"It's not a factory out there!"

The EU's 'legalised' support for EU vessels fishing off the west coast of Africa debate continues. Guardian Environmental Editor witnessed this at first hand as the biggest boat in the fleet hauled a trawl with a code end full of fish. Once a rich natural resource for countries like Senegal, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the sea-fishing areas of west Africa have fallen prey to the world's largest and most modern fishing fleets. John Vidal boards the Green Peace ship Arctic Sunrise to investigate a problem that has serious implications for regional prosperity John Vidal's travel costs to Senegal were paid by Greenpeace. The NGO had no say over editorial content 

Extract from the Greenpeace web site:

"It seems the captain of Britain’s largest fishing boat isn’t partial to a spot of tea, despite a kind invitation from John Vidal, Environment Editor of the Guardian, as he radioed the vessel from our ship the Arctic Sunrise, off the coast of Mauritania. (See for yourself in John’s video, above.) But perhaps it was the topic of conversation that was less than palatable. This vessel is just one of many destructive European factory trawlers that our ship has encountered off West Africa in the last six weeks. It’s a classic example of how Europe’s most powerful fishing interests continue to abuse our oceans, at the expense of the local communities that rely on them. While the owner of the Cornelis Vrolijk claims its company doesn’t receive taxpayer subsidies for its operations and that it pays licence fees to Mauritania, we know the reality is rather different. The fleet of freezer trawlers that this vessel belongs to receives, for example, millions of Euros in fuel tax exemptions every year. On top of that, taxpayers pay 90 per cent of the fees for these vessels to access West African waters."

Busy post-Easter market thanks to passing gale.

 In for a wet star on the Mount this morning.......

 promenade breaker........ 

 morning moon on a big tide........

 fishing off the green.......

 most of the fleet are safe in the harbour.......

 signs of summer mackerel.......

 eyes down for a full house........

 sand sole........

 Dover sole.......

 Dorys don't come much bigger than this.......

 just a reminder.......

 quality to the fore........

 little wind after the blow yesterday........

 back in Newlyn, the Sea Spray makes her way back to a pontoon berth.......

 the NSA in safe hands at Helen Feiller Gallery

 and then it rained.......

 to let..........

 a lone angler trying his luck for bass at high water........

 along with the lone swan.......

a Gill Watkiss painting up for auction at Lanes.

French trawler lost off Lorient.

The trawler Lorient Father Milo just sunk after collision with a Turkish freighter Lady Ozge, around 14 pm, 20 nautical miles (30 km) west of Belle-Ile (Morbihan). One of two fishermen was recovered by the tanker of 120m, carrying vegetable oil, but the second is missing. Significant research resources have been deployed in this sector of the Atlantic ocean to find the missing: the helicopter Dragon 56 of the Safety Car, the EC 225 helicopter of the Navy, with divers on board, the SNSM star of Belle-Ile and six fishing vessels. The circumstances of the collision are not yet known.

Down-time reading

While the location for this international symposium, a forum for scholars, fishery managers, fishing families, and others to explore the human dimensions of fishery systems and the growing need to include social science research in policy processes may have been thousands of miles away from Newlyn, many of the issues addressed are found in the UK. The symposium was a place for sharing what has been learned about the opportunities and constraints that fishing people in northern countries encounter in a time of significant environmental, social, and economic change. 


Diverse panels and presentations addressed the sources and effects of external impacts on fishing people and their communities. Papers for further investigation might include the following: p30, p42, p43, p48 and p85.

Imogen III at sea

Two day's work traced as Roger aboard the Imogen III tows his trawl in none too fine weather - his fish should make good money on Tuesday's market - even though there will also be plenty of fish from a number of bigger trawlers likely to be blown in by the coming gales landing as well.

Buying hake with confidence

When customers buy their hake from a fish shop that buys from Newlyn or Brixham fish markets they can be confident that the fish they have on their plates has come up from the Ajax's fishroom.

North Atlantic hake, Merluccius merluccius, is the hake of preference for the people of Spain and can be enjoyed here in the UK. Ask the fishmonger where his hake has come from - if he's worth his salt the chances are he'll be able to tell you which fishing port at the very least. These days more and more fishmongers can quote the source of their fish down to particular boats - easy in the case of the Newlyn netter, Ajax.

Leaflets like these are available for display alongside the Ajax's fish by fishmongers on their counters.




Investigation in Spain on provenance of North Atlantic Hake.

In Spain however, it seems things might be different - with the unknowing Spanish customer being duped into buying hake that just ain't what they appear to be!

Ajax AH32 lands hake for the Easter market

With a total of nine days planned for the trip, the Ajax makes her second landing of hake and other white fish in Newlyn. The first 100 boxes of hake are destined for the fish auction at Brixham and are loaded on to waiting transport. The rest of the fish is stored in the fish market holding fridge in Newlyn ready for market staff to sort, grade, weigh and tally in the morning. The week days only fish auction starts at 6am.