As the Landing Obligation looms - the Lords to investigate.

How effective is the landing obligation in tackling the wasteful discarding of fish?  

See the dull extent of the problem in this booklet.

The House of Lords will debate the coming calamity of the Landing Obligation on December 13th 2018. It might seem a little late in the day as full implementation of the LO will hit the statute books and full implementation come January the 1st, 2019. Happy New Year fishermen.

Below is just a small example that highlights the scale and severity of the situation - namely, Haddock, Sole and Cod in ICES Area 7

Written evidence can be submitted online using the form found here. The deadline is 11:59pm on Thursday 13 December 2018.

Lord Teverson, Chairman of the Committee, said:

“Reducing discards is vital to protecting the health of our oceans. Discarding is not only a waste of finite resource, as many fish do not survive, it also makes it difficult to accurately measure how many fish are actually caught.  The landing obligation requires a shift in how we monitor and enforce fishing regulations but there is a lack of clarity within the industry over its implementation and how its requirements will be managed.

“The Committee want to understand the challenges that will need to be overcome, and potential solutions to those challenges. We would really encourage those with experience or interest in these issues to share their views with us.”

Scrutiny of the Fisheries Bill inquiry - It's your last chance to submit a question or comment.

Download the Fsheries Bill here:

Read the Fisheries Bill here:

Tom takes a long, hard look at the Fisheries Bill.

Summary of the Fisheries Bill

A Bill to make provision about policy objectives in relation to fisheries, fishing and aquaculture; to make provision about access to British fisheries; to make provision about the licensing of fishing boats; to make provision about the determination and distribution of fishing opportunities; to make provision enabling schemes to be established for charging for unauthorised catches of sea fish; to make provision about grants in connection with fishing, aquaculture or marine conservation; to make provision about the recovery of costs in respect of the exercise of public functions relating to fish or fishing; to confer powers to make further provision in connection with fisheries, aquaculture or aquatic animals; to make provision about bylaws and orders relating to the exploitation of sea fisheries; and for connected purposes.

Deadline for submissions

Written evidence should be submitted through the inquiry page by midnight on Monday 26 November 2018. It is recommended that all submitters familiarise themselves with the Guidance on giving evidence to a Select Committee of the House of Commons which outlines particulars of word count, format, document size, and content restrictions.

Accepting written evidence; the deadline for submissions is 26 November 2018.


Click here for the Scrutiny of the Fisheries Bill enquiry link.

Fishing into the future - safely!

Local fisherman Steven 'Cod' Astley features in this video on health & safety at sea in small fishing vessels. Making use of the EU funding that is still available for the industry can contribute to improving working conditions and personal safety in every port.

The Fisheries Animateur project has had great successes across the UK, securing EMFF funding to improve health, safety and working conditions on fishing vessels. Take a look at this short film and find out if the team can help you.

You can contact the Animateur project support via email, text message, phone call, or the above enquiry form.

Call 01872 672112 to leave a message about your project idea.

Text 07534580450 with your name, project theme and size of vessel

Email fishing@cornwallrcc.org.uk

Whatever your preferred communication method please give us as much information as possible about you and your project idea and we will get in contact with you within 5 working days. 

Crewman with crushed hand airlifted by SAR helicopter from the Newlyn netter, Ajax.

Once more the guys who man the helicopters that provide the SAR service around our coastline and do such a professional job no matter what the conditions.

Having gone through an SAR rescue situation many years ago with a similar injury to a crewman it still impresses when you appreciate that this entire operation is carried out with a minimum of communication between the helicopter and the boat - in my case I was reminded by the SAR navigator to "maintain my present course and speed". That was it. Such is the degree of professionalism and the training both SAR aircrews. (editor)

In this instance the young fisherman, Gary 'Hoody' Hood sustained a serious injury to his hand in the very rough sea conditions while shooting the nets away. Skipper Alan had quickly called the Coastguard asking for help just before 4am on Sunday 18 November.

Flying through gale force conditions in complete darkness, the Newquay Coastguard helicopter arrived on scene around 5.30am and winched the fisherman onboard, flying him directly to Derriford Hospital. 

At the time it looked like he might loose all four fingers and part of his hand. However, once surgery was started the surgeon managed to keep his ring and baby finger by moving them closer to his (thankfully) undamaged thumb. Linda Dwan, wife of skipper Alan said, "The surgeon said that the quality of first aid given before the helicopter arrived, had a huge say in how much of his hand they were able to save in the end, super proud of the crew for this, they all pulled together for him". Further treatment will be needed.

The helicopter crew - Capt Yogi Brunner, Co-Pilot Debdash Bhattacharya, Winch Operator Mark Stevens and Winchman Mark Hughes - praised the quick-thinking actions of the fishing vessel crew who had treated and bandaged their mate's hand before they had arrived on scene. We wish him a speedy recovery.

NB: Because of the heavy seas and gale force winds this rescue saw the helicopter crew deploy a 'high-line' in order to rescue the injured crewman from the Ajax. The MMO notice below outlines the correct procedure for the crew of any vessel involved in such a rescue.

CFPO fishing video 4 - features the Gilbert family from Newquay.

This week's CFPO video features the Gilbert family, two generations of crab fishermen from Newquay. Father Martin, sons Jake and Dan work two boats, the catamaran PW17 Serene and the Cygnus 32 Tizzardlee-On - PW 16. A normal working day hauling pots for crab starts around 4:30am with a 1-2 hour steam off to the grounds.

Monday morning in Newlyn.

After a spell of poor weather around the UK, Monday morning's fish auction in Newlyn found the market floor end-to-end with fish...

stacked up to six boxes high...

with hake from netters like the Govenek of Ladram...

and the Ajax...

with fish this fresh... 

the first full market for over a week meant buyers were busy checking prices with their customers...

especially for top drawer fish like these bass...

and line caught mackerel...

or big flats like these turbot...

though there were a few signs of the summer past with this handful of Greater Weavers...

and the odd John Dory...

tub gurnards are considerably larger than their red cousins...

while lemon soles are still featuring in the beam trawler landings...

along with the ever-popular Dover sole...

not so common is this rather unpalatable sea-slug...

plaice were a big hit with the AA...

with a good shot of them for the buyers this morning...

name the owner of this tail...

the hake netters always pick up a good selection of large white fish like these haddock...

and pollack...

and even a good shot of spurdogs, sporting that very vicious looking spur that they possess ahead of the dorsal fin...

all now able to be landed thanks to the Spurdog Management Programme...

herring are always a popular fish at this time of year...

while a few of the boats go to the trouble of cutting out monk cheeks - a firm favourite of local fish chef, Ben Tunnicliffe...

black and red bream together highlighting the subtle differences between them...

at this time of year ray fishing is well out if season...

 with just a handful of fish from the two beam trawlers that landed...

finding some space on the busy market floor...

outside first light in the sky would suggest the start to a cold, crisp clear day...

down the quay the nomadic trawler Tranquility carries a full set of mid-water trawl gear to cater for all fishing opportunities.

NFWF Announces Nearly $3.8 Million in Grants to Support Electronic Technologies in U. S. Fisheries

Foundation awards 15 grants to modernise fisheries data collection, storage and management in nine fisheries


​WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 15, 2018) –The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced 15 grants totalling $3.78 million to update fishery data collection and management using electronic technologies in fisheries in 10 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The grants will generate more than $5 million in matching contributions – which include in-kind and financial support from recipients and industry partners – for a total conservation impact of over $8.8 million.

The grants were awarded through the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting (EMR) Grant Program, a partnership between NFWF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Kingfisher Foundation. This year’s projects will integrate electronic technology into fisheries data collection and integrate modernised data management systems.

“The grants announced today will increase the number of vessels using electronic technologies and will improve management, review and storage of data to support sustainable fisheries,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Supporting projects that work with fishermen across the country to adopt and expand the use of effective electronic technologies will provide long-term benefits for these fisheries.”

The 15 grants awarded today will address monitoring and data management needs in nine fisheries in Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The funded projects will advance development of electronic monitoring and reporting systems, initiate pilot projects in new fisheries, expand adoption in fisheries already using electronic technology, and modernise data management and review processes to support management of recreational and commercial fisheries.

"We are committed to implementing electronic technologies in collaboration with NFWF, fishermen, partner organisations, and the regional fishery management councils.” Said Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator, NOAA Fisheries. “Results from these grants will improve on the water and shoreside use of these technologies in support of our sustainable fisheries management goals."

In the New England groundfish fishery and the Alaska pot cod fishery, grants will advance electronic monitoring and reporting tools to improve data accuracy for commercial fisheries. Pilot projects will test electronic technologies in new fisheries including the Alaska pollock fishery, the Gulf of Mexico highly migratory species fishery, Hawaii longline fisheries and small-scale fisheries in Puerto Rico. Several projects will address recreational fishery reporting needs in New England and the Gulf of Mexico. Additional projects in New England will improve data management technology.

Sustainable, prosperous fisheries need timely and reliable data,” said Kristine Johnson, executive director of the Kingfisher Foundation. “Electronic technologies are an essential component of systems that efficiently meet the information needs of fishery managers, scientists and fishermen. We are excited to partner with NFWF on supporting innovative projects to collect, use and manage data, empowering fishers and managers to enhance the sustainability of U.S. fisheries.”

The EMR Grant Program was established in 2015 to advance NOAA’s sustainable fisheries goals to partner with fishermen and other stakeholders, state agencies and Fishery Information Networks to integrate technology into fisheries data collection and observations. To date, the program has awarded more than $13.8 million to 43 projects in U.S. fisheries. Congress appropriated $3.5M to NOAA Fisheries for this Program in 2018 which was a $500,000 increase over previous years.

A complete list of the 2018 grants made through the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program is available here.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and generated a conservation impact of more than $4.8 billion. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.

About the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and our other social media channels​.

About the Kingfisher Foundation

Kingfisher is a small family foundation based in San Francisco. The foundation works to implement sound fishing management rules and methods that align long term economic prosperity for fishers with good stewardship and sustainable fishing. Themes include:

• ​Rebuilding fish populations, “right sizing” fishing capacity and creating durable fishing access rights in the US.  

• Harnessing technology innovations and modern information policies to drive sound data driven monitoring and management of commercial and recreational fisheries and enable innovative, resilient fishing businesses. 

• Strengthening distant water fleet management policies (national fleets that fish in the high seas (60% of the ocean) or in other countries exclusive economic zones (40% of the ocean)) in E. Asia (specifically, S. Korea, Japan and Taiwan).  

• Kingfisher works with and funds a range of advisors, conservation groups, academic institutions and other foundations to accomplish its goals. The complex and systemic challenges of fisheries mean that a range of expertise, relationships and resources are required for progress.

The foundation accepts proposals by invitation only.

Full story courtesy of the The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation