Acoustic pingers - what does one look like?

Tom Hardy from Cornwall Wildlife Trust has kindly supplied a set of images to show exactly what the acoustic pingers used in the trials look like and how they are fitted to fishing gear - in this instance a range gill nets used by under 10m inshore vessels like the Go For It from Newlyn.

Jake Freethy's Go for It against the fish market in Newlyn.

Gear ready for shooting aboard the Newlyn netter Go For It

Pinger attahced to the gill net bridle.



Pinger on the net ready to be shot away.



The pinger in the process of being hauled aboard with monk nets

Acoustic pod and nets ready to be deployed

Cod quota cuts one of many to hit the South West.

As feared in the lead up to the annual quota carve-up - the South West has come off badly this year with cod being given a 25% cut - despite claims by fishermen that they are seeing evidence of cod stocls flourishing and thicker on the grounds than ever before. Historically, tagged cod in the region has only ever been caught within a short distance of the initial tagging site - as a result there seems little or no evidence that cod migrate in or out of their home territory.

There's more coverage here from Reuters and a broader perspective.

On the eve of the quota debate - Oh, the irony of it all!

Pioneering skipper's vessel thrown out of the scheme for monitoring discards - as the relief skipper, applying a little common sense to his fishing activities when faced with a huge 700 box haul of cod, dumps some fish he can't handle - a sure indication of the scarcity of cod on the ground?

Could a cost conscious climate promote Coatsguard cuts and cost lives?

RNAS Culdrose's Rescue 193 on exercise.

Cut to just three coastguard stations offering 24/7 cover around the coast - and down to 19 stations around the UK - the stark news from the agency that oversees manned stations here in the South West. Announced earlier this year, cuts in safety services at sea in the form of the standby tugs like the Anglain Princess that will end next September.

In addition, air sea rescue services are being farmed out to private contractors and some reduced from the present 24/7 cover with obvious serious consequences should you hit trouble, 'out of hours'.

NCI Gwennap Head

Since many of the manned coastguard stations like Gwennap Head at land's End were closed the NCI was formed to fill in the provision manned entirely by volunteers.

Acoustic devices keep dolphins and porpoises at bay.

Porpoise caught in gill nets around 1992.

Encouraging results from trials involving four vessels in the Cornwall are being analysed at the moment according to Marine Conservation Officer Tom Hardy from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust who spoke on Radio Cornwall's Breakfast Show this morning.  The vessels were fitted with acoustic pingers with a range of about 400m that have helped prevent the nets from catching cetaceans as in the image above. Hydrophones were placed on the nets by the trial teams and used to ascertain the extent of cetacean presence in the areas being fished. The trials targetted vessels under 10m which at present have no requirement to work with pingers.

More details here.

New wave of new fish shops - New Wave opens in Cirencester.

Always good to see the return of a wet fish shop to the high street (even if they source their fish from Plymouth and Loe) - though it will be a long time before we return to the days when Mac Fisheries stores were found in every significant town in the country!

From their web site: "Tim Boyd, who, in 1989, founded New Wave Seafoods, suppliers to top restaurants has teamed up with Ben Hoggett who has been a chef with a seafood background for 15 years, spending many years at Bibendum and several other London landmark restaurants. Together they are offering a full selection of responsibly-sourced fish, much of it freshly and sustainably caught by dayboats from England's coastal waters in Plymouth and Looe, as well as live shellfish, herbs, wild mushrooms, organic vegetables and gourmet produce from the world's largest and finest food market, Rungis Marché in Paris, to complement their range."

Those old enough to remember Mac Fisheries shops will find that the web, as usual, comes up with answers to all those unasked questions like - did Mac Fisheries sell their own branded beer?

Is it legal? - UK quota system for under 10m boats challenged.

Is it legal?

That is the question that many in the under 10m sector will be asking in the wake of a recent report. Tom Appleby, University Law lecturer at the West of England University is convinced that the present quota system is weighted heavily in favour of PO managed boats, largely made up of >10m vessels - with a mere 10% of the national quota left to be divied up amongst the <10m fleet who, in reality, represent around 75% of UK fishermen!