Penlee and Sennen lifeboats in a joint search off Land's End.

Penlee lifeboat Ivan Ellen...

has steamed out to help search with the Sennen lifeoboat south east of Land's End.

Monday's fishing news from Newlyn

Plenty of beam trawl fish for those who need...

megrim soles...

plaice...

name this fish...

and with so much fish there's plenty of data to be collected...

which means each fish to be measured...

the early mornings...

puts the buyers in a good light as they make their way to the next boat to be sold...

with a last minute call to check back on prices elsewhere...

one of the great predators of the sea...

landed by the netters...

the guys seem to have the measure of things...

another fish to ID...

the Rowse crabber, Harriet Eve lies astern of her big sister Emma Louise...

flying form the wheelhouse of one seriously patriotic Cornish netter...

Newlyn has proved a very popular stopping off point for the more serious leisure sailors, as these boats form France and Holland testify...

chances are this concrete hulled boat is a liveaboard...

40 gallons of juice for a big cat...

in-between trips...

the latest sardine boat should be ready for the season which should kick off before the end of the month...

Franchise now minus her foremast...

in the water, on the water.

Hello Mr Hicks

Making her way to take ice...

for the next trip, the hake boat, Govenek of Ladram ties up in the ice berth...

with skipper Phil Mitchell the smiley one in charge...

spot the main man's mate waiting to tighten up the stern rope...

Andrew Stevens points out the finer aspects of his new net hauler - having mounted a starboard hauler on the port side allows him (as he works singlehanded) to access the fish much more easily as they come up through the hauler - with the extra thick guide bar preventing fish and floats from catching before the pressure wheel...

a haker and proud of it, there's no doubt where Mr Stevens' family hails from

he's in good company it seems...

causing a few double takes in the harbour this morning, after five years of antipodean adventures young Mr Hicks returns to do what he does best...

all under the watchful eye of father to three (well ship's husband for the Govenek fleet) Shaun Edwards...

make mine  a large one shouts Tom as he prepares to take a ton of ice on the Harvest Reaper...

the equivalent to rush hour in Newlyn as boats take ice or come in to land...

like the Rowse crabber, Intuition....

under the watchful eye of skipper Alan Nudd...

as he comes in to berth astern of the Emma Louise.

It's a shellfish kind of day.

Take three spiders and a brown crab...

add to the spicy tomato sauce...

and serve with spaghetti de Nero di Seppia - nice one Andrew!

Video of a giant barrel jellyfish in Newlyn.

Large numbers of barrel jellyfish have been reported in recent weeks swimming in Mount's Bay. This one seems to have made it into the harbour in Newlyn and was enjoying a tour of the marina berths in the sunshine. They are number one dish on the leatherback turtle diet sheet!

iFish, We Fish - how the war is being won for fishermen in the Atlantic at least.

Mike Warner has posted an excellent article iFish, We Fish on his seafood blog - well informed and seeking to see a way forward by focusing on what the industry has got right and how it is now - largely thanks to social media and real time data acquisition - able to work at local rather than pan-European levels and in turn combat the negative forces of the NGOs and a media seemingly hell-bent on doing the industry down.

Mike looks first at thew background to the current situation - living with the CFP - and the role Europêche and it's latest offshoot iFish

Here are some of the key paragraphs from the article:

Europêche is the overarching and singular trade body, which represents the twelve member fishermen’s organisations, across nine of the member countries that fish commercially. Although founded in 1962 with the intention of defending the interests of its members and ensuring productive dialogue between them and the EU, its role has recently been galvanized and rejuvenated by a concerted effort to play an increasingly influential part in the proposal and adoption of policy in an already highly regulated sector. 

Kathryn Stack, its newly appointed Managing Director and former doyenne of EU Fisheries policy implementation, makes the case: The commercial fisheries of the EU stretch for thousands of square miles, from the inhospitable seas of the Arctic North, to the warmer and more favourable climes of the Southern Mediterranean. These communal waters harbour a plethora of commercial species of fish and shellfish, the landings of which form an integral part of the economies of 23 member countries, accounting for a colossal 4.9 million tonne catch, from a fleet of 87,500 vessels, a statistic that indicates a world ranking of 5th largest in terms of total output.

The various representative fishermen’s bodies across the EU have met this insidious pressure head on and have put their case across in a forthright and meaningful way with overwhelming evidence both scientific and anecdotal, that change has and is happening, with huge advances being made in terms of the ongoing and resourceful management of numerous fisheries. 

Until relatively recently, the different trade federations involved, have remained a little unconnected in their collective ability to counter any negative spin that has built up and therefore place themselves in better stead to meet the arguments and assertions placed in their path. Combine that with a lack of presence in the corridors of the Brussels policy-making echelons, a more cohesive partnership was sought and the embodiment of that has been the advancement of the role of Europêche. 

“For far too long the industry has had to endure the onslaught of NGO and media prevarication. Our industry is one of the most heavily regulated in the world and our members some of the most legislation-compliant. We believe in compliance, but also in innovation, progression and responsibility. One of our foremost aims is to uphold the tenets of sustainability: Environment, Social, and Economic (Planet, People, Profit), incorporate them into legislation and ensure in doing so that the views, knowledge and experience of our membership are afforded the recognition and respect from those who ultimately manufacture the policies that bind us.” 

“We commissioned a pan-European survey,” she continues, “to ascertain exactly where consumer attitudes lie in respect of our industry, its practices and objectives and the dietary importance of fish and the significance of the accompanying health benefits, in a society where wellbeing is of paramount importance”
68% of consumers in the poll, revealed, that knowledge of where and how the fish was caught and by whom, is of significant importance. A further 54% attested that knowing a species was fully sustainable and responsibly fished, would influence their decision to purchase. Furthermore, a staggering 86.4%, in the UK alone, regarded the need for increased Government support for the fishing industry, as vital, in maintaining a healthy and well-managed supply of fresh seafood. “We took these figures (and many more) from our findings”,  

Stack expounds. “From what we saw, it was obvious that there was a statistical need for improved consumer engagement and knowledge transfer. The survey showed a clear recognition by Europeans of the importance of our industry not just for food but as part of the wider economy” Thus was born iFish.   Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the UK’s National Federation of Fishermens’ Organisations (NFFO) and a Vice President of Europêche, regards iFish as a natural response to the considerable dearth of critical information, lately available to the average fish-consuming European. “The public domain has been swamped with inaccuracies about the fishing industry for far too long.

Our technological development in recent years coupled with the management systems we, as fishermen, have implemented, has seen us make huge advances in the way our industry operates now.” he asserts. “But it doesn’t stop there. The consumer needs to also understand that the days of archaic, top-down prescriptive and sweeping, blanket-legislation from Brussels are over. For our fisheries to be managed correctly, decentralisation and more regionalisation, has to happen, so policy makers can work alongside fishermen to implement a framework that is not only flexible in its approach but local in its governance.” “Fishermen are able to react very quickly to circumstance and opportunity. That means real-time data being acted on in a timely way and not accompanied by the lag we’ve seen in recent years. Fishermen need to be consulted at every opportunity and we need to see more decisions being made in the wheelhouse.” 

“There is a need throughout Europe for consumers to have a clearer idea of how the fish they eat is caught, the fishermen and the vessels behind the catch. Fishermen take their role as stewards of the sea incredibly seriously. There is no one more determined than the fishermen themselves, to see healthy and sustainable stocks. The EU sector is leading the way in innovative technology and gear development and is taking part in a huge number of projects to improve catches, enhance monitoring and compliance and participate in voluntary oceanic cleanup. This proactive approach and total commitment to responsible fishing must filter down to the public, so they can see for themselves all the hard work and success the sector has achieved over the last few years.”

#FishyFriday is a coming to you!

Fish Friday is the National fundraising day for the Fishermen’s Mission. It’s the day to get fishy, have fun and raise fabulous funds for our UK fishermen and their families. Friday 19th Jun 2015 is Fish Friday.

Fish Friday is Sponsored by Tesco and your business can also gain great publicity by taking part in Fish Friday. It’s a brilliant way to get local media interest and also to show your customers you care about our brave UK fishermen. So here’s a challenge for you….

Will you stand with us in support of our UK fishermen and their families?

Will you help make Fish Friday 2015 the most successful ever?

Will you be up for some fabulous fundraising fun on Fish Friday 2015?

For a Fish Friday 2015 fundraising pack or to find out more about the Fishermen’s Mission.

Contact us on:

Phone: 01489 566910

E: fishfriday@fishermensmission.org.uk 

W: www.fishermensmission.org.uk/fish-friday

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fishermensmission

Twitter: @thefishmish

We’ve had some fun events from previous years, let’s make this the biggest Fish Friday!