Pair teams from Scotland and France pair trawl for bass off the Isle of Wight

Bet they have more success than the rugby team.

Spotted on Twitter - and below are the AIS tracks showing the paths taken by the French and single Scottish pair teams working south of the Isle of Wight and Swanage.

It's a Cornish Sardine Saturday

Local replica pilot boat tied up outside the tug...

the sapphire II is days away from her maiden Newlyn voyage...

not so long ago this was the newest boat in the fleet, now a regular landing sardines and herring into Newlyn...

as the 25 ton haul of fish are brailed ashore 250 kilo sat a time...

under the watchful eye of skipper Peter Bullock...

and right hand man Phil...

there's always one trying to escape...
 

closing the brail net for another dip means these fish are caught twice...

checking the quality and any interlopers like the odd mackerel...

then its time for plenty of ice to top off the box before going aboard the waiting lorry transport...

looking like silver bars...
 

heading for the transport bay...

over in the harbour cafe...

trade is brisk ever since the Mission was forced  to close its doors on a Saturday morning...

open with a new show, the Bucca Gallery next to the Star...

where mein host Debbie is keeping the jokes topical.

Penlee's Ivan Ellen, out in the Bay on exercise accompanied by a glaucous gull

Culdrose SAR helicopter Rescue193 carries out a routine training exercise in the Bay on Saturday morning...

and some of the more eagle-eyed readers may just spot the white feathers of a visiting glaucous gull among the gulls attempting to avail themselves of scraps from the small tosher cleaning his nets...

seen here captured in flight by Martin Elliot who also provided the Ivan Ellen photos. The gull is thought top be about four years old and possibly the same one that has been spotted in and around the harbour over the last couple of years. These gulls were more common years ago - they are great scavengers and will follow the fishing boats looking for scraps!  In the arctic, where they are found in larger numbers they breed all year round.

There's no horse in Horse Mackerel

There's no horse in these cracking mackerel....

but these little beauties are 100% horse mackerel - or scad.

Painters and Posers - Newlyn School,artists and their models

Shout out to fishermen - 5 Day Navigation and Watchkeeping Course in Newlyn

 
Our next 5 Day Navigation and Watchkeeping Course will be taking place at Newlyn Fishermen's Mission 25th Feb - 1st March.
 
To check if you're eligible for funding and to book your place please call Emma on 01736 364324
 
Cornwall Seafood Training

Seems there's money in mackerel

Mackerel is caught by 25 boats registered in Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Lerwick. It is the industry's most valuable catch, worth £164m in 2011, or one-third of all the fish landed.

That's £164,000,000 / 25 = £6,560,000

info courtesy of the Herald Scotland