Gales on Happy St Piran's Day

St Piran flags hang out all over Penzance...

as the Market House  and Humphry Davy statue are lit up by a fiery evening sky on the Eve of St Piran's day...

when the day dawns some celebrate by carrying on as normal, like the Battery Rockers...

under the St Piran's flag atop Penzance's most prominent church, St Marys...

while in Newlyn, the visiting Belgian beamer, Marbi get on with overhauling their beam trawl...

meanwhile out at sea the Karen of Ladram is hauling her hake nets in very poor weather!

Skerries whitefish trawler, Ocean Way sinks off Shetland - all hands safe.

The crew of a Skerries whitefish boat were rescued when their trawler sank a few miles off their home isle this morning.

The five men off Ocean Way, which is Skerries owned, were picked up by Lerwick Lifeboat shortly before the 24.3m long steel trawler sank. The men had to be picked up from the sea as it was deemed to dangerous to take the lifeboat alongside.

They were then checked over by medical staff and all of the crew, which includes two Latvians as well as local men, were found to be unhurt.

Ocean Way is normally skippered by Leslie Hughson, but on this trip it was his son Steven Hughson in command. She fastened a trawl door on the seabed while fishing five miles south east of Skerries and started taking water before 6.45am when she alerted coastguards.

The salmon boat Gerde Saele was first on scene and passed a pump to Ocean Way but this is said to have failed after some time. The coastguard helicopter arrived at 7.50am, 15 minutes before the Michael & Jane Vernon arrived with its eight volunteer crewmen – one of whom actually works on Ocean Way.

He was one of the two men who went onto the sinking fishing boat with the lifeboat’s own pump. Ocean Way was by that time making for Lerwick, having freed herself.

Video courtesy of @MCA_media

But the lifeboat’s pump was unable to cope with the ingress of water and the Coastguard Helicopter was in the process of winching a further pump to the lifeboat when it became apparent that the Ocean Way was beyond saving and her skipper decided to abandon ship.

The vessel sank at 8.20am eight miles south east of Skaw Taing in Whalsay. The two RNLI crew helped the men swim clear as the Ocean Way foundered.

Lifeboat coxswain Alan Tarby has described the dramatic events which unfolded once the crew decided to abandon the boat.

He said: “It all happened very quickly. The time between the crew jumping off the boat and the boat sinking was about two minutes.”

Mr Tarby said the crew had decided to jump from the boat because of the dangers involved in “transferring people at sea”. He said that in choppy seas the risk of being squashed between the fishing vessel and the lifeboat can make it safer to be rescued from the water.

Prior to the boat sinking lifeboat volunteer and Ocean Way crew member Darren Harcus was put aboard to aid in pumping water from the boat.

Working two weeks on and two weeks off with the Ocean Way Mr Harcus happened to be on call with the lifeboat when the incident occurred. His knowledge of the boat was deemed to be an asset for the lifeboat crew who decided he should go aboard the vessel.

But his efforts were not enough to save the boat which was taking on water extremely quickly.

He said: “We went aboard and tried to pump but it was obvious that the water was coming on too quickly.”

The water temperature was a reasonably mild 6 to 7 degrees and all members of the crew were in the water for no longer than a few minutes, meaning that none came to any harm.

Mr Tarby added: “The rescue was made much easier because the Ocean Way’s crew were all wearing the correct safety equipment and had undergone safety training. It was a good outcome even although the vessel was lost, all the crew were unharmed.

“The lifeboat crew performed very well, especially the two men who were in the water with the fishermen.”

Wind was North Easterly Force 3-4 and the sea state was moderate with a one-metre swell.

LHD fish salesman James Aitken said that he had been shocked to hear of the sinking when arriving for work this morning. “They are all fine as far as I know, which is the main thing. They were airlifted off and heading to hospital for precautionary checks.”

The Ocean Way was built by Buckie Shipyards in 1996. Another Hughson brother, Colin, is the skipper of the 23m whitefish trawler Fairway.

Porthleven Art Auction now on view at the Old Lifeboat House Gallery.

From tomorrow (Sunday 5th March) all the art works that have been created from the timber baulks will be on view in the Old Lifeboat House Gallery.  This will give people who can get to the gallery a chance to see the works in the flesh.  For anyone interested but who cannot make it to Porthleven in person all the works are now viewable online thanks to local auctioneer David Lay.  You can view the works, save your favourite pieces and bid from the comfort of your computer, smart phone or tablet!

The gallery will be open from:

 March 5th-8th 10:30am - 4:30pm

March 9th-10th 10:30am - 7:30pm

The auction itself will be held in a giant marquee on Saturday, March 18th 

View the online catalogue here

Below is some background on how the auction came to being.

In all, ten major storms hit Porthleven between November 2013 and February 2014...

during the day of February 5th 2014, the Porthleven Harbour baulks were smashed allowing huge seas into the inner harbour - causing boats to sink and damage to others.

Two ton wooden baulks have protected the inner harbour since its construction in 1858

The Porthleven Baulk Project is an imaginative, creative fundraiser. It is about creating beauty and hope from devastation, by using broken baulks, destroyed by fierce nature and re-forming them into a wide variety of unique and stunning art pieces. Out of loss and darkness comes hope.

The reclaimed baulks were cut up in blocks or as a 'canvas'.

On the 5th February 2014 the harbour defences in Porthleven, South West Cornwall gave way to the torrential beating from sea. Ten boats sank in Porthleven harbour, and many fishermen lost floats, nets and crab pots when huge waves crashed through into the inner harbour. Work had already been impossible due to the extreme, on-going weather conditions and then the storms destroyed their means to catch.

The storm of 2013/ 2014 lasted for six months. During that difficult time, the Charity the Fishermen’s Mission, supported fishermen and their families. It was soon decided by the trustees and the board, that support was needed urgently. Payments of up to £500 would be given to fishermen upon the receipt of one household bill in arrears. Over £110,000 was given to fishing families in the South West alone.

Baulks were cut up into sections and stored.

The Porthleven baulks, individually are two tonnes of wood bolted together and with substantial metal caps. They are lifted into the harbour entrance by a crane. As a resident of Porthleven and a Regional Fundraising Manager for the Fishermen’s Mission (in Cornwall) I would walk past the boat yard and look on at the broken pieces of the harbour defenses and often think of the storms. An idea formed, permission to use the wood was granted and the Porthleven Baulk Project was launched.

We have a team of dedicated volunteers working on the project tirelessly. They are Leigh Santi, Rita Collier, Pat Hosking, Bel Higgs, Suzie Williams, Barbara Powell, John Winterton and Louise Winterton. We are working with many creative people to make innovative items from the broken baulks, which will then be sold at an auction in aid of the Charity.  You can follow progress on Twitter with @PorthlevenArt or on their Facebook page.  ..

At least 80 artists have already agreed to paint on to the wood (in canvas cut sizes). Others are working with the wood to create mosaics, etchings, ceramic and glass. Craftspeople are creating items of furniture. Each piece will have a letter of signed authenticity to prove that these pieces are from the Porthleven baulks. Artists include Daphne McClure, Michael and son Nick Praed, Naomi Frears, Elaine Turnbull, Kim Potter, David Hosking, Mark Lace, Nigel Chamberlain, Caroline Cleave, Christine Brunnock, David Cordeaux, Julia Schofield, Cailtin McClintock, Dee Cook, Dame Carol-Anne Duffy, the Queen's poet, Lesley Holmes, Kim Potter, Suzie Williams, Jason Lilley and many more.

The auction will be held on 18th March of next year (2017) in the Atlantic Inn, Porthleven with an online auction as well. All the pieces will be on display at the Lifeboat House from the 4th to the 10th March 2017.

This is a unique opportunity to support The Fishermen’s Mission by purchasing not only a piece of social history but a celebration of enduring talent.

Brexit: French fisheries mobilise.

This is the title of a special dossier published this week by our colleague Le Marin, title of the Ouest-France group specialized in maritime news. Our reporter, Solène Le Roux, poses the challenges of negotiating the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union and its possible impacts on the fishing sector in France.

The Brexit gives cold angers to the French fishermen, writes Solène Le Roux. Approximately 30% of their catch depends on British waters and 50% between Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Brittany. With virtually no possibility of redeployment. The conditions for leaving the United Kingdom of the European Union (EU) will be crucial for the French fishery .

His hopes are based on former EU Minister and Commissioner Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, and his team, who have gone on for 18 months of negotiations. British Prime Minister Theresa May is due to launch Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon in March, demanding the withdrawal of the EU. Objective: to conclude an agreement by October 2018, for ratification by the Parliament and the Council, the effective release in March 2019.

The British have strong claims on the fishery side. Their White Paper, produced in February, denounces an imbalance: in 2015, European vessels caught 683 000 tonnes in British waters (484 million pounds) and the British only 110 000 tonnes (114 million pounds) Of the EU. They intend to correct this historic imbalance. This is the mandate given by some 12,000 British fishermen, for more than 6,000 vessels, who voted over 90% in favor of Brexit.

"The basic proposal of the British could be a drop of 75% of our fishing at home, underlines an analysis of the regional council of Brittany, a reduction of 60% of the turnover for the most affected armaments. "

The challenge is to maintain maximum access to British waters and associated quotas. Either the United Kingdom agrees to maintain a principle of equal reciprocal access, within the framework of agreements with the EU, by obtaining upward fishing opportunities, in particular on cod or haddock. Either it refuses access to its EEZ to foreign vessels and uses its fishing opportunities alone, or by granting the remainder to other States through fishing agreements. Member States will in any case try to defend their historic rights.

France absorbs 41% of British seafood exports to the EU. Scottish salmon is at the top of French purchases with 35,000 tonnes.

News from France: Large retailers renew their support for the fishing industry

On Wednesday, March 1st, at the Salon de l'Agriculture in Paris, the retail sector signed a new financing agreement for the French Fishing Industry (FFP). It is committed to €68.2 million for four years. Reduced resources, but with the Pavillon France brand now well established, the association will focus more on production.

Les signataires - Aldi, Auchan, Carrefour, groupe Casino, Cora, Franprix, Intermarché, Leader Price, Leclerc, Lidl, Match, Monoprix, Système U – participent au budget à proportion de leurs parts de marché. (Photo : Solène Le Roux)

The executives of the mass distribution have come to show their renewed commitment in FFP, but also to testify their satisfaction with the actions carried out during the first period, 2012-2016. FFP had at this start a substantial budget of 31 million euros per year, which enabled it, for one third of the budget, to create and implement the Pavillon France brand. It is now "recognized by 56% of consumers," says Gérard Higuinen, president of FFP, and presents "about 10% about" on tide shelves, tell the distributors.

Two-thirds of the budget was channeled upstream. The association has thus enabled a vast plan to modernize fishing vessels, infusing 75 million euros in investments improving working conditions on board, energy consumption, selectivity and quality. This has benefited 2,400 ships, about 60% of the metropolitan fleet. Lastly, it has supported more than 70 scientific projects for 18 million euros, for, among other things, a better knowledge of the resource.

For the new period, financing decreases by €18.6 million per year for the first two years and then by €15.5 million for 2019 and 2020. A decrease was expected, Negotiations. Support is reduced by about 1% of turnover, to 0.5% at the end of the period. But promoting the brand will require less effort than it took to implement it. And the Feamp takes over on some grants.

The actions are thus redirected, with fewer credits devoted to promotion; Maintaining the scale of support for research; And an evolution in the accompaniment of production. Assistance to fleet modernization is only maintained in 2017 (notice to interested parties), but the boost to the construction launched in 2016 should be renewed.

More generally, actions should focus on the installation, transmission, renewal of the fleet and of men. With a training effort going from fishers to fishmongers, because it is the whole industry that has trouble recruiting.

Original text here courtesy of Le Marin:

Fish-free #FishyFriday - almost!

With gales sweeping across the south west earlier in the week there was not a single box of fish on the market floor this morning...

save for two dozen boxes of handline mackerel that were held in the fridge overnight...

which were swiftly whisked across the market floor on their way up the line...

most of the netting fleet sailed yesterday and will make their first landings early next week...

the lights might be on but there is no one aboard the Admiral Gordon up on the slip.

Remote Electronic Monitoring. "It is difficult to manage anything if you don’t measure it."

Once upon a time fishermen were, in the main, reluctant to tell anyone what, how much and where they caught their fish. Some fishermen used their memory or kept simple fishing logs, some with more detail with entries including weather conditions and technical details of gear used. There was always a sense that knowledge is power and that meant the power to control rather than be in control. But now, times have changed and that information is now required by organisations like the MMO almost in real time for almost all the fleet.  Fishermen can now use the data they provide along with all the other data to help manage fisheries - especially when they need to argue that there is an abundance of fish where before there was though not to be - as in the case of haddock in ICES Area VII.

What Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) means: "It is difficult to manage anything if you don’t measure it." 

REM is gateway to sustainable fishing: Correct data for science, free choice of fishing method and selective fishing, no externality costs and reasured consumers. As of now Article 15 of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy prescribing all catches to be counted, landed and documented is not being enforced and we risk to lose all benefits.