Thumbs up to the lights going down!

Newlyn Filmhouse latest news:

Good news for another old fish processing building in Newlyn. This time the planning department for Cornwall Council came good - thanks in part to a large, enthusiastic and well behaved lobby of creative fans lending their support to see the project take one step closer to opening its doors for the first showing early next year.

Turners often played host to training events - here, Duncan Lewis from Passionate About Fish gives a fish filleting demonstration. 

Turners of Newlyn ceased trading  after several generations of the family traded fish from buildings 'down the Coombe'. Newlyn boasted its own cinema until the late 1960s in the form of the 'Gaiety Cinema' - now Newlyn Meadery. The building only just survived catastrophe when a fire ripped throughout the building thanks to some errant young girls from the village who were spooked one day whilst playing in the roof space using candles in jam jars for lights - the local policeman at the time had no trouble apprehending the girls - their less-than-girl like reputations ensuring that theirs were the first doors to be knocked upon and an admission of guilt procured!

Here is an account of that eventful planning meeting at Truro:

The planning meeting yesterday was very well attended and I think we managed to fill the gallery.

Everyone had to sit through two other matters that went on for some time before they got to us.

It started off with one objector having their 3 minutes followed by a town councillor who was objecting and then Stefanie, our architect had her turn. After this the committee members made their points and asked questions.

It all seemed a little chaotic and negative at first but then it turned and one member started to mention the upside to our plans ( to repeated applause from the gallery which I bet they haven't heard before!) and the whole mood changed and we managed to secure a unanimous in favour vote, with the proviso that a safety audit is carried out to put their minds at rest about the perceived dangers to the hoards of people crossing the road, thankfully the Chair stopped a proposal for a site meeting which would have been yet another delay, on the grounds that we all know the road very well!

The Chair mentioned the fact that he had received a large number of letters of a very civilised nature, and we cannot thank everyone enough who bothered to write in and of course those who gave up a large proportion of their Monday to attend- we really believe that it made a difference and affected the atmosphere of the room as normally the attendees are objectors and it is very rare to get so many supporters.

So now onward and upward and we will commission the safety audit and let you know how we get on.

Thank you again for all your efforts
With very best wishes
Alastair and Suzie

Marine Protected Areas support artisanal fishermen in the Mediterranean

Marine Protected Areas support artisanal... by Aires-marines-protegees

Artisanal fishermen are witnesses of how the Mediterranean environment has changed over time. Their livelihoods are now at risk because of stock decline caused by overfishing. Marine Protected Areas offer the opportunity for fishermen and managers to find common solutions. The video shows how stakeholders can benefit from co-managed Marine Protected Areas, which result in more resources and improved local economies.

By Agence des aires marines protégées

Seafood and You - #eatmorefish

Courtesy of a Twitter colleague: 

Here is everything you need to know about seafood & your health.

(INFOGRAPHIC: http://t.co/vZU695bPqy ) pic.twitter.com/hBA9KqibLx

NOAA Ocean Today (@NOAAOceanToday) October 20, 2013

NSA the movie!

 

 

 



Newlyn School of Art is based in the famous artists' colony of Newlyn in West Cornwall and provides inspiring art courses in painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery and printmaking taught by many of the best known artists working in Cornwall today.

Expressive Figure Painting 26th Oct - 27th Oct

Oil Painting Course28th Oct - 30th Oct

Printing in Colour - Terry Frost2nd Nov - 3rd Nov

Still Life Essence of Form4th Nov - 5th Nov

Colour & Abstraction9th Nov - 10th Nov

Collage and Paint11th Nov - 12th Nov

Printing on Fabric16th Nov - 17th Nov

Printmaking for Beginners19th Nov - 20th Nov

Christmas Card Printmaking23rd Nov

Christmas Card Printmaking24th Nov

Modelling the Figure in Wax25th Nov - 27th Nov

Mark Making30th Nov

Figure Drawing Course1st Dec

Oil with a Palette Knife2nd Dec - 3rd Dec

Monday morning market #eatmorefish

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

good trips of megrim, Dover and lemon soles along with monk tails make up the bulk of this morning beam trawler trips...

a man of action...

with three out of seven fluorescent strips not working inside the fish market, lighting the subject for a photograph proves a challenge...

the weather must be bad as the Intuition normally fishes through all but the very worst the weather can offer...

still hours of work to do setting the trawl to the fishing line on the footrope...

two boats at the top of their game lay side-by-side...

astern of the biggest new addition to the Newlyn fleet, Sapphire II.

Cefas Endeavour's current survey work - 2013 Peltic or the Poseidon Survey #cefas

The research ship Cefas Endeavour is currently in the middle of her latest survey contract.

The chart shows the extent of the acoustic survey area due to be covered by the voyage

See previous posts showing the huge algal bloom currently of the Cornish coast thanks to warm waters.


Below is the latest post from one of the most experienced of the Cefas team, Davi Righton:

For today's blog I am leaving you in the very capable hands David 2IC of the night shift.

In the night garden

It's 1am.  The nightshift.  The last of the staff on the day shift have drifted away to bed, and we're on our own now until 8am, breakfast time.  Tonight, we are working through the tail end of a catch of mackerel and sprat that we caught earlier, and then we need to conduct plankton and water surveys until  dawn.  Out of the window of the plotting room, where the scientific crew gather when work on the bridge or in the laboratories is done, I can see the trawl hanging above the main deck after taking a battering on the last tow.  The deck crew (Paul, Graham and Kieran) are working on the trawl, straightening out the twists in the mesh, and stitching the meshes back where they need to be, ready for next time.

Above us, the night sky is clear after a day of rain, and the moon lights the way to our next station, out to the west.  I love working at night, the different rhythm, time marching to a different beat.  There is something about the quiet, the lack of the hustle and bustle that you can feel during the day.  That can make it hard too…there are fewer people to keep the conversations flowing, energy can ebb away quickly if the night drags on too long.  But the compensations…the blue light of dawn, the moments of quiet reflection, the sense of wakefulness while everyone else sleeps…are more than enough.

My name is David Righton, and this is my 13th year at Cefas.  My first years were rich with seatime, chasing cod and sandeels on the Dogger Bank, but this is my first trip in 4 years. My job has changed a lot in the last few years and I don't have the opportunity or the need to spend as much time at sea as I used to.  I spend a lot of my time in meetings about science quality, about developing scientific opportunities and maintaining Cefas' position as a leading scientific institute.  This month, however, I get to play a practical part in the PELTIC 13 cruise, and help Jeroen deliver this exciting POSEIDON project.  I'm here as one of the 2ICs, and leader of the nightshift.  In practice, it means my time is split between the bridge, talking to the officers of the watch about what we need to do and where, and the laboratories, making sure that everything is OK.  When the opportunity arises, I also play my part in sorting and sampling the fish catch. It is important work to do and, although my skills are a little ring rusty, I have a role to play.  But it is about more than spending time on the Endeavour and sorting pelagic fish.  Out here, it is easier to appreciate the commitment to fisheries science of our sampling team (most of whom I have not worked with at sea before), their technical skill and determination (taking otoliths from juvenile sprat requires Jedi-like powers of intuition and concentration) and, because it has been a few years since my last trip, to be reminded that 'continuous improvement' is not just a trite management phrase, but a reality of the way we work at Cefas and at sea. I add value too…a question here, a comment there, being a sounding board if plans need to be discussed or decisions made.

It is 5am.  We are nearly on station again and I must take the three flights of stairs to the bridge to take the station details and keep the officer on watch up to date on progress.  From my lofty position, I can see that the deck crew 40 feet below me have not yet finished with the net, and that our next chance of fishing will probably be after midday, if necessary.  Below, Joana and Ian are emerging from the workshop, ready to deploy the water sampling gear on the 'Rosette', while James is still busy at his microscope, sorting through the plankton soup we collected over two hours ago.  It may be autumn on land, but the sea is coming alive with an autumn bloom (as Elise talked about yesterday)- the vitality on display in these miniature plants and creatures is amazing.  In the plotting room, Dave is keeping a close eye on the echosounder, ready to raise the alarm if there are fishable 'marks'.   It's probably too early yet…the schools are still forming up, but we need to make a note of the schools and their location, and perhaps come back to visit later in the day.

730am. Dawn in full swing.  We've collected another water sample…and the Marine Life observers, Tom and Nigel,  have arrived on the bridge just as our 'followers' (the optimistic kittiwakes, gulls and gannets) come into view. They hover effortlessly alongside, waiting.  Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…there will be time to trawl again today and assess whether the marks on the sounder are mackerel, jellyfish or sardine…perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…it can probably wait until after breakfast.  Another perk of the nightshift…you feel you really earn your toast and jam!

The night shift being very camera shy or just really concentrating hard on the plankton net. L to R; Jo's head, James' head and Ian's head.

David

The only problem with working 24 hours is that we only see the night shift for twenty minutes or so at hand over. At which point they have only just woken up or they are dog tired after their twelve hours and do not really want to stay and chat in the plot room…unless you are Jo.

Rob

Not just AIS information from Vessel Tracker

The AIS image shows the Crystal Sea II working away to the south'ard, the little compass icon even shows the current course the boat is making...

also on the Vessel Tracker home page for the boat is a very handy average speed log in graphical form - which shows quite clearly when the boat is steaming - at 7-9 knots and when the boat is towing her trawl at around 3 knots.