Last fishing days for the year for theNewlyn fleet as they make the most of fine weather between Christmas and New Year.

Wrapped up in a survival suit, Cap'n Cod makes his way to the market after a day chasing bass...

followed by Jeremy, keeping tucked well in as the Lyonesse is making her way out #ThroughtheGaps...

for a night sardine fishing....

 closely followed by the Asthore...

and the latest addition to the fleet in Newlyn, the Mayflower...

providing visiting photogs with some dusk shots...

the Bacon boys head for the market...

followed by the sequel to a Fistful of Dollars...

the light is special at this time of year with crystal-clear skies!

The hunt for Cornish sardines begins

With next to no wind and temperatures just above freezing the sardine boats head out to sea for a night's work in Mount's Bay hunting Cornish sardines.

Christmas treat to eat

At this time of year all the big supermarkets offer salmon at half price...

- if you buy a whole one, so the solution to get a whole fish for the price of half ...

is to fillet and pin bone the both sides...

slice one side in two and place the first half skin side down on a length of cling film...

get some decent sea salt...

and, using this recipe from the Rick Stein's latest and excellent fish cookery book...

prepare the cure mixture of salt, fresh dill, sugar and a good dash of brandy, vodka or whiskey...

cover the first side of salmon with the cure and place the second half skin side up...

to form a sandwich...

wrap the fillets up tight in the cling film and leave for at least three days in the run up to Christmas Day turning over every 12 hours - a good dose of brine will be drawn out of the fish which can be drained off later - then slice very thin and savour the flavour accompanied by a mustard and dill sauce!

The other fillet can be cut into steaks.

Where are we?

Through the Gaps is away from the sea for a few days - but where are we?

Merry Christmas from Newlyn

That's almost it for 2014!

The Emma Louise is one of the last boats alongside the fish market for 2104...

which is now ready to be cleaned down for the final time...

the market is moving with the times and now has a new departures and arrivals board installed - a whiteboard to replace the old blackboard technology...

most of the boats are all set for the Christmas break...

including the port's top trawler again, the Crystal Sea II.

MMO Under 10m additional quota guidance.

THE MMO has updated its guidance on quota leasing and on activities to source quota for the under 10 metre and non-sector fleet.

Those fishing against the 10 metres and under or non-sector pool quota can apply to lease extra quota from a producer organisation (PO) to supplement their catch limits or to keep fishing for a stock where the allocation has been reached.

Following feedback from the industry, the MMO has added additional guidance to its website on the process they should follow when leasing extra quota. This includes encouraging people to contact the MMO to discuss their needs before taking out a lease. Such information may facilitate the MMO arranging quota swaps and gifts of quota from other EU Member States or Producer Organisations on behalf of wider groups within the pool. We can also provide an update on any ongoing negotiations.

For example, in 2014, the MMO has sourced additional haddock quota, bringing 49 tonnes into the English under 10 metre and non-sector pool which more than doubled the 30 tonne allocation originally available. This has enabled the MMO to keep the fishery open for the whole year and to increase the allocation in December.

The MMO also sourced additional English Channel cod quota, in particular for area VIId. Following a consultation activity in November an additional 10 tonnes of English Channel cod quota (area VIId) was secured for the under 10 metre pool, with this being reallocated from an English Producer Organisation. The MMO used this to keep the fishery open with a catch limit of 400kg for the rest of 2014.

The MMO aims to help the fishing industry maximise use of quotas available to them while ensuring that the limits set at EU level are not exceeded. It had reduced the cod catch limit for the under 10 metre fleet earlier in November due to the pool nearing their quota limit for 2014. The MMO would like to thank those who responded to the consultation, in particular Producer Organisations for their co-operation and trading with the Under 10 metre pool.

This development has also contributed to the UK using a higher percentage of its cod quota for area VIId in 2014 than it did in 2013, with 90% so far this year against 56% in total in 2013.