Children of Chernobyl

The most amazing sea bird to see in action at sea, gannets can dive from 100 feet at up to 60 mph in search of fish like sardines, read Jonathan Livingstone Seagull to get in the mind of a gannet, the same bird that gave inventor Barnes Wallace the inspiration for his ground breaking swing-wing supersonic passenger airliner models that he trialled at Predannak airfield in Cornwall.......

no sign of the rising sun just yet........

at low water........

all set for tomorrow's sale.......

top quality fish predominated the market this morning from Dovers on the Cornishman.......

plenty of megs.......

the bass boat Boy Dylan on top form again........

with a good shot of line caught pollack from the Sea Spray.........

handsome haddock.......

and JDs from the Elisabeth Veronique.......

and plenty off lemons......

all set for those sardines.......

top end of the derrick close up......

resting after a night chasing sardine marks........

the Lady Maureen with gear stowed on deck......

that low cloud is still hanging over the harbour.......

thanks to Mount's Bay Rotary Club the children of Chernobyl get the fishy facts from Robin Turner at the start of the Newlyn tour which includes breakfast at the Mission followed by a tour of the lifeboat Ivan Ellen.......

Rotarian stalwart Karsten Nissan explains some of the finer ponts of life in a fishing village to children for whom this is the first time they have been to the seaside.....

the bowling green is looking particularly verdant this morning.

Do warmer waters bring new oppor-tuna-ties

Will the change to the climate bring more than just sunshine (we wish) to our shores?

Here's a head's up from the BBC Radio 4’s environment series which is looking at how climate change is affecting UK waters and how it will continue to do so for the next few decades – they aim to take a snapshot of what’s currently visiting our waters and what may end up staying – and whether this has changed over previous decades.

The programme makers are keen to find out if there is any anecdotal evidence of new and different species spotted in our waters – be it fish or cetaceans – and whether or not there are new opportunities to be had by fishermen. 

For instance they've heard that anchovies are now more common around our coastline – so are fishermen already fishing for anchovy as a result?

The BBC would love to read or hear of your thoughts, comments and observations - you can let them know by adding post comments, email or how about using an app like Bambuser on your smart phone to record your ideas online?

Our island nation needs Seafarers UK and they need you.

Seafarers Awareness Week hopes to capitalise on our patriotism in 2012 by raising awareness of the dangerous and vital work seafarers do to keep Britain afloat

This week (25 June-1 July) is Seafarers Awareness Week and the UK’s leading maritime welfare charity Seafarers UK alongside the International Maritime Organisation are asking people to ‘remember a seafarer’ during 2012 – a year which is already shaping up as a huge celebration of what it means to be British.

As an ‘island nation’ we absolutely depend on seafarers and the work they do 24/7, 365 days a year. Many have tough working lives, facing the challenges of the sea and rough weather, long periods of isolation and rare opportunities to keep in touch with family and friends. Members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines put their lives at risk to defend us. And sea fishermen have the most dangerous civilian job in the UK – 227 fishing boats were lost at sea between 2001 and 2010 and 657 fishermen were injured at work.

No one in the UK lives more than 70 miles from the coast and 95% of our imports come by ship. But gone are the days when most British families knew at least one person who worked at sea, either in a merchant vessel, on a fishing boat, or serving in the Royal Navy.

We rely on imported fuel for our power stations, our hospitals and our cars. More than half of our food is imported – and almost all of that (95%) comes by sea. The UK has 12,700 commercial sea fishermen. Some of what they catch comes to market and is promptly sold overseas! 75% of the UK’s exports leave the country by ship, including luxury cars for the Chinese who, in return, load container ships with many of the products - including clothing, electronic goods and toys - that we simply expect to see on sale everyday in shops and supermarkets.

Seafarers UK provide annual grants of £2.5m to support seafarers in need, from across the Merchant Navy, Fishing Fleets, Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and their families and they’re hoping Seafarers Awareness Week will help them raise both awareness and vital funds for these important Brits and their families.

Seafarers UK have produced a range of videos all about the hard work that seafarers do and the challenges that they face.

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. 

Excellent AIS signal in the not so excellent summer weather.

With the air mass heavily laden with moisture AIS signal ranges have increased accordingly.  Vessels well over two hundred miles from Newlyn are currently being tracked while a small group of Irish fishing boats can be seen here working well west of the Scillies.