Lifeboat Sunday - the original Penlee lifeboat station open to the public for the first time since 1981

The public gets a chance to look around the Penlee lifeboat Ivan Ellen...

slipping (thankfully) well behind in the 'shouts' league table this year...

today saw plenty of dedicated supporters manning various stalls in the ILB boatshed...

with a range of goodies on offer...

and a display of Penlee lifeboat memorabilia...

including items from the old lifeboat shed...

flying that most symbolic flag...

served so valiantly by the likes of Charlie Wackers (top) who was lost on the Solomon Browne...

and today serving cake and cakes...

along with lifeboat souvenirs...

served with a smile...

along the harbour wall the Christmas lights team swing into action...

along at Penlee Point the old lifeboat station is open for the first time since 1981...

seems every man...

and his dogs wants to get a look in

with a warm welcome at the door from lifeboat crew David Pascoe...

once inside the huge winch can be seen that hauled the original boat Elizabeth Blanche up the steeper than normal slipway...

on the walls the service record stops with the last shout recorded...

the French yacht Gan which ran aground on the the beach in front of Newlyn Green in August 16th 1979 without loss of life...

there have been many changes to the slip over the years to accommodate successive and bigger boats, the Elizabeth Blanche weighed around 8 tons, by comparison, today's Ivan Ellen weighs in at around 44 tons...

which would be more than enough for the diesel powered winch...

hauling up such a steep slope...

outside the plaque tells the story...

with a view of Penzance just over a mile away...

these days the lifeboat is kept on a pontoon berth for immediate action...

meanwhile the harbour's business carries on as normal...

with boats like the Mayflower getting ready for sea...

now pacing himself with his batteries fully charged, handline maestro Dennis Pascoe and father of lifeboat crew David enjoys a Wagon Wheel after landing 62Kg of huge squid for his morning's work...

ILB and ALB together in their berths...

not one of the crew sleeping on the job but the practice dummy taking a break...

inside and at the helm a couple of youngsters get to hear all about the boat...

and even a chance to see what 2,5000 Hp looks like with her twin Caterpillar engines...

today is also about the fundraising of course...

and a rare chance to get all round the boat in safe conditions...

and a look at the ILB Paul Alexander

the lifeboat house always post details of the last shout in the seaward window...

in front of the market, the Britannia V is about to land...

a good shot of hake for Monday's market...

after only two days at sea...

the hake fishing has not been this good for 20 years.

The future of shellfish

THE future of shellfish policy was thrashed out recently at a summit of fishermen, regulators, scientists and other stakeholders in Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

Presentations were made by CEFAS scientists, DEFRA policy officials, the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations.

A statement on the NFFO website read: "The very rich and sometimes boisterous dialogue which characterised the summit was an inevitable reflection of the wide mix of key players together in a room, discussing a subject on which passions can run deep. Inescapably, a wide range of opinions was expressed on different aspects of the shell fisheries. Nevertheless, three key issues surfaced above the others: Knowledge Base for Management Decisions; Regionalised Measures; Policy inertia in beginning to deal with latent capacity.

"Regarding knowledge base for management decisions, there was agreement that there is an urgent need for a long-term mechanism to involve fishermen in the collection of data relevant to the effective and tailored management of the shell fisheries. The science base has come a long way in recent years but is still an equally long way from providing the definitive advice and insights that are the necessary foundations for sound management decisions. DEFRA is working on this question but it will be for the industry itself to take the initiative. There are already examples of good practice and modern information technology can provide the means for effective but non-intrusive monitoring of fishing activities. There are important questions about what data is collected; who collects it; who owns the data; and what conditions are associated with its use. This will be the subject of intense discussion in the coming weeks.

"Regarding regionalised measures, there is widespread agreement that the top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to fisheries management is even more inappropriate for shellfish fisheries than for finfish fisheries. The inshore management authorities clearly have a central role in adopting and tailoring management approaches to the specific characteristics of their fisheries. It was clear from the meeting, however, that there can be considerable differences between IFCAs in their approaches to transparency and participative decision making. If regionalised measures are to be well-designed and broadly accepted, those IFCAS still wedded to 'mini-top-down' management will have to accept that this outdated approach is likely to yield sub-optimal outcomes.

"Regarding policy inertia in beginning to deal with latent capacity, the NFFO and others in the shellfish industry first proposed a cap on the capacity of the high-volume crab fleet in 2011. This was not seen as a panacea but as a first step in an incremental process of dealing with latent capacity and effective management measures for the pot fisheries. DEFRA has variously ignored, questioned, prevaricated and dodged the issue but it has never been very clear why. Ministers have referred it to officials, who have shuffled the issue around creating an impression of policy inertia. Yet here is a policy that has the backing of the people affected and support within the wider industry, that makes sense in conservation and economic terms that if adopted would head off a range of future problems. It is somewhat of a mystery why this single proposal has failed to make headway but it has undoubtedly become a logjam for a range of other progressive initiatives in shellfish policy.

"This summit provided a powerful wake-up call for the industry, regulators and scientists alike. The pot fisheries enjoy a number of important advantages, but if this economically vital sector is to avoid sleep-walking into a host of new problems it will need to address: Problems of managing the fisheries on the basis of limited data; Regional management authorities which ought to be closer to the fisheries that they manage but in some cases cling to the old discredited closed, top-down styles; Inertia in shellfish policy that has held progress in a vice-like grip, especially in dealing with the high-volume part of the industry, where a start should be made immediately."

Courtesy of the NFFO.

#FishyFriday is here again!

The eyes have it...

the fearsome hake...

and the gentle sardine...

waiting for the Mayflower to begin her fishing career - that net looks to be a tight fit skipper!...

bathed in blue light, fish ready for the off...

Newlyn and its 'Stripey shop!

Devon MP calls for inquiry over ban on ray fishing

This story appeared in the Western Morning news - just as relevant to many fishermen in Cornwall!

Part of Devon’s fishing industry could be on the brink of collapse following a ban on ray fishing.

The nationwide restriction came after the UK went over its quota set by Brussels. But the ban will hit fishing communities on the north Devon coast hardest since ray are the main species of fish caught off the Bristol Channel. The fishery will re-open again on January 1 when the new quota kicks in.

Geoffrey Cox, Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon, said the ban is a “significant blow”.He is calling on ministers to hold an inquiry into whether the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) quango, which oversees the catch, has “mismanaged the quota for ray and if not why it was that the MMO appear to have traded away a quantity of ray quota recently”.

He said: “Fishermen quite rightly ask that the quota system is managed competently and it is astonishing that the MMO seems to have misjudged the situation so badly.” Trevor Gray from the Bideford Trawlermen’s Co-operative said that the Bristol Channel’s ray stocks were in good shape. He said: “The whole question of quotas needs urgent review with local fisheries being in control of their own quotas.”

A Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “It’s important we strike the right balance between supporting our fisheries and protecting the marine environment. Quotas ensure the sustainability of our stocks which supports the long term future of the industry – overfishing also results in penalties from the EU.”

The MMO said quotas for some stocks in the area had been cut by the European Commission in recent years. It said the UK quota for skates and rays had been “significantly reduced”, by half since 2009.

“The early closure of fisheries is regrettable and we recognise that this decision is frustrating to those groups that have not exhausted their quota allocation,” said a spokesman.

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Devon-fisheries-jobs-risk-ban-ray-fishing/story-23401189-detail/story.html#ixzz3H3UHquX4 
Follow us: @WMNNews on Twitter | westernmorningnews on Facebook

RIP Edwin Madron, Fisherman, Lifeboatman, Family man and Friend in the community.

Here's a typical Edwin yarn. Late one evening, in his new role as Mousehole's harbourmaster Edwin found himself down the end of the quay eying up a pile of bait wrapped in grubby newspaper an angler was just about to leave behind on the quay. "I hope you're going to take that with you", said Edwin in the most harbour-masterly voice he could muster. "Who the **** do you think you are, the ******* harboumaster? **** off!" the angler replied. Edwin was about to say, "I am the harbourmaster", or words to that effect when he paused for a moment realising that, as he was stood there in a dirty, once white T shirt and ripped jeans he hardly looked the part or deserved any kind of recognition for such an important role in the community. Hence the embroidered shirt he is proudly posing with above. RIP Edwin. Editor Through the Gaps.

The NPHC flag flies at half mast - the harbour has lost one of its true characters

One of Mousehole’s great characters – and its last “old sea dog” – has died. Harbourmaster Edwin Madron passed away on Monday morning after a long illness. Leaving school at just 14 to follow his grandfather, father, uncle, brothers and cousins to sea, Edwin was a fisherman for 46 years. 

Edwin skippered the trawler Nicola Marie...

seen here steaming into St Mary's...

in the Scillies....

his last command was the baby of the Stevenson's fleet, the stern trawler Cathryn...

which he worked single handed, so dealing with a huge boulder like this picked up in the trawl necessitated steaming home and additional assistance...

of course he wasn't just a fisherman but a family man too, here he is landing...

under the watchful eyes of his grandchild...

here is Edwin giving a new twist on the term 'single-handed' fisherman!
 At 15 he joined other members of his family on the Penlee lifeboat crew. 

Edwin's sometimes grumpy countenance was merely a front for a genuinely funny man.

RNLI respect for Edwin

In his early 60s, he still talked of the adrenaline-fuelled run to the old Penlee lifeboat slip when the maroons went off for a shout. And 30 years after the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster that took the lives of eight members of the crew - including his brother Stephen - he still talked emotionally about the devastation Mousehole felt afterwards. 

Edwin served aboard the Solomon Browne's replacement Mabel Alice - seen here with the first ever shout when she towed in the French crabber Rayone de Soleil from Morlaix.

He served as mechanic on the Solomon Browne's replacement, the Mabel Alice, and gave 33 years service to the RNLI. 

As harbourmaster he oversaw the operations of the ten to twelve fishing boats left working out of Mousehole, but he loved harking back to the times when the village was a thriving fishing port. 

In a video about his work as harbourmaster recorded in 2012 he said: “Years ago there were about 200 boats in here… pilchard drifting, mackerel drifting and ring-netting, liners… but they've all gone now. I’m the only old sea dog left.”

The Harbour Master of Mousehole from James B Wall on Vimeo.

Read more: http://www.cornishman.co.uk/Sad-death-great-Mousehole-character-Edwin-Madron/story-23158816-detail/story.html#ixzz3Gv9L7xFl 

Penzance's pink palace paints a picture in the Bay

Towering over the tiny harbour at the foot of the Mount...

the home of the St Levan family and St Aubyn Estates put on a spectacular show tonight to celebrate to support the #wearitpink campaign from @BCCampaign.

#Discarding and the landing obligation - Managing fish stocks

#Discarding is the practice of returning unwanted catches to the sea, either dead or alive, either because they are too small, the fisherman has no quota, or because of certain catch composition rules. The new CFP does away with the wasteful practice of discarding through the introduction of a landing obligation.  

This change in regime serves as a driver for more selectivity, and provides more reliable catch data. To allow fishermen to adapt to the change, the landing obligation will be introduced gradually, between 2015 and 2019 for all commercial fisheries (species under TACs, or under minimum sizes) in European waters.

Under the landing obligation all catches have to be kept on board, landed and counted against the quotas. Undersized fish cannot be marketed for human consumption purposes.

The landing obligation will be applied fishery by fishery. Details of the implementation will be included in multiannual plans or in specific discard plans when no multiannual plan is in place. These details include the species covered, provisions on catch documentation, minimum conservation reference sizes, and exemptions (for fish that may survive after returning them to the sea, and a specific de minimis discard allowance under certain conditions). Quota management will also become more flexible in its application to facilitate the landing obligation.

In October 2014 the Commission has adopted five #discard plans (through so-called delegated acts) in preparation of the implementation of the landing obligation that is applicable from 2015 on (pelagic and industrial fisheries in all Union waters, and fisheries for cod in the Baltic).

These delegated acts have not yet entered into force. They are subject to the right of the European Parliament and of the Council to express objections, in accordance with Article 290 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) No .../.. establishing a discard plan for certain pelagic fisheries in South Western waters

COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) No …/.. establishing a discard plan for certain pelagic fisheries in North Western waters