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Sunday 26 May 2024



A few weeks before the Fisheries and Seafood Conference which is being held in Lorient, “the sailor” devotes his May report to a sector which is going through a very bad time. The fishing industry, faced with several crises, is resisting. But until when?

How many crises will the sector still have to face? 

Barely forgotten that of covid, that of Brexit arose, with direct consequences in 2023: the loss of licenses in British waters and the outright destruction of part of the deep-sea fleet. Leaving many fishermen at the docks from Hauts-de-France to the south of the Bay of Biscay.

And it didn't stop there. At the end of the year, fishermen across the western Atlantic learned that they would not escape the closure of the Bay of Biscay for a month at the start of 2024. Another hard blow for the profession which wonders if it will ever see The end of the tunnel. Because other clouds are still gathering above its head: in the north, where certain fishermen will be prohibited from working in British and Belgian marine protected areas, in the south where a West Med 2 plan is looming which could further constrain activity, and, again in the Bay of Biscay, where a new closure is envisaged from the beginning of 2025. And what about fuel aid, the renewal of which is far from being confirmed. The cup is full.

The entire sector impacted

Today the entire sector is suffering because, deprived of inputs, many ports have seen their activity plummet. And fish merchants must now find other sources of supply. Not to mention the equipment manufacturers and construction sites whose health is also weakened. In this context, the sector will have difficulty responding to the decarbonization efforts to which it is asked to comply.

Also in the contents of this May issue: the disappointed expectations of European purse seiners in the Indian Ocean, the financial needs of European commercial ports to develop their activities, the positive repercussions of the crisis in the Red Sea on the western Mediterranean ports, the Green mineral's solution to exploit funds in Norway, the full boom in oil and gas orders, the government's promises concerning the timetable for the deployment of wind power and the means of the Cross de La Garde in the Mediterranean on the eve of major meetings you popular.

Saturday 25 May 2024

100 Gwatts of offshore energy coming your way - that's enough for 70 million homes.


While the fishing industry is worth 174 million to the economy, the seas off Cornwall boast one of the best wind resources in the world.


Watch the video



The region’s proximity to the Celtic Sea, coupled with its deep knowledge of marine operations and offshore renewables, has led to an ambition to generate clean energy from Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) projects.

Explore Cornwall's role in the race to net zero in out latest film featuring Steve Jermy CEO Celtic Sea Power, Kate Kennally CEO Cornwall Council, and Lucas Lowe-Houghton Co-founder Tugdock, including:

- The Crown Estate is setting out the sea areas where the first 4GW of FLOW will be deployed by 2035

- The Celtic Sea is set to be a world leading location for FLOW, with a potential resource estimated at more than 100GW

- Celtic Sea Power – the Cornwall Council-owned company was set up in 2021 to drive the development of FLOW to help deliver economic and environmental benefits to Cornwall and the wider region


Watch this space.

Friday 24 May 2024

Fine #FishyFriday in Newyn


 

Fine start to #FishyFriday in Newlyn, but a dark day for the South West fishing industry as Plymouth fish auction closes its fridge doors today...


spiders from Cornwall...


and plenty of turbot...


a few dogs...


and big plaice form the port's biggest boat, Enterprise...


just the none big netter to land at the end of the week, the Britannia V with a good shot of hake...


while much of the market floor was taken up with stacked boxes of...


head-on monk from the prawn boat, Vision V...


together with plenty of John Dory...


the usual mix of flats from the big boat...



and a decent sized 7kg-plus turbot from the Celtic Dawn...


inshore boats are keeping the weekend trade supplied with bog fat Mediterranean octopus and cuttles...


to go with line caught mackerel...


even bigger 'pus...


and bass...


and a hanger-on...


fine JDs from the Vision V unlucky enough to pick up a mass of Spanish gillnet and longline in her prop and towed in by her sistership...


not much going by way of breakfast for the harbour seal this morning...


a step too far finally being dealt with...


anyone care to pen an ode to electrolysis...


the nets worked by the visiting prawn boats require a huge effort just to get them off the boat and on to the quay for repair and maintenance...


despite the long hours at sea and ashore, it is all smiles...


from the Filipino crew...


one of the new Newlyn residents at rest...


window art of nondescript fish...


and last call for local artists to submit their work for this years showing at Newlyn's thriving community hub at The Centre.

It's a Bank Holiday weekend #FishyFriday!

It's that time of year when fishing goes slack and those below waterline jobs get done...


with boats brought up to dry out on the hard, skipper Roger keeping an eye on the Martha Mae to make sure she leans against the quay and not out so that she doesn't fall over as the tide drops...



they're on the move again...


two fine blues...


plenty of paws...


and even more butt - a big shot from the Ocean Pride...


summer shells...


usual landing of tails form the St Georges...


nice whiting...


while the prawn boats made p for a lack of net caught hake...


and Dory...


the inshore boats picking away at a few mackerel...


bass...


and cuttles...


young Georgie scraping those hard patches again...


plenty of spiders at the moment...


just a few boats in port this morning...


one with a big gear repair job to do...


days of sail, the Leader at rest...


template time...


the scourge of any trawler, old trans-Atlantic telegraph cable, the broken ends are often worn to a hyperdermic-like point...


showing the broken outer steel wire which encases a tarred cloth wound around the inner copper cable proper which is what transmits the signal...


it takes a while to fill the tanks...


punt paint-up time.