Algrie aground on Plymouth breakwater

All photos courtesy of James Baldry from Ultimate Shot, Devon based action photographers specialising in aviation and  emergency services images.

It might well be Sea food Week but it seems someone didn't see the breakwater! High and dry, the Newlyn beam trawler, Algrie rests with her bow several feet out of the water on Mount Batten breakwater, running aground after leaving Plymouth around 9:30pm on Saturday night...

despite attempts by the Plymouth lifeboat the boat remained firmly aground = seen here hours later at low water...

although she was successfully re-floated without any serious damage to the hull and able to make her way under her own steam back to Sutton Harbour for inspection. No-one was injured in the accident...

which was recorded for posterity on AIS tracking - these days a mandatory fitment on every vessel over 15m.  

Luckily the Algrie, which has not long returned from a major refit in Holland, was blessed with a shelterdecked stern - that may well have helped keep her safe and afloat by preventing any ingress of water as the tide fell and rose again before she was refloated and pulled clear at high water on Sunday morning.

On a local topographical note, Mount Batten Breakwater, (also referred to as Mount Batten Pier and Cattewater Breakwater) started in 1878 was completed in 1881 at a total cost of £20,000. It is 915 feet (279 metres) in length and the foundations are 20 feet (6 metres) below the low tide mark. The breakwater was promoted by the Cattewater Commissioners who were responsible for shipping in the area. During the air-station years the breakwater was closed to the public and used, for a period, to store flying boats. In 1995 the breakwater was refurbished and re-opened to the public.

The breakwater is a popular site for local anglers and for those watching ships using the Plymouth Sound. Boat in the Fastnet and Americas Cup, can also be viewed. In August each year, the breakwater is used for the British Firework Championships.

Weekend action and new boats in Newlyn

All hands on deck...

as the damaged port side derrick is maneuvered into place using two forklifts under watchful eyes of Steve...

and Roger...

when I nod my 'ead you 'it it!..

carefully does it...

one of the Scottish prawn trawlers, Vision III is back in town...

inshore trawler Still Waters showing off her combination bridles which account for her consistent good fishing on flats...

fan of the King or maybe just the name of a loved one...

the Lisa Marie is the latest addition to the port's fleet of cats...

while new inshore trawler, new by name too New Venture...

has a tidy working deck for an under 10m boat...

latest punt PZ21, rigged for mackerel, nets and pots...

and a very tidy FH300...

temporary refrigerated units to help deal with the market refurb.

Business of Fishing - training programmes for young recruits to the industry - we need them!

Have you caught the new #BusinessOfFishing film? Shot during the unique training course for the industry, this short film follows the Robertson family – fishermen from Gardenstown, Aberdeenshire – as they reflect on what fishing means to them personally, and as they embark on the Business of Fishing course to further their understanding of fisheries science and management. 

In the South West, anyone interested in a challenging but incredibly rewarding career at sea should head on down to Seafood Cornwall Training.

For more general information on training head read more about the training here.

Seafood week starts with #FishyFriday in Newlyn!

High water sees Tom put the Harvest Reaper 'up on the hard'...

a sure sign that work has bugun...

ripping out the fridge in the market...

and building a temporary wall to cut off the far end...

where the grading machine has been relocated...

always a better chance of seeing bass on the market as autumn approaches...

along with a better run of mackerel... 
  

the one beam trawler that landed filled up with plaice...

while the visiting Scottish prawn trawler looks like to have targeted cuttles this week...

even morkis are fair game these days making good money for bait...

along with a good run of scad, which makes great sashimi - and, as an oily fish,...

why not take up the Seafood Week challenge and eat at least two portions of fish over the next seven days...

the biggest trip for the day came from the netter, Karen of Ladram...

with a good shot of hake...

which kept the buyers bidding high...

not much to show for a 2am start for Barry who shot two nets for not much more than a few boxes of those ever-present dogfish...

Harvest moon hanging over Newlyn and the Vision III...

as the sun begins to spread a little light over the back of the Mount...

the big tide sees all the netting fleet tied up over the next few days until the next neap.

NLH - Releasing juveniles at Marazion in Mounts Bay, Cornwall.

Back at the Newlyn hatchery Chris explains some of the intricacies of raising juvenile lobsters...

and the process of removing eggs from a 'buried' female lobster who carries the eggs under her tail...

the juveniles are released having developed to such an extent that they are able to fend for themselves - though it's a cruel world out there and a huge number don't survive of course..

but the odds are significantly increased for lessening mortality rates through the NLH (National Lobster Hatchery) programme which has seen the number of lobsters increase significantly in the Bristol Channel.

OUR OCEAN, AN OCEAN FOR LIFE - Live Malta fisheries conference starts today!

Two videos in advance of this year's #OurOcean Conference from Malta look at Sustainable Fisheries...

and Marine Protected Areas - two key issues for many fishermen in the UK.

Technology allows any anyone able to get online to take part so it's great to see that you can follow the two day conference live on your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

• Live streaming in other languages: Original version, Français | Español | العربية | 中文 | Русский
• Live streaming from the exhibit hall.
• Live streaming from the press room.

Over 3 billion people depend directly on our seas for their livelihoods. But in reality, all of us depend on the ocean: for our water, our food, our climate and our air. Seas and oceans enrich our identity, ensure our wellbeing and sustain a large part of the economy.

Human action has left our ocean heavily affected by pollution, overexploitation, coastal degradation and global warming. This has severe consequences for all. A new vision is needed, along with strong and action-oriented commitments.

Since 2014, Our Ocean conferences, have invited world leaders to look forward and respond, delivering high-level commitments and transforming the challenges ahead into an opportunity for cooperation, innovation and entrepreneurship. As in previous years, the 2017 edition “An Ocean for Life”, will be upon invitation only. It will be hosted by the European Union in Malta, at the heart of the Mediterranean.

Back in the UK and for those that can get there, next week sees the Humber Seafood Conference hosted by Seafish.

No snowflake here.

He's smiling because he's back aboard his boat again! - Cod, aka Steven Astley  lost both legs below the knee and a few fingertips through sepsis last year has just spent a small fortune getting the boat shipshape so that he can get back to see hand-lining for mackerel and line fish for bass and reclaim the title of top bass fisherman in Newlyn  - never a quitter, despite the challenge of now being at sea with two titanium legs, Cod in his usual self-effacing way, was more concerned with me giving Jesse Walters a plug for the gorgeous signwriting job on his boat, Butts! - best of luck to Cod when he first dips his feathers in the briny again...

tell-tale signs the beamer has been fishing for cuttles - that's why many of the Brixham boats now have black boxes!...

back over the road in Cornwall Painting Holidays studio Henrietta is hard at work on a couple of fish market paintings...

one of which is all about the early morning light that streams through the plastic doorway covers every morning in the summer months - a sight that will sadly be lost with the new market building...

partner Tim Hall has just submitted a few works to this year's Royal Society of Marine Artists exhibition at the Mall Gallery in London...

a bonnie morning for the Bonnie Grace.