Monday's market at Newlyn.

Heads...

or tails...

which head...

a bit like a box of Cadbury's Allsorts, gurnard, mackerel and crab claws...

and more mackerel...

the supermodel of the fish world...

just a few of the 500+ boxes of hake form the Karewn of Ladram's maiden netting trip...

Dublin's best known chef Richard Corrigan's favourite fish...

back in the black...

no sign of the let up in cuttle landings this week...

safety at sea, the Karen's ablaze with deck lights...

as is her covered stern where the entire fleet of gill and trammel nets are kept...

laid to the market...

ahead of one of the port's few wooden netters left in the fleet...

keep on pallet trucking.

50 shades of grey in Mount's Bay

After the blow, a sunny Saturday with most of the fleet in port

Hundreds of miles of cliffs around the coast without a barrier in sight...

landing at the weekend...

close to the market...

gull's eye view of the IFCA boat...

most of the fleet are tied up today...

like the Tango twins...

time to go through the gear on the Billy Rowney...

and aboard the Sapphire II it's always tea time to keep the 'old man' of the fleet sweet....

before they get on with the gear again...

raised high...

landing doesn't stop...

setting up the shot...

room with a view...

could be Sicily...

across to the Mount...

the skies go grey.

Ex-Newlyn crabber Cesca sinks of Bardsey Island - crew safe and well.

The  Cesca used to fish for the Rowse family crabbing fleet before being sold and was currently working out of Milford Haven.

Flt Lt Al Conner of C Flight, 22 Squadron, RAF Valley told the Daily Post: “We went with the intention of delivering a pump to help them pump out but all four had abandoned to the liferaft.

“Flt Sgt Neil Cooper and winch operator Mike Bosier-Wyles got the men aboard, while pilot Wg Cmdr ‘Sparky’ Dunlop kept her steady, and we took them to hospital in Bangor. All the men were ok, although they were cold and wet.”


The crew of four of the "Cesca" was winched to safety from their sinking ship by Anglesey RAF rescuers on Feb 12, 2015. The fishing boat was quickly taking on water six miles south-west off Bardsey Island. When the fishermen reported the incident the boat’s pumps were coping but the crew soon realised that they would be safer abandoning their vessel into a liferaft as they waited for help to arrive. The ship had been underway up the Welsh coast from Milford Haven to Conwy. They phoned Holyhead Coastguard at 10.20 p.m. and were lifted out of a raft by a Seaking helicopter from RAF Valley. 

The Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers were also requested by the Coastguard to launch the lifeboat "John D Spicer" to the fishing boat off Bardsey Island. The lifeboat crew launched the all-weather lifeboat in force 6-7 winds, quickly making their way through big swells and rough seas towards the sinking vessel. As the volunteers were making their way to the scene the fishing boat had drifted and was now two miles north of the small island. 

The RAF from Valley was also called to assist in the rescue and the fishermen were being winched to the rescue helicopter as Porthdinllaen lifeboat crew arrived on scene. The fishing boat had taken on too much water to be saved and Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers stood by as a safety precaution as they waited for the fishing boat to sink. By 12:35 a.m. the fishing boat had sunk and the lifeboat crew made their way back to station, returning at 1:45 a.m.

Thanks to Timsen from VesselTracker

It might be Friday the 13th but it's #FishyFriday!

Blood red gill - just what they should be for the freshest of fish...

which fish?...

a load of pollack from the Britannia V...

it's that time of year when roe on toast makes  great Sunday afternoon treat...

big blondes grace the market floor...

while the western end of the market is awash with big hake...

cuttlefish still make a good showing for some of the beamers...

around 200Kg a tub...

black is the new Sapphire...

amongst a sea of green...

with plenty of boxes...

still to sort...

mackerel are back on the menu...

of the grading machine...

hunt the otolith...

in this morning's heavy shower it looks like the guttering could do with some attention...

some sort of alien invasion...

with sou'westerly gales forecast will the crabbers get to sea today...

not just fishing for fish.

Small boats to supply sashimi - widening opportunities for inshore Cornish fishermen

Japanese sashimi could open up a new market for Cornish dayboat fisherman. Yoshinori Ishii, executive chef at Mayfair’s Umu, was among 12 chefs and restaurateurs who have met with day boat fisherman on a recent trip to Padstow. Mr Ishii, widely regarded as the best Japanese chef in the UK, showed how Cornish fishermen could meet London’s demand for top quality fish often used raw for sashimi.

The meeting was set up by Matt Chatfield, the man behind the Cornish Connection that matches Cornish producers with chefs and restaurateurs in the capital. Cornishman Matt now lives in the city and, in conjunction with Launceston transport company, Logisthicks, runs a business supplying the best Cornish produce to top name London restaurants and gastropubs. 

He said: “I think this could really open up some exciting possibilities. “The way we operate means that we can now be at Padstow at 4pm in the afternoon when the boats come back in and have their produce in London by 10pm and on the plate in less than 24 hours. “We have to be doing something that makes our produce better and could mean fisherman are paid an addition £3 or £4 per kilo for their catch.”

Mr Ishii is already supplied by Truro farmer’s market favourites Kernowsashimi, operated by father and son team Chris and Dylan Bean from the Lizard. He is looking to expand his list of suppliers, particularly those who can use the Ikejime method of catching and preparing fish which involves killing the fish rather than allowing it to die. It is said to produce fish with the supreme flavour and texture needed for preparing sashimi and sushi, as well as other non-Japanese dishes that call for the best quality ingredients.

Dayboat fisherman Johnny Murt supplies spider crab, crab and lobster to London from his vessel Homarus. He said: “I think that the Ikijime technique is achievable but we do our best to take care of our fish anyway. “The most exciting aspect for us is to be able to get our fish to the suppliers within 24hours which is certainly good for the restaurants and for us in attracting a higher price.”

Mr Ishii is hoping that other chefs will increase the demand for this type of fish, making it viable for fishermen to invest in the equipment needed to make the technique possible.

Dylan Bean, who supplies to the London market, said: “Currently the Japanese sashimi market is very small and only accounts for around 5% of our business, the rest is to restaurants serving other cuisine. What Umu is doing is very admirable in that it is trying to source local produce that can be used in Japanese cuisine that typically uses specialist imported ingredients.” 

Cornwall Food & Drink helped plan the trip to Padstow, which included a special visit to the lobster hatchery to hear about their buy one, set one free initiative, and dinner for all the visiting chefs at Margot’s restaurant.

Many of the chefs who made the trip are supplied by these producers via Matt Chatfield’s network including Matthew Stevens and Son, Philip Warren Butchers of Launceston and The Modern Salad Grower from St Martin’s by Looe.

Mr Chatfield said: “Everyone who came was blown away with what they saw and tasted.”

Full story courtesy of the Western Morning News: