A mighty misty Monday morn.

After last week's series of workshops around the local schools and Penwith College, the BBC's Blast team rolls into town for a massive three day event at the Wharfside, Penzance - not to be missed by any youngster in the area with an interest in making music, dance, free running, skateboarding, film or photography - there are over 40 separate workshops with all the kit supplied ......

not a welcome sight, the Ben Loyal waits for the engineers from Gardner to arrive......

one in, one out......

the Mount provides a dramatic backdrop.......

under a heavy sky.......

as the beamer, William Stevenson makes it in through the gaps......

Cornish Sardines in bulk on the market this morning - must be BBQ time......

frozen bait waiting to go aboard Mario's Dom Bosco......

all that chipping and now a fresh coat of paint.......

plenty of visiting yellow wellies, lets hope the crews keep their feet firmly on the decks.......

classic trawler yacht Courageous II......

on the slip and waiting for the propeller......

heavy thundery skies greeted the Bay this morning.

Breton invasion!

Almost all the purple targets in this image are fishing vessels from Brittany - must be some John Dory action west side of the Scillies after the big tide! 

One of the southernmost targets (heading SSW) is the Newlyn netter New Dawn shooting gear!

Lessons with a heaving line - part 1.

Waiting for ice, rock 'n rollers never die, but they do like to keep their beer and wine chilled.......

no divers for the Evert this trip, instead its a big angling party aboard.....

the painterly Chickadee gets an airing.....

what does it take to get the MyGhal in to a berth?......

first you need to get a line aboard.......

and if you don't succeed first time.......

let the Breton yellow wellie have a go......

Feasible, a classic ship with classic stern lines......

more classic ships........

heading for the gaps, the latest in lines from the RNLI......

and off out to sea once the fenders are safely stowed.....

there's plenty of chipping to be done aboard the ChloeT.........

back again!.......

a big event hosted by Zennor Gig Club on Sandy Cove.

Two tuna tigers, but trials and tribulations to come......

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Trip two for the tuna team, this time the tuna tiger Shaun Edwards skippers his beloved Nova Spero in the hunt for more North Atlantic albacore. What started out as a day full of good cheer, hope and optimism aboard the two boats turned to testing times as the Ben Loyal was forced back to harbour after a repeat of the fuel pump problems that cut short her first trip. let's hope Quentin can get the old Gardner 6LX sorted and catch up with his old oppo as soon as possible.

Enjoy a gallery of pics that chart the last minute preparations as the boats are iced and grubbed.

Bait boxes provide breakfast.

Big main engines need big liners........

and twin rigging means twice as much gear to get on the quay to overhaul and repair....... 

dozens of boxes of not so frozen bait attract a horde of hungry gulls......

so its better to have the frozen fish aboard the crabber.......

a big Dover sole from one of the three big beam trawl trips that were landed on the market this morning undergoes minor surgery for removal of its otolith - for research purposes, the length and weight of individual fish are sampled and the otolith used to give age and growth pattern data.

Save these dates for the diary.

Here are the dates for the forthoming NHPC meetings:

Forthcoming meetings of the Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners

to be held at 9am at The Centre, Chywoone Hill, Newlyn, TR18 5AR

21st July 2010 at 9am

10th August 2010 at 9am

17th August 2010 9am

Public are welcome to ask questions during the first 15 minutes and attend.

More rubbish - donated by a Scot aboard a Bird

FISHING FOR LITTER NETWORK PROVING A SUCCESS

For the first time, a Scottish vessel has deposited a bag of marine litter in a harbour participating in the South West’s Fishing For Litter scheme. The Susan Bird (FD 357), skippered by Steven Girgan and based in Kirkcudbright, landed the bag in Newlyn Harbour last week. The bag contained a variety of items including a large amount of rope and plastic and has demonstrated the benefits of an international network of harbours set up to take part in the pioneering Fishing For Litter scheme.

Tom Piper, Scotland’s Fishing For Litter project coordinator is delighted with the news and commented, "This demonstrates that the modern, transient fishing fleet welcomes a wide network of Fishing For Litter ports to manage marine debris recovered under this scheme and we are working hard to increase our coverage in 2011”.

241 fishing vessels from across 23 ports in Scotland and the South West of England have already signed up to the scheme. Between them they have recovered over 160 tonnes of marine litter to date.

The project got underway in the South West of England last year. Fishermen working out of Newlyn have demonstrated their support by managing to fill 5 skips since facilities were put in place during March 2009.

"A large percentage of the waste recovered has been hundreds, if not thousands of pieces of plastic and polythene that have been floating in the water column. We are also managing to recover heavier items from the seabed including lost fishing gear, tins, metal drums, agricultural crates, rope and even a few pairs of trainers believed to be from the wreck of the Cita, the bulk-carrier container ship that ran aground in 1997 off the Scillies", said Sarah Crosbie, South West project coordinator.

Paul Trebilcock, Chief Executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation commented, “The response from skippers has been magnificent; everybody has been enthusiastic and willing to get involved in the Fishing For Litter project. Having bags supplied and quayside sites for the dedicated skips makes this an easy way of bringing ashore all the rubbish caught. Many fishermen have always brought in rubbish caught in their nets however this has often been sporadic in nature and often on an ad-hoc basis, Fishing For Litter gives us an easy and measurable way to recognise the positive contribution that fishermen make as custodians of the marine environment.”
Developed by KIMO, the Fishing for Litter scheme provides fishing boats with large bags which enables collection of any marine litter hauled in with the catch. When full, these bags are collected from participating harbours, safely removing the litter from the marine environment. This helps wildlife, helps keep our beaches clean and reduces hazards to people who use the sea.

Fishing For Litter South West is sponsored by The Marine and Fisheries Agency, Cornwall Council, The Environment Agency, Natural England, The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, The Crown Estate and The Duchy of Cornwall.

The Fishing For Litter scheme in Scotland is sponsored by SNH, The Crown Estate, The Scottish Government, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar/Western Isles Council, Aberdeenshire Council, The Highland Council, Total E&P UK Ltd, Peterson SBS, and The Fisherman’s Trust.

The project also benefits from the time given to the project by the staff at all the participating harbours.

Contact details:

South West of England
Sarah Crosbie: Project Coordinator, C/o Seafood Cornwall Training,
The Strand, Newlyn, Cornwall TR18 5HW.
Email: sarah@seafoodcornwalltraining.co.uk
Tel: (01736) 364324
Scotland
Tom Piper, KIMO UK Co-ordinator, c/o Aberdeenshire Council, Alford Area Office, School Road, Alford, AB33 8TY.
Email: tom.piper@kimo.shetland.org Tel: (01975) 564807 Mob: 0778979077