Through the Gaps! - Newlyn Fishing News Cornwall UK fish commercial fishing fish cooking and art

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Gyotaku - the ancient Japanese art of printing direct from fish.

Fisherman, artist, escapologist and general all-round-talented-guy, Simon Bradley seen here with his adopted herring gull pal...

and TV celebrity Derek, perched on the bow of his punt Stargazy Pie as they steam away from Cadgwith where Simon is based

in his Porthole Studio...

and currently fishing for cuttlefish, with the occasional octopus thrown in...

it seems the ink from cuttles covers every surface in the boat!..

Simon has been experimenting over the last few years practicing Gyotaku, the ancient Japanese art of printing on heavy paper directly from fish...

like the octopus featured above...

Watch the video to see how cuttlefish change the apperance of their outer body to match that of the seabed!

which was caught whilst Simon was using his GoPro to film fishing cuttlefish using a squid lure off the Lizard. If you didn't know, Cuttlefish make a superb alternative (and cheaper) to squid and can be used substituted into nearly every kind of dish that uses squid - as Cornwall's very own, Nathan Outlaw will testify in this recipe and article on the ubiquitous cuttle - it comes complete with its own sauce (the sepia ink sac)...

here is one classic Sicilian dish that has featured on the blog before but is a very simple dish with which to try. Ask your local fishmonger to see if they can order some Cornish cuttles while the season is in full swing! In Newlyn you could order from Stevenson's Fish shop, Fresh Cornish Fish or Mousehole Fish in Penzance.

Newlyn, at its best in the light of an autumnal Monday evening.

As the sun goes down behind the village, the Scottish trawler Vision III is busy with her stern against the quay taking on new gear...

tour round the Vision III

as the Cornish sardine fleet spread out across Mounts Bay looking for fish...

at high water...

the net boats all took ice today ready to sail late tonight or early tomorrow morning...

the Maverick in the fleet is nearly ready for her first trip line fishing for pollack...

while over on the fish market, the landscape gardeners are about to arrive to dismantle the lush growth on the market's environmentally friendly roof - luckily this is before Cornwall Wildlife Trust get wind of the move and start protesting about the number of unknown or endangered species that have made their home there over the years...

and, just as a precaution, a huge net has been erected to catch any escaping beasts if they decide to make a bid for freedom...

meanwhile, down the quay work continues to get the Vision III back to sea...

good to see Padstow's dredger, Malin visiting the port again...

time to measure the chain lower bridles.

Master and vessel owner found guilty of fishing offences in case brought by Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

Kenneth Savels, master of Belgian beam trawler Van Eyck (Z53) and owner Irina NV (represented by Steven Savels) were sentenced at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on 26 September 2017 in a prosecution brought by the MMO.

The court heard how the defendants had failed to maintain an accurate logbook by incorrectly recording the area of capture for sole and plaice on several trips in 2015.

On 7 May 2015 the Van Eyck was boarded by MMO officers on a joint patrol with the Isle of Man Fisheries Department in Welsh waters. A diary was found containing details of 12 fishing trips in 2015. The recordings for three of these trips did not corroborate recordings in the logbook.

Both entered not guilty pleas but were found guilty by the judge. Irina NV was ordered to pay a £27,000 fine, £9,115 costs and a £120 victim surcharge. Kenneth Savels was ordered to pay a fine of £3,000 and a £120 victim surcharge.

In sentencing, the judge said:

Taking together all of the evidence for all of the trips, I am satisfied that there are no credible or plausible explanations for the existence of the diary or the inconsistencies between the diary and the log. On each contentious trip there is a clear incentive to misrecord.

A spokesperson for the MMO said:

The court in this case considered these offences to be serious in nature and imposed significant penalties, which recognises the scale of offending that took place in failing to record logbook information correctly.

In these cases the MMO will always take the appropriate action, including prosecution, to ensure offenders do not profit from such illegal activity and to protect fish stocks for the wider fishing industry and future generations.

Monday 9 October 2017

Newlyn on a Monday morning in Seafood Week

More plant moved in to refurb the market building...

as the buyers move swiftly in to bid on the first sale of the morning...

on fish from boats like inshore trawler newby New Venture...

plenty of cuttles from the Resurgan and Cornishman...

along with a good selection of high quality flats...

like these brill...

while the inshore fleet trawled up a selection of rays...

John Dory...

the beam trawler selected out a good run of tub gurnard...

among continuing heavy landings of plaice...

more than enough to keep auctioneer Ian getting the best bids out of the buyers...

especially for top quality fish like this bass from the trawler, Millennia...

and a box of 'snakes' as small conger are referred to...

while this big shot of line caught bass...

caused Colin to wince as the price rose ever higher...

there were a few boxes of herring...

and a small number of squid...

alongside the re-sited grading machine...

just a few of Monday's monk haul...

now minus her port registration numbers on her bow the William Stevenson is nearly ready to make the passage to her new home in Bideford...

forklift action...

the Sapphire II's derrick is now fully rigged and back in place...

deck lights blazing, the Cornishman is all set for sea again.

Sunday 8 October 2017

Algrie aground on Plymouth breakwater

All photos courtesy of James Baldry from Ultimate Shot, Devon based action photographers specialising in aviation and emergency services images.

It might well be Sea food Week but it seems someone didn't see the breakwater! High and dry, the Newlyn beam trawler, Algrie rests with her bow several feet out of the water on Mount Batten breakwater, running aground after leaving Plymouth around 9:30pm on Saturday night...

despite attempts by the Plymouth lifeboat the boat remained firmly aground = seen here hours later at low water...

although she was successfully re-floated without any serious damage to the hull and able to make her way under her own steam back to Sutton Harbour for inspection. No-one was injured in the accident...

which was recorded for posterity on AIS tracking - these days a mandatory fitment on every vessel over 15m.

Luckily the Algrie, which has not long returned from a major refit in Holland, was blessed with a shelterdecked stern - that may well have helped keep her safe and afloat by preventing any ingress of water as the tide fell and rose again before she was refloated and pulled clear at high water on Sunday morning.

On a local topographical note, Mount Batten Breakwater, (also referred to as Mount Batten Pier and Cattewater Breakwater) started in 1878 was completed in 1881 at a total cost of £20,000. It is 915 feet (279 metres) in length and the foundations are 20 feet (6 metres) below the low tide mark. The breakwater was promoted by the Cattewater Commissioners who were responsible for shipping in the area. During the air-station years the breakwater was closed to the public and used, for a period, to store flying boats. In 1995 the breakwater was refurbished and re-opened to the public.

The breakwater is a popular site for local anglers and for those watching ships using the Plymouth Sound. Boat in the Fastnet and Americas Cup, can also be viewed. In August each year, the breakwater is used for the British Firework Championships.