Salt of the Earth book is launched!

Seems the starlings above Newlyn are murmuring something about the Salt of the Earth book launch...

Making a good attempt at achieving their MSY target this year!

Danish sandeel fishing.

Spawning LIFE in small-scale fisheries

"Coastal communities which depend on small-scale fishing need tailored and specific support to help them thrive, grow, and provide incomes and jobs." 

That was the message during the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and that message was heard when the new policy came to fruition. That isn’t just because small-scale fisheries have always played an important role in Europe’s fishing industry. Or because their mostly small vessels are synonymous with large parts of Europe's coasts. Rather it's because the sector has a potential to deliver sustainable jobs, to feed local communities in the long term, and to lessen the impact of the ecosystems they operate in. 

That potential is enormous. Small vessels deliver over 40% of the primary sector’s total employment, make up 80% of the fleet, and provide European citizens with fresh, local seafood often directly available to the consumers. They also help provide work elsewhere in the community - in local distribution, in net manufacturing, or even in the repair industry. Many don't trawl nets, but rather use passive gears such as fixed nets, traps, hooks and lines. These techniques have a reduced impact on the environment and contribute to lower discard rates, another central plank of the new CFP. But such a large group is inevitably not a homogenous one and that creates challenges in itself. The term small-scale fisheries encompasses those which fish 20kg per trip, to those who fish closer to 20 tonnes. 

Small-scale fishermen have encountered problems regarding access to fishing quotas, in securing acknowledgment by the rest of the industry, and in gaining representation in the advisory bodies that guide the sector. That's why the CFP has started to make inroads into these challenges. It introduced specific rules to keep the administrative burden for small-scale fishermen and their SME businesses, as low as possible – they do not have to keep a logbook of their fishing activities, for instance. The EU is also making sure that the right sort of investment is being made. Access to funding has been made easier, and under the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) a higher co-financing rate of 75% (50% higher than the normal rate) apples to small vessels. 

But it's not just about financing according to Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, it's about "providing a framework to safeguard small-scale fishermen’s activities". Providing that framework is not just something which can be done centrally by the EU. Since conservation and access measures are largely local in origin, small-scale fishermen need a greater voice. 

To give them that a group of over 1,000 fishermen from around Europe have formed LIFE (Low Impact Fishers of Europe), an organisation that represents the interests of small scale, low impact fishermen and women. LIFE sets out to influence policy development and implementation and to ensure that all fishing in Europe is carried out in a sustainable manner, that harmful fishing practises are eradicated in line with the new CFP, and that concerns of small-scale fisheries are heard.  

Small-scale fisheries, small vessels, and small, often family run, businesses are the heartbeat of many of Europe's coasts. With the help of the changes to the CFP, the financial support on offer, and the growing collective voice of the sector, small-scale fisheries can continue to be that lifeblood for generations to come. 

  Interview with Jeremy Percy Executive Director of LIFE (Low Impact Fishers of Europe)

Q: How can local, national and international communities support the work that LIFE and small scale fishermen are doing? 

LIFE is an organisation of organisations so on a local and national basis, small scale fishermen's organisations in our sector across Europe should join LIFE. This will serve to strengthen their own positions and give them a pan-European voice. Internationally, similar groups are invited to get in touch to share best practice and give further weight to our aims and aspirations. LIFE will reciprocate. At the same time, we are also keen to work with non-fishing organisations that support and encourage sustainability in fisheries and the marine environment. Fishing always seems to be at some sort of crossroads or other and the current situation is no different. What is different is that for the first time, the overwhelming majority of fishermen across the EU have the chance to get their voice heard and through LIFE can have a real impact on their future survival and prosperity.

Salt of the Earth book launch party live!

Fishing Focus Nov 2014

The latest newsletter from Defra - and not even a hint of the quota cuts to skate, ray and plaice!

It's #FishyFriday and fish are far and few between as the winter weather begins to bite.

Black and blue, just some of the Sapphire's cuttlefish catch...

a little dollop of herrings grace the market...

and a solitary black bream...

while these line caught pollack would make perfect #FishyFriday suppers...

keeping a bulging eye on things, the pout or 'Bothack'...

lovely big lemons...

monster megs...

and, easily spotted, these huge plaice from the James R H...

all keep the buyers happy...

getting a heads-up from which fish?...

many fish have big mouths but few can match the John Dory's gaping jaw in relation to its body size...

before the sun puts in an appearance...

the light is a heavy blue...

so the sky provides a contrasting backdrop to the boats in the harbour...

like the Sapphire II waiting to take fuel...

and the crab boats waiting for the off...

at the back of the Mission looking towards the gaps...

Tom keeps an eye on the Bay...

as a mackerel boat heads back to port alongside the Trinity House boat Galatea...

Newlyn has most of the fleet in port owing to the poor weather...

as the last of the groundworks is completed by Cormac on the beach at Wherry Town...

the skies look as though they are about to open up...

hastening this cyclist on his way...

looking back to Newlyn from the Penzance prom.

Book launch - Salt of the Earth at the Mission tonight

A name synonymous with fish, fishing and fishermen!

At last, the day has arrived when the public will get a chance to see all 200 of the local fishing community captured in book form by portrait photographer David Penprase in the book Salt of the Earth which has just been published as a fundraising project that captures the people, mainly fishermen who make the community Newlyn what it is......

fishermen like these two who if you know them you will see something of the person captured so well by David Penprase...

the Mission centre in Newlyn is sadly planned for selling off by the charity RNMDSF as it finds it can no longer support big, expensive building in fishing ports that it has so wonderfully served for over 100 years and instead is focusing on supporting Mission staff in their services to the community...

well know skippers like Don Liddicoat and his family feature...

as do a host of other skippers and fishermen...

and the next generation to follow in their boots...

sometimes it's an unmistakable hat like Cap'n Cod's...

or in Joe Crow's case his minuscule mutt - just the kind of dog you would expect from a regular in a pub that featured in Sky TV's series, Britain's Most Dangerous pubs...

is to serve fishing communities up and down the country...

and part of what makes the port a living, working fishing community with a bright future!