#FishyFriday in Newlyn, early morning to early evening.

Working from Newlyn, there are always a number of fishermen prepared to fish in different areas for certain species of fish at different times of the year as the seasons change and this year is no exception - the Plymouth based Boy Ethan is looking for lemons...

while the Bideford registered Aurelia is chasing quality groundfish along with lemons... 

the new fish market chill room provides superior storage for bulk trips as they are landed...

the instantly recognisable green boxes of Stevensons...

alongside the bright yellow Karen of Ladram, Sparkling Star as was boxes...

looking through from what will be the main chill room...

as Gary from Cefas finishes off the last of the Dover sole otolith gathering session for the morning...

and Spike manages a brave smile after spending several hours doing the same in the huge chill room, though it seems four layers of clothing and a thick woolly hat are still not sufficient to stave off the shivers - its looking like there's an opportunity for some insulated workwear supplier to keep the chaps warm under the glare of the new lights...

others are equally happy in their work it seems...

as auctioneer Ian gets it all down in his little black book...

with less than 30% of the entire market now available fish are now stacked by species...

shellfish like crab, lobster and crawfish can be kept alive under a damp cloth, not immersed in fresh water...

in addition to beam trawl fish the Scottish prawn boats landed good shots of brill...

plus fours...

while some of the sardine boats have switched gear and are now working tangle nets for ray...

whole monk...

haddock...

more haddock...

while one enterprising punt is trapping cuttles...

the odd shark finds its way aboard...

on the right is a thornback ray and on the left?..

the prawn boats often seem to pick away on John Dory from the Northwest Bank...

while the beam trawler Algrie  has settled in to a more summery fishery putting a good selection of big flats like brill and these turbot...

along with a mix of other quality round fish...

the market staff now have to makje sure there is enough space to walk between the stacked boxes so that the buyers can see the fish more easily...

another sardine boat, the Resolute has put net gear aboard and brought home a good shot of ray, ling...

and monk for their first trip...

there's two sides to every plaice...

hake, the fish that is changing the eating habits for many - now increasingly popular as a real alternative to cod and chips in your local chippy...

as such, most hake is now bought and sold to UK markets and not Spain who used to take more than 90% of the hake that was landed in Newlyn by the netting fleet...

the ever popular red mullet, found throughout the Mediterranean and in the waters off Cornwall...

Dover...

and megrim sole, the staple diet of the beam trawl fleet until drastically reduced quotas were imposed on UK boats fishing in ICES Area VII - all that may, or may not change when we 'take back control'...

Colin from Mousehole Fish makes his way back to the chill room...

leaving Lionel Washer to do what he does best...

"going on the hard" - what you say when you put the boat somewhere that will dry out as the tide drops - normally to carry out some sort or work below the waterline...

new boxes...

 for the new boat,  Amanda...

heading down the harbour to the fish market...

the Stelissa eases into a landing berth...

Delta Dawn III crabber now working from Newlyn...

poor weather and boats in between trips fill the quaysides...

in the harbour...

looks like its time the old Pilot House was...

given a new lease of life, or at least a lick of paint, looks good for any visiting artists though...

back in Newlyn again, Revival, one of the Scottish prawn boats...

yet more new parlour pots set to join the growing fleet of pots out there...

scaffolding and site offices have now moved to the western end of Newlyn fish market...

as the main market roof has now been replaced with 'zero-maintenance-sea-gull-repellent' sheeting...

making landing time that much more efficient for botas like the hake netter Ajax...

now taking on bags of replacement net...

under Matt's watchful eye and Aaron's steady hand...

in a week filled with political wind, another windfarm cat takes a berth for refueling.

Fishing: Lorient for sustainable langoustine

The Breton ports of St Guenole, Lesconil, Loctudy, Concarneau, Lorient and Guilvinec were once home to a fleet of over 100 prawn trawlers that fished west of the Scillys, on the Smalls off the south east coast of Ireland or even as far as the Porcupine Bank off the west coast of Ireland...

Newlyn often played host to these boats during unseasonal spring and summer storms...

Some, like the Guilvinec registered Hibernia were built with a narrower beam so that they could  steam more quickly and reduce travel time and fuel costs to fish the Porcupine Bank.  They fished long trips using sodium metabisulphate to 'dip' the prawns (this practice killed the enzyme action in the gut of the prawns in the same way it is used in the brewing industry). They


These days the bulk of French prawn trawling is carried out by boats that fish much shorter trips and closer to home - many are day boats. Respect for seasonality and fishing areas, modernization and selectivity of trawls, scientists and professionals of the port of Lorient work to preserve Nephrops resources. Crustacean management in the Bay of Biscay has become an example of sustainable fishing.

Video report | Biodiversity | April 23, 2018 | Rémi Pin

With nearly 900 tons landed in 2017, Lorient Keroman is the first French port of live langoustines. Fished off the coast of Groix and Belle-Ile , crustaceans have been a symbol of the port of Morbihan for decades. But the fishing methods have changed. " Today, we are really on this logic of preservation of the resource, everyone understood that the resource was a wealth, and that it had to be managed intelligently, " says Jean-Paul Solaro, president of the SEM Lorient-Keroman.

Selectivity of fishing techniques

In 2018, the European lobster quotas set by Europe were revised downwards. 3,600 tonnes of crustaceans can be sampled in the Bay of Biscay for 180 licensed vessels. But sustainable fishing is not limited to respecting quotas. Scientists and professionals work on gear selectivity. It is in the Ifremer test basin of Lorient that selective devices are developed on the trawls. Objective: Sort on the bottom rather than on the deck.

" The first device put in place in the 2000s is a regulatory panel to improve the escape of small hake," explains Pascal Larnaud, fisheries engineer and director of Ifremer de Lorient, " A langoustine grill, another device at the end of trawl, allows small lobsters to escape . "

A chute to reject juveniles

Preserving young crustaceans, a major challenge for the management of the resource. The Langoustiniers Lorientais have opted for a minimum commercial size of 90 mm, when Europe imposes only 75 mm.

While discards at sea are normally prohibited, the profession has obtained a waiver for releasing young crustaceans caught in trawls. This thanks to a chute system that allows a quick release of juveniles and ensures a good survival rate. All boats have been equipped since 2017.

An example of sustainable fisheries that is still an exception in the management of the biomass of the seas and oceans. Globally, 31% of fish stocks are overfished, a figure that is 93% in the Mediterranean.


Translated from the original article in French.

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