Quoted from Fishing News International's Facebook page, by Cormac Burke: "I was invited to speak on BBC Radio 4 with regard to this week’s EU Commission fisheries negotiations – thank God I declined the invitation as I’m fairly sure I couldn’t have kept my temper as good as Minister Richard Benyon did!
Minister Benyon has my total sympathy as the BBC interviewer gave the well known anti industry protagonist Prof Callum Roberts priority in the debate and then continued to badger the Minister and refuse to let him explain his side of the argument.
This is a huge indication of what the fishing industry is up against in terms of opinion makers such as the BBC and the Sunday Times"
CAP REFORM - Presidency Progress Report
(i) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing rules for direct payments to farmers under support schemes within the framework of the common agricultural policy (First reading) (ii) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of the market in agricultural products (the Single CMO regulation) (First reading) (iii) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (First reading) (iv) Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy (the horizontal regulation) (First reading) - Presentation by the Presidency
Making her last landing for the year, young Jermey Hosking's Nazarene lays to the fish market...
as the sky begins to lighten...
the harbour gets a warm glow from the south...
there's still plenty of work to do on this beamer...
interestingly, Newlyn's latest boat to the join the fleet is still sporting her French name and number...
and she is by far the biggest purpose built netter in the local fleet...
sporting a huge stern...
there's still a few jobs to be finished on the big three beamers from Stevenson's fleet before the boys can finally hang their oilies up for the last time this year...
while aboard the Corin's new boat the paint is being applied during breaks between showers...
one of the green team's admirals, Charlie Downing takes a break...
before a helping hand is offered...
the Cornish Sardine cat, Lyonesse makes her way in...
looks like a new name and numbers for the new blue beamer...
the harbour's tree is looking spruce...
as is the one outside the Mission....
the recent heavy seas have scoured the beach off Newlyn Green to reveal the subsoil in places, its not so long ago that the fields on the Lidden ran down to the beach...
Tom is still keeping an eye on things...
pretty as a picture and calm enough with a gale forecast for the night sure to curtail the year's fishing for the fleet.
The Newlyn trawler Fern and the St Mary's lifeboat search in vain for survivors in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Penlee lifeboat had been called out to the coaster Union Star which was unable to use her main engine. She later founded on rocks near Tater Dhu. The Penlee lifeboat was dashed to pieces by the force of the storm.
The crews of both vessels were lost and some bodies were never recovered.
Many of the Penlee crew had been socialising in the British Legion club when the alarm was raised.
Only one volunteer per family was chosen because the weather was so treacherous.
Reports suggest the Solomon Browne crew kept moving alongside the Union Star, at least twice it was thrown on the coaster's deck, and on another occasion slammed into its side.
But it appeared to move away under control and its last message confirmed four people had been rescued.
A helicopter crew saw Solomon Browne, only 50 yards off shore, apparently turn back perhaps in another rescue bid.
There was no further radio contact with the lifeboat and her lights disappeared 10 minutes later.
Posthumous awards of gallantry were made to the coxswain, crew and station and the Queen sent a message of sympathy to the bereaved families.
This will be an intense fisheries week in Brussels, with ministers setting next year’s quotas and the Parliament’s Fisheries Committee voting on the most important file in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.
EU fisheries ministers will set quotas for the North Sea and Atlantic next year.
The UK fisheries minister, Richard Benyon, described this yearly tradition to the Observer: “It is 48 hours of solid, sweaty negotiations. It is known as a three-shirter session.”
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote 18 December to put a stop to this tradition.
MEPs will vote on the following proposals: Fishing quotas should be fixed at certain limits under multi-annual plans, instead of having 48-hour negotiations once a year. In case a multi-annual plan is not in place for a fish stock, there will be a default rule forcing ministers to follow scientific advice and set sustainable quotas. More precisely, sustainable quotas would be put in place 2015 in order to rebuild fish stocks tto follow scientific advice and set sustainable quotas. More precisely, sustainable quotas would be put in place 2015 in order to rebuild fish stocks to healthy levels by 2020.
However, the vote is expected to be very tight. There is a division between MEPs who want to rebuild fish stocks on the one side, and MEPs who want to keep the status quo on the other. One member of the Fisheries Committee, UK liberal Chris Davies, tweeted last week: “Counting Heads. Very tight. Maybe one vote in it on rebuilding fish stocks.”
Everybody can follow the voting online on Monday on the Committee website. The rapporteur, Ulrike Rodust (Germany, S&D), has scheduled a press conference 16:30 Tuesday 18 December, which can also be viewed online.
More information: Fisheries Committee meeting 17–18 December 2012
