doors...

Enjoy these two British Pathe clips that cover an entire trip.

It would be good if the skipper and crew could be identified from the footage shot.

TRAWLING

TRAWLING - OUT-TAKES Reel 1

Taking action against bottom trawling and for the future of fish

Is this a fair view of deep sea trawling?

The article below has been posted on the Greenpeace blog - while the ship is at sea following the deep sea trawling fleet off the west coast of Scotland. There is a web cam aboard the Arctic Sunrise that transmits a new image every 30 seconds.

"I’m on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, currently working in the North Atlantic on our Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) campaign. The CFP- the European fisheries agreement- is reviewed every ten years. By lobbying, taking action and bearing witness where ocean life is endangered, Greenpeace wants to make sure that the EU minsters take the necessary measurement to truly protect our seas.

Yesterday we took action against a French bottom trawler, off the coast of Ireland, in the North East Atlantic ocean. Four swimmers placed themselves in front of the Pierre Jacques Matigny, one of the seven deep-sea bottom trawlers owned by Intermarché –Les Mousquetaires, a famous French retailer that owns its own fleet, with banners that read “Stop overfishing.

I talked to the captain of the trawler, who was obviously not happy about what we were doing, and doesn’t recognize that deep-sea species are endangered because of overfishing.
Sailing to these fishing grounds in the North Atlantic is a way of bearing witness to the ecological crime happening in the deep seas. Deep-sea bottom trawling is indeed one of the most destructive fishing practices, targeting fish stocks that are already overexploited, according to the scientists.Bottom trawl nets smash the seabed and takes everything in its way, even the species that are not targeted. Deep-sea bottom trawling comprises 30% to 60% bycatch – or wasted fish; ocean life that is discarded overboard, dead or dying. Deep-sea species are very vulnerable to fishing activities because they have a very long life span and a very low reproduction rates. Even if they are overfished during a short time period, it can take a century for them to recover.

Moreover, deep-sea bottom trawling is an absurd business model that has no future: to reach profitability, it needs to deplete existing fish stocks. Intermarché’s fleet is facing regular economic losses even though it has received 9.7 millions of Euros of public money: which means, your money and my money. The past and current Common Fisheries Policy has financed its own “Frankenstein” by helping the construction of new bottom trawlers. I don’t want to finance the plunder of the ocean.

Greenpeace is calling on to EU governments to put an end to such destructive practices and to overcapacity within the EU fleet. The Common Fisheries Policy is currently under reform, something that happens only every ten years. It’s now our last chance to save the oceans in Europe by ensuring the fish stocks recover, and to stop subsidies of overfishing and destructive fishing.

We want kids in the future to be able to eat fish and that fishermen can continue their job. But without fish, there is no fishing. We want the new Common Fisheries Policy to ensure that sustainable small-scale fisheries continue to exist."

Extract from a post on the Greenpeace blog by Helen Bourges

Read More: Wide open to abuse: the Common Fisheries Policy