"Not a done deal" says the MCA as row boat Papa Delta reaches Antigua - thanks to FCG.

Many of those who attended the public meeting on the proposed Coastguard cuts that include ending 24/7 cover at Falmouth came away feeling that it was "a done deal". A spokesperson for the MCA on Radio Cornwall's Breakfast Show this morning failed to convince that this was the case and prompted one caller to ring in and say they would be contacting their local MP in protest.


News has reached our shores,via Falmouth Coastguard of course who over night were monitoring the arrival of Papa Delta, the two-handed rowing boat that has just arrived safely in Antigua after crossing the Atlantic raising money for Parkinson's UK. Their exploits including a post just a few moments after arriving can be viewed on their blog here.


The two brothers, Matthew and Christian Cleghorn, aboard the boat made the headlines a few weeks back when their boat was hit by a large wave which swamped their food stores causing them to call for help via FCG and again a few weeks later when the steering was damaged.

Princes change their tuna!

Picture courtesy of Greenpeace International.

After a year long campaign that culminated in dozens of sharks climbing to the top of Princes HQ in Liverpool the company have vowed to change their sourcing methods for tuna. While Hugh's Fish Fight campaign cannot take full credit for this decision it is likely that the TV series earlier this year speeded the company's decision to align itself with other major food retailers wishing to appear 'green' and tick their 'we source from sustainable stocks' and 'dolphin friendly' methods. With the EU looking to end the practice of discards already in the pipeline we wonder what next significant event change will shape the future of fishing?  

Cefas collects cuttlefish catch data.

Over 20 tubs of cuttles go for auction......

which leaves the Cefas team the task of recording a sample form each tub - in line with the current sampling practice from Cefas where the entire landing from a boat is recorded - similar to sampling catches sea - in this case the board records a sample of small cuttles that ranged in size from 6 to 11cm - this kind if data is unique, there being almost no hard data or even knowledge of these fascinating creatures currently being caught in the deep water well south of Mounts Bay - in the coming weeks it is usual for a cuttlefish season to begin off the Suffolk coast where fish are trapped in water as shallow as two fathoms - whether these fish are the same stock as the fish landed above seems unlikely but the little of their lifecycle is known........

a little bit of wreck fish for the Twilight III.......

and some quality megs.......

there are still a few sardines to be found by the ring net boats even at this late stage of the season - unlike King Harbour Marina near Los Angeles in the USA where millions of sardines and other fish have died - the reason seems to be a case of oxygen starvation with so many fiosh confined in a small harbour!......

more signs of the scallop season getting underway.......

the paint job has been completed on Penzance prom's, 'From Here to Modernity' piece.

Coastguard Cuts - public meeting at Tremough Campus.

PUBLIC MEETING IN FALMOUTH TO DISCUSS COASTGUARD MODERNISATION PROPOSALS


The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is holding a public meeting in Falmouth on Wednesday, 9 March 2011, about the proposed Coastguard modernisation programme.


The meeting will provide an opportunity for the community around the existing Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to hear more about the proposals, ask questions of MCA representatives and air their views.


The meeting at Tremough Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, will be independently chaired and begin at 7:30pm. The meeting is expecting to draw to a close by 9:00pm.


The proposals for Coastguard modernisation, together with the consultation documents, can be found on the MCA website at http://www.mcga.gov.uk/ and http://www.dft.gov.uk/.

Media cameras and other recording equipment will not be allowed into the venue, however an MCA spokesman will be available after the meeting for interviews or comments. An MCA media officer will be on site at the venue. Please contact the number below for more information about the meeting at Falmouth.

For further details contact:

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Press Office

023 8032 9401

More fish food for thought - from Rose Prince.

Regular food columnist Rose Prince has taken the fishing management system in Iceland as a possible role model for the British Fishing industry. In one regard, with a 200 mile limit to play with Iceland is out of the starting blocks and way down the track before Fishing UK can get going on the race to a fair fisheries policy. Read the full article as it appears in the Daily Telegraph.

Busy Newlyn fish market for Cefas.

Cefas Sam desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the buyers as the auction moves round the market........

a handful of early market visitors make notes......

there's evidence of a black gold trail.......

and with over 20 tubs of cuttles for the Chloe T alone, at around £3 per kilo, that's nearly £1200 a tub........

which means that all hands are lagged in sepia ink........

as they box the fish.......

the William Harvey is up for sale, more pics on the Fishing Boats for Sale page.....

from the days of the little known Cornish Calcified Seaweed Company at Truro......

plenty of work still to do on the Jacoba's new dredges......

this week should see a fleet of luggers and other traditional working boats begin to fill the almost empty historic Old Quay in Newlyn, all set for Painting Day.........

maybe they were just fed up trying to think of a name for her?

St Ives - From here to Modernity.

Signs like this one have appeared all over Cornwall, with clues as to the identity of each symbol, head for this site......

one of several 'containers' that make up the Frome her  to Modernty exhibition works that are to be found around the county is currently sat on the prom at the Wherry Town end........

Show One runs till the 20th March.

and has put to rest the mystery of the strange signs seen leading towards the prom.......

Show One runs till the 20th March.

but has container number two appeared in the Jubilee Bathing Pool further along the prom or is it over in the National Trust Car Park at Gwithian, near Hayle?