There's a welcome in the Combe.

Good to see the Queen's Hotel on the prom is making use of local fish and meats......

the pebbles have been neatly graded by the wave action.......

a 'flyer' of old, must have blown in from somewhere, looking ahead to this year's Sea, Salt and Sail festival in Mousehole.......

for all those who don't care about their waistline, head off to the Tolcarne Inn in Newlyn this coming  Thursday.......

young Roger Nowell steps ashore from the St Adrianne after taking ice.......

off come the doors from the Defiant.......

as the harbour sees the inshore fleet get ready for sea.......

the eponymous vegetable town is still not popular with the natives........

or anyone else it seems!

Make my monk hot.

To prepare, cut your monk fillet into good sized chunks, season with freshly ground salt 'n pepper and fineley chopped rosemary then wrap in Parma Ham and then........

transfer to a hot oiled pan to brown on both sides before popping in a pre-heated oven for around 10 minutes........

while the oven is doing it's thing, heat a glug of good olly oil with slices of onion or shallot, a couple of roasted garlic cloves (put them in the oven near the top while it is pre-heating) and a finely sliced chilli to taste - serve the monk with the hot chilli oil.

Be informed - read the MMO's latest Fishing Focus - you can't afford to ignore it!

Fishing Focus is a joint publication from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and aims to improve communications with stakeholders.

We both welcome feedback on each issue of the newsletter. If you would like to comment, please email fishingfocus@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The latest issue (winter 2011) includes:

• progress on marine conservation zones
• fishing for the markets
• illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing regulation - one year on
• December fisheries council
• Common Fisheries Policy reform
• under 10 metre pool survey
• marine planning
• European Fisheries Fund and fisheries local action groups
• catch quota trials

 Download or read the Fishing Focus here. 

Pelagic fishing west of the Scillys.

VesselTracker's AIS tracking software reveals a small number of vessels that look as though they are  chasing pelagic fish north west of the Isles of Scilly. Included in the targets picked up by the Cornish antennae is the CEFAS research vessel CEFAS Endeavour.

VesselTracker has recently begun beta testing a new version of their AIS tracking software - VesslFlow - designed for display in terminals, colleges, resource centres etc on large screens in places where viewers can track vessels live in specific port or navigation areas. Check the VesslFlow site will run in your web browser - Safari and Firefox friendly - and don't forget, you'll need to install Google Earth!

Keeping an eye on things.

No longer used by crabbers for bait, the once humble gurnard has enjoyed almost gourmet status thanks to chefs starting with Keith Floyd eulogising over the flavour of these fish - defintiely a fish for the connoisseur as they are full of bones and too fiddly to eat for many despite their superb flavour.......

lemon soles are always a firm favourite - grilled on the bone with butter and parsley - simple to cook, easy to pull the flesh from the bones after serving whole straight from the oven......

pollack are fast becoming the new cod - enjoying a real surge in sales from wholesalers since the FishFight campaign started.......

there's plenty of small octopus in with the cuttles catches, check out Italian chef Carluccio for authentic recipes for these and other cephalopods.......

bright eyes are a feature of fish freshness.......

he's on the case......

sometimes you just have to get down and give a box of fish the extra once-over.

Next month Newlyn artist Glyn Macey has a show in Bath, which of course, is near Bristol.

Glyn Macey's Britain

Photo courtesy of Rostra and Rocksmoor Galleries
Rostra & Rooksmoor Galleries



5 George Street
Bath
BA1 2EJ
tel : 01225 448121
email : info@rostragallery.co.uk
web : http://www.rostragallery.co.uk/

Newlyn artist Glyn Macey has a show at the Rostra and Rocksmoor Gallery in Bath,from February 26th to the 24th March. Glyn has travelled the length and breadth of the UK in his VW camper van and been bust recording scenes alongthe way. The show features work from this not so 'Grand tour', including scens local to Bath and, of course, Cornwall.

Diary date: Monday evening at 'The Centre", Newlyn -7th February.

Don't forget that (6pm, Monday February 7th) there is an 'Evening with the Harbour Commissioners' at The Centre in Newlyn sponsored by the Cornishman newspaper.


"The Chairman also reported that the “Cornishman” newspaper had agreed to sponsor a public question and answer session at the end of January on the vision and strategy, together with key elements of the Business Plan. Some Commissioners commented that it was important that adequate notification of the event was given and that it was held on a spring tide when the catching sector would be able to attend."


The comment recorded in the NPHC minutes was heeded and the meeting is being held over the Spring tide period when the maximum number of fishermen will be ashore - gill netters do not fish over spring tides as the movement of the water stops the gear from fishing efficiently.

There is an opportunity for a number of local groups to meet with the Commissioners preceding the open presentation:

Groups are invited to attend the following presentations as follows:

Merchants @ 2.30pm Wednesday 2/2/11 at Penlee Room, The Centre

Catching Sector @ 2pm Monday 7/2/11 at Penlee Room, The Centre

Public @ 6pm Monday 7/2/11 Penlee Room, The Centre


Update your knowledge of work behind the scenes via the NPHC web site and the harbour minutes - which are these days publicly available online.