Orange tallies - trend-setting?

 A streal of blue as the Sea Spray makes her way back to her berth.......

 final quality check for the Ocean Spray's shot of wreck fish......

 Falf Fish couldn't resist the ray......

 aboard the latest addition to the Newlyn fleet, the St Adrianne ray are now winged at sea.......

 the boggle-eyed ling is not the prettiest fish.......

 all I want for Christmas is a junior fish ageing kit........

the future's bright it seems for the Alice Louise!

Jim seems happy enough!

Jim Portus, representing the South West Fish Producer's Organisation seems pleased with the results of Richard Benyon's efforts in Brussels, has said that altogether the deal is one that gives cause to celebrate.

“Twenty-four hours ago the Minister and his team were not optimistic, yet they have secured the best possible outcome for Channel and West trawlermen.

The same sentiments are echoed aboard the beamer fleet in the Devon port of Brixham it seems.

"Of course, you must note that I am speaking only for SWFPO members and fishermen whose area of operation is the English and Bristol Channels. Other fishermen in other sea areas may tell a different tale and some will bemoan the results for their fisheries and catch opportunities.


"I do think, however, that in all sea areas the results of this Council of Fisheries Ministers are the best that the Minister and his team could have achieved given the seemingly impossible task he was presented with just 48 hours ago!”

Reactions from the Newlyn where the majority of vessels are members of the CFPo are not yet forthcoming.

Bugaled Breizh - the story that won't lie down.

A French navy whistleblower has sparked renewed claims that a British submarine caused the deaths of five Breton fishermen in 2004.

The anonymous witness, believed to be a retired submarine officer, points the finger at the Devonport-based submarine HMS Turbulent.

Copy and paste the text from this page into Google's translation page and you'll get a more complete story from the French press here.

A short animation created by Michel-Leconte illustrates the possibility of submarine involvement in the loss of the Bugaled Breizh.

The White Ships - Portuguese cod fishing 1966 aboard the Santa Maria Manuela.

Life In The Seas

Á Vida Nos Mares

aboard the Santa Maria Manuela
1966 Cod Fishing Campaign


Video courtesy of Patricio Family's web site.

Here's a superb short film guaranteed to stir a few memories in those lucky enough to witness the last of the cod fishing sailing schooners that worked the Grand Banks.

After introductory shots of the boat setting sail, the film then moves ashore in Portugal, the land with a history of 500 years of fish trade within the cod-laden waters off Newfoundland as it became known. Soon the camera is back aboard one of the few remaining sailing schooners still working a fleet of tiny single handed dorys where the men worked handlines for cod - and the risks they took fishing away from the 'mother ship' in fickle weather that could give rise to sudden gales or, worse still, dense freezing fog. Despite being the 1960s, this is still an era when men worked with hemp, canvas and oilskins - "wooden ships, iron men".

For the bigger picture, and if you haven't already done so , get a copy of the book, "Cod, the biography of the fish that changed the world."

There's a link here to a book by that most famous teller of sea tales aboard sailing vessels experienced at first hand - Allan Villiers.

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?