Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
Apologies made for the appalling use of alliteration this morning (again) but, one day, I'm hoping that a certain @JayRayner1 will lured into reading the blog not just for its fishy content but also because I know he has a particular aversion to this most cliche'd literary device along with pink Himalayan or any other 'name' salt; according to Jay as far as flavouring goes, salt is salt is salt...
and so on to today's business and, as the title of the post alludes, today is the soul (sic) preserve of inshore trawl fish...
which means the buyers will be keen to get the best prices...
for shining examples of fish like these whiting from Tom McClure on the Harvest Reaper - if the name sounds familiar it is well worth noting that skipper Tom is part of an artistic dynasty in Cornwall - both his mother Daphne and sister Emma have works in tomorrow's Porthleven Baulk Art Auction...
both the ex-French stern trawlers, the Elisabeth Veronique...
and the Imogen III made landings of fish that even now are less then 24 hours old...
along with more pure examples of piscine pleasure from Plugger's Shiralee...
and plate sized plaice from Tom...
as well as boxes of blondes which seem to be particularly abundant this year for the inshore boys...
at the other end of the market the netter Karen of Ladram continued to keep the country supplied with MSC Certified hake...
Don't forget to register online for the Great Baulk Art Auction this Saturday and grab yourself an amazing piece of art and maritime history! There are over 180 works of art and craft from some amazing local and national figures - a one-off chance to own a piece of Cornish maritime history and support the Fishermen's Mission and its work at the same time - all proceeds go to the Mission their work in Cornwall. For more information contact Julian Waring at the Fishermen's Mission who are organising the charity auction - the auction itself is being run by fine art auctioneer, David Lay.
typical of the fish landed by a beam trawler are megrim soles, by value, the highest single species landed in Newlyn annually...
and always a fish where the big buyers...
like Smart's are keen to get the best, unless Ocean Fish beat them to it...
these big ling are just the fish to make superb fish cakes...
it will soon be the scallop season again, but the beam trawlers always pick up a few over the course of a trip...
unlike bass where they just get lucky if they have any...
even though beam trawlers tow for 3-4 hours, sometimes less, the haddock on the left was caught early on in a tow while the one on the right at the end - hence the brighter appearance owing to the presence of scales which haven't been washed off by the action of all the fish congregating in the cod end...
the Milennium had a big brill...
and even a few big pollack...
while Plugger on the Shiralee landed a superb haul of flats including these Dover, lemon sole and plaice...
along with some cracking small-eyed ray...
name the fish from the Algrie...
a mix of dazzling blues and reds...
this cuckoo ray is doing its best to look like an African elephant...
if you are not sure which ray, shark or skate you are looking at then this excllent booklet produced by the Co-op will help...
this big conger had been around the wrecks and rocks for a few years...
well past the time of year when the boats would have made good landings of squid which have been in short supply this winter...
all lined up ready for the auction, a bunch of bibs...
while there may not have been many squid landed, cuttlefish, another member of the cephalapod family have been in good supply of late - ask your local fishmonger to get some so that you can try Nathan Outlaw's excellent cuttlefish salad - well worth trying if you are a fan of calamari...
net fish, what net fish? - last nights big moon was a reminder that it is big spring tides, hence the lack of net fish on the market this morning...
two local events not to be missed if you want to be involved in the future of inshore fishing...
especially this one looking at publicising changes to inshore netting rules and regulations...
the lights are on as the latest crabber, Harriet Eve nears completion - shouldn't be too long before our local sign-writer extraordinaire, Squirrel gets to work on her letters and numbers...
at this teime of year the Belgian and Dutch beam trawl fleet make their way to 'up channel' (which, when referred to in this part of the world, means the Bristol Channel)...
low could rolls off the land into the bay...
as one of the first sail boats (a classic Colin Archer hull?) for the season lays at anchor with a mist-shrouded St Michael's Mount in the background...
another anchor form the days of sail landed by a beam trawler - free to a good home...
the Algrie, one of Stevenson's original ex-Dutch beam trawlers and founder of the beam trawl fleet in Nelwyn along with the Aatlje Adriaante and the Anneleise...
even today, sea coal from wrecks is still being trawled up - some comes from the bunkers of steam ships, other from ships carrying coal as cargo, either way it burns just as well as the day it was put aboard the boat......
new boat, new post, new gear for the Harriet Eve awaits her maiden trip...
the new hydraulic crane for the other new build in the port out is about to be fitted on the Pelagic Marksman...
traditionally, Dutch and Belgian beam trawlers suspend their cod ends and stocking high over the deck when in port...
not such good news for the netter, Ajax, looks like a new shaft is on the way...
a single gull flies over the handline fleet busy fishing for mackerel...
The Irish Examiner is currently running a story on changing fishing limits legislation - with an additional commentary on the possible affects of Brexit on the industry: THE GOVERNMENT HAS proposed amending the Sea Fisheries Act to allow boats from Northern Ireland to fish very close to Irish shores. The amendment, which is only one-page long, would allow fishing vessels registered in Northern Ireland to fish up to 6 nautical miles of the Republic of Ireland’s coast. The Sea Fisheries Amendment was originally meant to pass all stages in Seanad yesterday, which includes debate, amendments, a final vote, and changes. But due to time constraints, there was no vote and the bill proceeded to next stage. The only amendment that was suggested was by Fianna Fáil, who wanted to limit the size of the ship to 15 metres (50 feet), which is still quite large but would exclude super trawlers. Although it’s not unusual for a short amendments to go through all on the same day, it is unusual that it proceeded before a vote. Grace O’Sullivan, a Green-party senator, voiced her concern that there was no consultation before the bill moved to the next stage. The bill is being put through in light of Supreme Court judgement that found Northern Ireland vessels were fishing for mussels in Irish waters, as the amendment would now make their actions legal. Why? The reason why they want to do this is because Irish law is out of sync with a fishing agreement called the Voisinage arrangement which have been in place as part of the London Fisheries Convention 1964.
The Supreme Court found that these arrangements were valid but that there’s insufficient provision for them in our laws. According to the Department of Agriculture, these long-standing reciprocal arrangements “allow fishing boats from Northern Ireland to fish for all fish stocks within the 0 to 6 nautical mile zone of the territorial waters of the State and vice versa“. The Supreme Court described the arrangement as a sensible recognition at official level of practice and tradition, where fishing boats traditionally fished neighbouring waters. According to the Department:
The Bill will, if enacted, fulfil Ireland’s obligations and ensure that the Voisinage arrangements are given a proper legal footing.
“In light of the Supreme Court judgment, fishing by Northern Ireland vessels in the territorial waters of the State under the Voisinage arrangements is not permitted by law.
However, Irish-registered fishing boats continue to be provided with access to fish in coastal waters around Northern Ireland under the arrangements.
The Department said that there was “regular and positive engagement” between Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and the corresponding agriculture minister in the North, Michelle McIlveen. Brexit issue Brexit has the potential to make the fishing industry in Ireland even more complicated. When the UK leaves the EU, it will be in a different fishing zone to Ireland, so there will be a complicated renegotiation on where the two countries’ vessels will be allowed to operate. It’s also unknown whether some Dutch vessels which are registered in Northern Ireland, will be allowed to fish along Irish shores if the amendment is brought in. The Seanad is in recess next week. The bill is expected to undergo Committee stage in the coming weeks.
