Mid-week market mostly inshore fish

Looks like a fine Cornish day in the offing...

are lost gill nets in the South West responsible for ghost fishing? - it takes very little time before any gill nets that are lost on the sea bed become a tangled mess - the action of the tide and weather see to it that theses nets do not fish for more than a few days after being lost...

its pollack season for the Sea Spray...

and for the first time in ages the inshore hand liners get to put good shots of mackerel ashore...

along with these colourful plaice...

several varieties of ray...

even more mackerel...

top mackerel hand line fishing from the punt Pendower...

waiting to set sail again for the pollack grounds...

 

Lords of the Ring net...

 

let's hope keep her in berth for a while yet...

 

as the number of yellow-wellies increases daily...

 

no more balancing on rickety steps to service the hull of boats on the slip #H&S

500 Free Fish is the Dish Fishmonger Kits!

FISH is the Dish has launched a marketing kit for independent fishmongers.

With 700 free kits now available to all UK fishmongers, the pack is being offered to support independent businesses and provide them with marketing materials for their own customers. The pack includes a species poster that shows the most popular seafood species available in the UK, a large marketing poster from Fish is the Dish, double-sided self-cling window sticker, a wipeable 'Specials' board and pen, 500 recipe leaflets, stickers, children's booklets and more.

The packs are available on a first come, first served basis. By signing up for a pack via Fish is the Dish, fishmongers will have their business details promoted on the Fish is the Dish website where consumers will be able to search and locate independent mongers in their local area.

The Fish is the Dish initiative by Seafish was designed as a digital campaign to showcase to families that fish is a healthy, quick and easy choice to feed the family.

For a pack or more information go here:

Where are the fishermen/fishers/fisherfolk in all this?

With the working title, "Discard ban can benefit fish and fishers, but sustainability must come first" here are the opening lines of an article written by Bryce Stewart - and you wonder why fishermen get a tad upset when they read this kind of thing!

"It was hailed as a great victory for conservation, common sense and people power. Last year the European Commission finally voted to phase out the shameful practice of discarding hundreds of thousands of tonnes of perfectly good fish, either by-catch or target species caught over the allowable quota, as permitted by the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Although hundreds of scientists, NGOs, politicians and legislators worked behind the scenes to make this happen, the issue really hit the public consciousness through the work of the mop-haired part-time celebrity chef/eco-warrior, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall."

Every time we read an article reporting on discards the authors somehow manage to forget that behind all of this are the guys who behind the scenes actually go out to sea to feed the nation and provide an income for them and their families - many of whom have given their time, money, sweat and tears to make changes to the way they fish (metal grids/square mesh panels etc) behind the scenes  to make this all possible. 

Frustratingly, authors of articles like this continue to project a negative image of irresponsible fishermen to the public and further reinforce the damage done by HFW's series was in choosing to ignore the vital role fishermen have played in turning round fish stocks in areas like the North Sea and beyond over the last 10 years. The huge fleet of vessels working in the North Sea is no more - though a continuing source of angst amongst UK fishermen is that in many instances vessels flying other flags fish alongside and catch the very fish that the present system forces them to discard!

However, it was cheering to see another article from the The Conversation a few weeks ago acknowledge the weight of measures taken by the industry:

Livelihoods on the line:

It is certainly true that the UK industry has worked hard for many years to try and ensure that cod stocks recover. Many of the measures adopted have involved sacrifices from the industry, including the decommissioning of vessels, introduction of fishing gear modifications to reduce the by-catch of small cod and actions to avoid areas where young cod congregate. 

The UK fishing industry needs a top PR company like never before - unfortunately it does not have the unanimity to have deep pockets or benefit from the huge donations made by charities such as the Oak Foundation or PEW to make shows like the #FishFight - more's the pity.

Misty Monday morning

Monday morning and the rush for the ice works continues...

things seem to be looking very organised on the market - each set of boxes is from a different inshore trawler...

a few lonesome grey gurnards mixed in with their much more numerous cousins the red gurnard...

signs of summer as the number of John Dory landed by the boats increases...

and they are getting bigger...

a big trip of monk from the two big beam trawlers St Georges and the Cornishman...

this turbot is just too big for the box, prime fish from the beamers...

the Girl Pamela all set to put increase the size of her crab pot fleet...

Bonnie Grace looking a pretty sight in the morning light...

as the boys put fresh gear aboard...

anytime soon the summer Sardine fishery will start again...

Celtic Star, another new inshore trawler in the port.

Serene Saturday

A familiar sight in Newlyn, the Valhalla puts in an appearance again...

Bideford's big steel stern trawlers Our Josie Grace and Our Olivia Belle take a break in the port on Saturday evening...

as one of the local boats Innisfallen makes her way in through the gaps.

Picture postcard Penzance

Waiting for the sun to put in an appearance over the Bay...

there is a heavy mist rolling into the sea...

making it a dreamy start for the yacht at anchor off Penzance...

the first few minutes...

bath the Bay in gold...

and it looks like its going to be...

a gorgeous day...

in the Bay...

the smell of fresh paint...

hangs all round the dock as many of the boats take time out to paint up - traditionally the slackest time of the year for bottom trawl fish in the South West.

This ship rocks!

Maybe we should get the next cruise ship to do this and celebrate Penzance's 400th birthday!

PS - Turn up the volume!