An open letter about Hugh's Fish Fight from David Linkie for this week's Fishing News:

Re: Hugh’s Fish Fight

The extremely biased and negative view of scallop fishing portrayed last week on C4 Hugh’s Fish Fight displayed a total lack of responsibility on the part of Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall.

Having been educated at Oxford University before becoming a freelance commercial journalist, surely he should be aware of the need to inform the public by presenting balanced facts, rather than trying to indoctrinate them with extremely one-sided and distorted personal opinions.

Whilst trying to provide first-hand and well-informed articles/features for Fishing News for more than 25 years, I have had the opportunity to spend considerable time on a variety of vessels fishing scallops (as well as fisheries compliance vessels) in a number of areas around the UK, including the English Channel, Irish Sea, Isle of Man, west coast of Scotland/Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.

This experience has also encompassed going on sea-trials for new scallop vessels, the building of which provides valuable employment continuity for both boatyards and equipment/gear suppliers. If the seabed around Britain were as barren and desert-like as Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall conveniently portrays them to be, does he really think that bank managers would enable a skipper/owner to take on the level of long-term financial commitment required to build a new boat? Equally, if scallop fishing damages the seabed to the extent Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall claims, then how does he explain the fact that some of the best scallop catches continue to be taken from grounds that have been fished for over 40 years?

The creation of loose sand sculptures decorated with pseudo sea growth, before promptly removing them with scallop and beam trawl gear towed horizontally by tractors on dry land on a sunny summer’s day, was a very cheap publicity stunt which, in the eyes of many, went a long way towards undermining much of Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall’s credibility.

So too did the suggestion early in the programme that the CFP was being reformed as a result of his efforts. This is a total insult to the thousands of fishermen who have endured years of self-sacrifice in order to achieve long overdue reform of the CFP, as well as the unstinting efforts of equally committed association leaders and politicians.

The UK fishing industry continues to lead from the front in terms of implementing new initiatives that are already proving highly effective in ensuring the long-term sustainability of both fishermen and the stocks on which they are reliant.

Why was the fact that, within the last 12 months the Shetland scallop fishery has been awarded MSC accreditation, not worth a mention? An extremely wide raft of finely tuned management rules and technical gear measures are in place across all fisheries, but again viewers were not given an opportunity to evaluate these facts for themselves.

Neither were they made aware of the fact that Faroese midwater trawlers, shown at the beginning of Hugh’s Fish Fight (together with Icelandic vessels), are overfishing the mackerel stock by 300,000t, with the result that the MSC accreditation achieved by Scotland. Ireland and other EU countries, together with Norway in view of their well-managed and sustainable fishery, is currently suspended. 

Will this oversight be corrected in the remaining two episodes?

David Linkie - at the Fishing News

My Hero! (this time)

He loved Spike Milligan and must miss him sorely, Charles often seems to side with the irrational verging on insanity or shows a lack of level-hedaed reasoning (homeopathy masquerading being based on science for example) but, on this occasion, we salute the man!

Long Live Charles! Long Live the King! 

to be, or maybe not to be, that is.....

Full story courtesy of the Daily Telegraph:

Under the headline: Prince Charles to battle council over closure of historic kipper smokehouse that survived the Blitz.

Prince Charles is preparing to battle authorities after Britain's oldest working fish smokehouse was shut down after a single resident complained about the smell.

It had survived for more than 130 years and was bombed in the Blitz but Walter Purkis and Sons was told to close by Haringey council following a complaint from a resident in a nearby flat block in Crouch End, North London. The Purkis family were informed last month the smokehouse was in breach of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Air Act 1993.

However, the Prince of Wales, a strong supporter of traditional and organic foods, has stepped in to help the owner of the business, John Purkis, whose family has been in the fish business for generations.

Last week a female member of the Prince's staff came to see the Purkis family and asked for details about what had happened. It was explained that the smokehouse won a reprieve and was once again allowed to produce its kippers, smoked salmon and mackerel. However the family were worried the reversal of the ban may only be temporary.

Kipper smokehouse that survived Blitz under threat 10 Jan 2013

"A woman came into the shop and told my son John that she was representing Prince Charles. Apparently, the Prince had read about what happened and had asked her to look into it."

"John told her there was going to be a meeting with the council and she asked him to send her all the details afterwards. It seems the council is now trying to pass the buck to [the department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] Defra.’

127 - 31 - can we call this a result?

http://www.mcsuk.org/mpa/england/cons...
Please click this link and send an automated letter telling Government why 127 Marine Conservation Zones must be designated!

Just wondering how loud the sound of fishermen and other's boots were as they made their way to vote after this video was commissioned - does an industry like fishing really need/warrant/deserve such treatment?

When the wind blows................

Welcome to the the North Sea in winter: Steaming in last weeks weather seen from the (relative) comfort of the Scottish trawler, Ocean Venture

End-to-end with fantastic fish!

Fresh southerly breeze blows across the promenade...

causing the gulls to wheel high above the harbour...

under some heavy skies the visiting Brixham beam trawler...

Kerrie Marie...

the netter Sparkling Line dwarfs the netter Ajax...

boxes stacked 2, 3 and four high in places on a packed fish market auction floor...

as the bids get going...

they don't get more orange than these plaice spots...

inshore and gill net fish vie for floor space...

hake from the Ajax gets added to the database...

what a trip of 350 boxes looks like, the Sparkling Line's fish almost filled on end of the market!

Sprats and lemons for supper

One pounds worth of fish, enough to feed four for starters...

super silver sprats...

dredged in flour...

across to the fry pan...

out on the paper towel...

served simply...

withe lemon and a homemade dip...

class polenta...

cooks in seconds almost...

turned out on to a serving dish...

ready to go to the table...

one cracking lemon sole...

simply run the knife down the backbone...

and peel off the frame.

Super sunny Saturday morning - out with the paint brushes.

Crystal Sea, in port for the weekend after landing all her fish to Plymouth market...

New block on the kid...

and a new footrope for the beam trawl...

sad to see, she's still filling up every day...

new to the port, the Padstow registered Serene Dawn...

with plenty of work to do...

the newest boat in the port is looking prostine...

thanks to Ollie and crew washing down the paint with...

 hot, fresh water before another coat of paint goes on...

it takes two big chaps to move a derrick, they wish!!!...

even Ollie gets to work with a roller...

heading to the gaps, the Padstow netter 

the IFCA boat languishes in the sunshine...

selling like hotcakes, fresh Newlyn fish fly from the counter...

not sure whose initials are on this guy, a lucky bass gets to avoid the dinner plate, for a few hours at least...

tea on the prom is open for business again...

over in Penzance Dry Dock two of Stevenson's boats undergo repairs - the Algrie will be getting a new gearbox while the Lisa Jacqueline will be undergoing some serious cosmetic surgery and getting a new bottom...

almost time for the Scillonian III to get back in service...

reflections on fine art on the prom.