Magical Monday morning light.

All set for a magical start to the day in Mount's Bay...

with a selection of beam trawl, inshore trawl, handline and net boats landing to the market this morning...

including the Helford based netter, New Harmony...

the William Samson Stevenson put a huge trip of plaice ashore...

which should keep Gary busy for an hour or to...

while the Twilight went to the deeper water and picked up a solid trip of megs...

with only a handful of boxes of plaice - highliting the difference in fishing grounds for different species...

both boats landing a few lemons...

while the Shiralee had a good weekend on the Dorys...

others hit the shiny silver types like bass...

and black bream...

or even a few red mullet...

or ever-present red gurnard...

a handful of cuttles gave themselves up for the Shiralee while...

the bigger beam trawler took a bigger hit on different grounds indicating that the cuttle season is now started...

with the tides more favourable the netters, like the Britannia V have been in action well west of the Scillys...

along with the Ajax...

maybe a sign of squid moving in on the shore from the punts...

as ever, there's hake keeping an eye on proceedings...

while out in the harbour first light falls on what little of the fleet is in...

as just enough light falls on the still waters of the bay...

as the first of the punts make their way...

out through the gaps...

to start their day's work...

on an almost flat calm morning...

where even the swan family get in on the act...

at the start of what promises to be a cracking day...

for the far south west...

a reminder of who built what and when on the promenade facia.

Fresh Thinking on Fishing by Chris Williams - a Tedx event.

Globally the trend is towards fewer, larger fishing boats, and a concentration of fishing rights in fewer hands, making it hard for smaller fishing operations to compete. There are often trade-offs between the social, environmental and economic value of fishing. A new fresh approach to fishing is needed, so that the industry brings the biggest benefit to our society.

Chris Williams is passionate about our oceans, after falling in love with scuba diving on a family holiday. He has worked all over the world undertaking biological surveys and working with local fishermen on conservation and development projects.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. 

Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Chris has worked at the New Economics Foundation (NEF) since 2011, specialising in fisheries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and North American History and Politics from Sussex University and a Masters degree in Environment and Development (with Spanish) from Kings College London.

'Homemade' @NewlynArtsFest by Callum Mitchell

'Homemade',  curated by Callum Mitchell

Homemade is an exhibition of film, photography and live performance focussing on themes of identity, memory and place on now at the Newlyn Art Gallery.

As part of Newlyn Arts Festival, a festival within a festival, Homemade is a collaboration between writer Callum Mitchell, filmmaker Mark Jenkin, photographer Michael Eddy, composer Rick Williams and many others...

James Green welcomed all those attending the @NewlyArtsFest opening event alongside Callum Mitchell, curator of the show...

who put together a very personal collection of work...

 from friends like Sarah Woods...

and collaborative piece with Joe Gray which included a 'pound board' (not that anyone but a fisherman would recognise it for what it is/was!)...

 and an accompanying soundscape by Rick Williams...

growing up in Newlyn...

means that evidence of the fishing industry can be seen in almost every piece of work...

in the galleries...

some names...

and faces...

who formed Callum's Homemade landscape...

including the internal installation...

of household objects...

Mark Jenkins A Field in Paul Where the Sun Goes to Bed Every Night provides an opportunity for a contemplative moment in the Lower Gallery space...

while Dion Star's, Marine Debris Typeface...

is explained...

in a series...

of iPad slides...

along with an animated sequence showing...

 how the final typeface was created...

from 2046 individual pieces of plastic flotsam collected from Wherrytown beach.

Great show and a fitting start to @NewlynArtsFest

MV Juan Ferrer, a 640 tonne Spanish coaster memorial fund.

In the early hours of the 23rd October,1963 during a south-westerly gale and poor visibility the MV Juan Ferrer, a 640 tonne Spanish coaster ran aground on rocks at Boscawen Point near Tater Du.

The radio was dead, the ships lifeboats were out of action and the Juan Ferrer, fatally gashed by the rocks, was sinking fast. Eleven members of the vessel's crew of 15 did not live to tell the tale of what happened next. Only four - including the Juan Ferrer's 32-year old captain - could recount the desperate battle against a very angry sea.

53 years later, during research for the new Penlee Lifeboat History book, our Heritage Team at Penlee Lifeboat Station, Elaine Trethowan & Martin Brockman, have located the unmarked mass grave of four of those young men who drowned off the coast of Cornwall.

With the support of the remaining family and friends, in Galicia, Spain, who were not aware of the final resting place of their loved ones, it is hoped that enough money can be raised to place a permanent memorial on their grave at Penzance Cemetery.

Please help us to make this happen - spread the word and share. Thank you 😊

Help raise £500 to purchase a memorial stone to mark the grave of four young Spanish seamen who lost their lives in the wreck of the Juan Ferrer in 1963

WWW.JUSTGIVING.COM

You want to be a fisherman? Sign up for a course now!

3 Week Introduction to Commercial Fishing Course

The Seafish three-week Introduction to Commercial Fishing course is for new entrants to the fishing industry. The course consists of two weeks shore-based training (covering safety, gear and catch handling, net mending, rope work and navigation) and one week of mandatory safety courses (Sea Survival, Fire Fighting, First Aid, Health and Safety) and the Seafish Basic Fishing Vessel Stability course.

Immediately following this course students can look for berths on suitable fishing vessels so that they can go to sea and put their new-found knowledge into practice and gain practical experience of fishing.

This induction course will suit both youngsters looking for a career at sea in the fishing industry and older candidates who are looking for a career change and interested in commercial fishing as an occupation.

Cost: Free (Subject to eligibility: applicants need to be at least 16 years old and have no previous fishing experience).

Next Course Dates: 3 to 21 October 2016

Course Aim and Objectives
The aim of this three week course is to provide new entrants with the basic skills to begin working at sea in a safe and useful manner. More specifically the course objectives are:

• To reduce accidents amongst new entrants and better prepare them for work at sea.

• Give a better understanding of operational practices in every day fishing operations, including mechanical handling (such as winches), to create a safer workplace.

• To equip new entrants with the basic skills needed to enable them to positively contribute to the daily work routines and tasks associated with working as part of a team on the deck of a fishing vessel.

Course Content:
This course is essentially a collection of short courses and comprises of the units listed below.

Introduction and Overview of the Course
On Board Procedures
Introduction to Ropes, Knots and Fishing Gear
Net mending and Gear construction
Watch Keeping and Navigation
Basic Engineering
Intermediate Knots and Splicing
Boat Handling
Basic Care of the Catch
Intro Food Hygiene in the Seafood Industry
Basic Sea Survival
Basic Health & Safety
Basic First Aid
Basic Fire Fighting
Basic Fishing Vessel Stability

The next three week course is scheduled to take place in October 2016. If you wish to start a career at sea and go to sea in the meantime, you will need to complete the four mandatory basic safety courses as detailed on our fishermen’s training page.

More information on starting a career in the fishing industry can be found here via the Seafish website Fishing as a Career