St Catherine Laboure dans Newlyn

Two trawlers from Boulogne land their fish in Newlyn

Two boats from Boulogne have landed their fish to a lorry in Newlyn this morning - the fish is destined for the huge fish market in their home port.

Good to see!

Hauling haddocks aboard the Budding Rose up in the North Sea

Good to see skipper Peter Bruce's boat Budding Rose is enjoying some clement weather after such a harsh winter. All this action was caught on the mighty midget of video technology designed to work in the harshest of conditions - the GoPro Hero 3. Tough enough to withstand the rigours of life on a trawler's deck the mini-sized GoPro will shoot stunning quality video no matter how poor the weather - the case is waterproof to 60m so no matter how big those seas rolling across the deck the camera will shrug them off and keep filming. There's an app to remotely control the camera from a smart phone or tablet - means you can use one of the many grips or accessories available to anchor the camera safely and then stop and start filming and change from narrow to ultra-wide field of view from the safety and comfort of the skipper's chair or wheelhouse!

Top tips if you decide to take the plunge - get the GoPro 3 or 3+ with built-in WiFi and get the additional battery back - and a spare battery or two - these kits are much cheaper than the makers and you get two different chargers!

Get the app for your smart phone to control the camera- making changes to the settings can be fiddly for numb fingers - especially those big sausages for fingers most fishermen have - and the app makes changing the setting a cinch.

Use the free editing software for the camera as it will bring out the best quality from the video you shoot. For most situations shoot with a wide or medium field of view at 1080p and 24 (or 60 if you want to make a bit of slow-mo) frames a second.

Fishing from Brixham in 1967

Great video of Brixham trawlermen shot in 1967 when the fishermen formed a cooperative to handle their catch and the fish market auction - it's successor BTA is till running successfully today. 

A few points to spot are, the lack of gloves worn by the guys handling the fish - whether they are at sea, landing or sorting the fish on the market - and the lack of ice on the fish at any stage!  Near the end is a shot of a chap from the White Fish Authority (WFA and predecessor to Seafish) using a measuring board to collect the length of fish data from the landings - probably the same board is still in use on the market today!

Not just fishermen, but Cornish Fishermen - it's official! #Cornish

Proud to be Cornish - #Cornish Sardines

Get it right in future Waitrose!

next up it will be #Cornish Hake

#Cornish Bass

#Cornish Pollack

and of course, #Cornish Tuna!

The Government has agreed to recognise the #Cornish as a “national minority”. Ministers are to include the Duchy in their submission to update a European convention designed to protect diversity. The Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was adopted by the UK government sixteen years ago. While ethnic minority communities and the Scots, Irish and Welsh were included, the Cornish were not awarded the status.

Advocates of the move have argued recognition as a “national minority” would help preserve Cornwall’s culture and identity for future generations. They contended that since Cornwall is a Celtic nation it should be afforded a similar status to Wales and Scotland.

Ahead of a visit to Cornwall today, Danny Alexander, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: “Cornish people have a proud history and a distinct identity. I am delighted that we have been able to officially recognise this and afford the Cornish people the same status as other minorities in the UK.”

Communities Minister Stephen Williams said: “This is a great day for the people of Cornwall who have long campaigned for the distinctiveness and identity of the Cornish people to be recognised officially.
“The Cornish and Welsh are the oldest peoples on this island and as a proud Welshman I look forward to seeing St Piran’s Flag flying with extra Celtic pride on March 5 next year.”

Some 84,000 people declared themselves Cornish in the 2011 Census and dual language street signs are increasingly common.

The Government today recognises the Cornish people as distinct from communities in other regions of the UK. Living Cornwall Editor Simon Parker asks what – if anything – it will mean for Cornwall.

When the late, great David Penhaligon told Parliament “you need more in an economy than just tourism, ice-cream and deck chairs” he could easily have added the word “recognition”.

The Liberal MP, unlike some of today’s Parliamentarians, was genuinely concerned about the welfare of his Truro constituents and about Cornwall as a whole.

Read more here courtesy of the Western Morning News

Sardines in oil

Blocking out the first in a series of Cornish Sardine paintings in oils.