Sunlight, cameras, action!

With little or no wind the harbour provides an excellent vantage point for the early morning photographer as he waits for the sun to put in an appearance......
waiting on the quayside, a freshly liveried FalFish lorry boasting the motto, 'from sea to plate'.......
as the film crew take advantage of the near perfect early morning light......
and then grab a quick breakfast, how come its always the girl who sorts the grub and serves the guys?!......
that Boy Dylan put ashore another fine haul of bass.......
and these handline caught squid from the Hicca would set the pulse racing of any fishmonger......
too fast to catch on film.......
FalFish's sardine king heads back to a berth on the pontoons.......
as the rest of the night's haul goes into the back of the waiting lorry.

Newlyn's new fish market - the debate continues

News of the delayed funding bid posted on the Newlyn.info web site has provoked a number of interesting responses from a few harbour users - not least that of John Lambourn, the man behind the Ripple project.

What provokes such strong criticism from him and other harbour users?


Many fishermen, and public alike, may be unaware as to the workings of a trust port. Unlike commercial ports, trust ports like Newlyn are run for the benefit of all the users and not for financial gain by any controlling interests. As elsewhere, Newlyn is governed by a board of commissioners while various salaried posts see to the day-to-day running of the harbour and fish market. Many years ago these posts included a berthing master and market superintendent - posts long since abandoned. The harbour largely derives its revenue from a 2.5% levy of all the fish landed at the port - for this it relies on information provided by third parties as it has no staff involved in the fish auction process.

A trust port's position in the community is clearly defined here:

“A trust port can be compared to an heirloom. It is a
valuable asset presently safeguarded by the existing board.
They have a duty to hand it on in the same or better
condition to succeeding generations. Boards have an
obligation to transact port business in the interest of the
whole community of stakeholders openly, accountably and
with commercial prudence”

Modernising Trust Ports: A Guide to Good Governance revised 2006-7

In context, the current board of Newlyn commissioners oversee the running of a multi-million pound business. This year the port is expected to exceed last year's turnover of £18.5 million. In their recent finding, the MFA has sanctioned the business plan for the new market but has questioned the current management of the port. Despite this unsettling background, great gains have been made with regard to marketing existing fishing methods by some very pro-active elements within the industry who now have well deserved recognition for their efforts - line caught bass, line caught pollack, MSC approved handline mackerel, and many responsible fishing vessels are soon to be joined by Cornish Sardines. These, and all the other boats landing at Newlyn, need the very best platform and service possible from which to operate.

Despite consistently being the biggest English port by turnover for nearly 20 years and living through an unprecedented round of major European funding initiatives - Objective 5b, then Objective 1 and now Convergence) Newlyn still does not boast a chilled and well equipped fish market for handling the most highly valued species landed in the UK - in excess of 80% is sold to European markets where quality is king. The local fishing industry is affected by a volatile global market - even more so given the considerable challenges of a global recession and the effect that a downturn in some key European economies has had on prime species like hake and megrim sole.

New marketing strategies and the fact that home buyers are increasingly minded to pay more for Cornish fish (see a previous post on Dover soles) is something all sectors can draw inspiration from. Local fishermen have made great gains in creating new markets for their catches - now they need the support of the harbour more than ever to compete with an increasingly quality-conscious marketplace.

Our soles are better than your soles!

Top London fishmonger posts an article seeking to answer why customers in London restaurants and hotels are prepared to pay a premium price for premium quality fish! It seems that the quality, appearance and texture of Dover soles from the southwest is superior to fish caught in the shallow waters of the English Channel - read the full article here from ex- marine scientist turned fishmonger Matt at the Chelsea Fishmongers blog.......
Fresh from the flip grader, Newlyn Dover soles wait to be set out on the auction floor for the early morning market.....
displaying the pink looking underbellies that are so sought after by discerning buyers in London

Twitchers head for the islands in numbers

Want to visit the Scillies for the day? walk this way.......
and catch the Scillonian III or, if you prefer, take the 20 minute flight on the helicopter......
out in the early morning sun and at anchor, the Trinity flagship, Galatea is in the process of servicing a buoy.
making a more leisurely exit is the oldest floating Cornish lugger, the Barnabus......
still showing his platinum black and white prints at the PZ Gallery......
not that you would want to walk along the harbour wall, scene of much deliberation over the proposed Scillies ferry and dock developments that include the rocks below.....
maybe one of the boats is going for some salubrious refurbishments in the accommodation areas......
coming down from on high......
while some heavy duty repairs are made to the derrick......
before the strengthened section is returned......
and the job completed........

five boxes at a time provide an early morning work out......
ideal conditions for a local paddler......
en passage, Our Maria from Brixham makes her way to the gaps......
while another hydraulic hose finds its way back in place on the hauler......
simple design purse type bait bag on a crab pot.......
well if you are stuck for a name, go for a little rhyme.......
watched by a couple of old hands, the old Sennen lifeboat......
Tesco feeds the fleet this week.

Smoking ban strikes again

There was some trouble north of the border when the smoking ban was brought in a while back - listen here.

Ice and Elisabeth

Cracking start to the morning after a previous dismal day - in this weather, why not join Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant as they celebrate their MSC certification and enjoy plenty of local fish dishes, Mitch Tonks (who was seen showing England rugby star Matt Dawson a few culinary tips down the quay last summer) cooked there on Thursday......
end of the season and the yachts begin to come ashore in Penzance harbour......
bounders as the sun breaks into the Bay.......
a small stone set against the footrope, just the sort of thing that trawlers do not need to pick up in their nets, this one came ashore courtesy of the Tranquility......
just finisdhed taking ice......
the Elisabeth Veronique makes her way down the harbour........
while the Chloe T clears away after landing at the market.

Southwest sole food sold in the city

Here's great news for our local boats that target Dover soles!

Top Chelsea fishmonger Mat C, who blogs under the title of London Fishmonger, has posted an in-depth look at the price diferential for Dover soles sourced from two different sea areas. More specifically, he compares Dovers caught off the east coast to those caught down in here in the deeper waters of the south west - and it's the south west soles that get a big thumbs up in terms of quality, appearance, flavour and texture to boot! Better still, it appears that the discerning palates of London customers mean that they are prepared to pay bigger bucks for superior southern sole food!