Monday morning's fish market in Newlyn.

Despite poor weather for the end of the week there was plenty of fish on the market this morning...

which included plenty of hake...

and a good shot of beam trawl ray...

a few big turbot...

and a brace of late season John Dory...

best for bass at this time of year, and these beauties are still alive-alive-oh...

that's one serious looking tub gurnard...

beamers are back in the black...

and chasing a few lemons...

plaice...

bidding book at the ready, megrim...

and Dover soles...

good sized cuttles with the St Georges...

making for keen bidding from the buyers...

just one...

of the netter Ajax's hake trip, the penultimate trip before the Christmas break...

with the sardine season over for some it's time for the netter Ygraine to start her white fishing season again...

last minute deck jobs on the deck of the beam trawler Sapphire III...

the shelterdeck of the Galilee is still taking shape...

just into port and the Little Pearl makes another landing of Cornish sardines...

each tub taken immediately to the refrigerated transport...

after they have been brailed ashore...

this part of the fish market...

is like Picadilly Circus at rush hour...

as forklifts ply their trade to and fro...

the landing continues...

as the Sapphire III heads for the gaps...

the sardines keep coming...

the last of the netters fleet to sail like the Ocean Harvest take ice...

as the waiting transport are filled with fish...

dawn breaks in the Bay as others in the fleet set sail...

watched by the ever-watchful Tom...

behind whom, the Newlyn Art Gallery's cafe has one of the best views in town.

Great British shellfish discussion on Farming Today.

Last year, the UK shellfish sector was worth £400,000,000. 

In the current Brexit world we live in, BBC Radio 4 Farming Today's Anna Hill talks to David Jarrad from the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and Dr Callum Roberts about Great British shellfish.

Cefas Fisheries Science Programme update for 2019.

Cefas sampling Dover sole otoliths on Newlyn fish market.

Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP)

We want to involve more fishermen in commissioning science projects that will benefit the industry through improved fisheries data or stock assessments and through innovative ideas on gear technology.

To achieve these objectives, the programme will:

• deliver demonstration projects that support implementation of Common Fisheries Policy reform, particularly on the landing obligation
• provide information from commercial fishing catches on key stocks to supplement data sources traditionally used in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) assessments
• investigate concerns raised by fishermen on scientific assessments or on fish stocks not currently assessed
• investigate innovative scientific methods and/or more selective/environmentally friendly fishing methods
• support the work of Regional Advisory Councils, e.g. Northwestern Waters Regional Advice Council.

The programme will mainly support projects in UK waters, focusing predominantly on the English fisheries and involve fishing vessels able to take part in the projects.

Seeking project ideas for 2019 to 2020

We are inviting FSP project proposals for the next financial year, 2019 to 2020. Project ideas should be practical, able to deliver a real solution, come from fishermen and meet at least one of the FSP objectives above.

The FSP panel will be particularly interested to see proposals that will help the implementation of Common Fisheries Policy reform, especially innovative approaches to the phased introduction of the demersal landing obligation. Examples include, but are not restricted to:

• mixed-fishery and regional approaches
• selectivity improvements (including new gear)
• discard-survivability studies
• spatial adaptations
• emerging issues in support of the Advisory Councils (ACs).

Project ideas need to be practical, able to deliver a real solution and be completed during 2019 to 2020. Turning a proposal idea into a scientifically deliverable project is not always easy, so proposers may wish to contact our FSP Contracts Office who can refer applicants to a Cefas scientist for advice related to a particular idea.

The Fisheries Science Partnership Project Idea Form 19-20 (MS Word Document, 66.5KB) is available to help proposers construct a suitable project by prompting the essential required details.

Please note: Submission of a project is not a guarantee that the idea will be funded. Further, all project ideas deemed suitable are then commissioned through a competitive process.

Ideas for proposals for projects must be submitted to the FSP Contracts Office by Friday 1st February 2019.

Once a project idea form is received at Cefas, a check will be done to see if all the details have been provided (locality, time of work, vessel size and type, gear etc.) after which the proposer may be contacted for further details. Those project ideas which are confirmed as suitable will then be subject to a competitive tender process with the projects Invitation to Tender being published on this website. Invitation to Tender documents will be available for downloading from this website along with copies of draft contract and terms and conditions, they can also be obtained from the address below.

Please note that there are strict deadlines for tender submissions.

Contact details

FSP Contract Office Cefas Pakefield Road Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0HT UK Tel: +44 (0)1502 527798 Email: michael.fox@cefas.co.uk, fsp@cefas.co.uk

Newlyn's first #FishyFriday market in December.

Fresh as they come Dover soles still covered in slime - a sign of the very freshest fish...

a handful of huge plaice from the same boat...

along with Dovers from the Filadelfia...

and a handful of big squid...

handy haddock from the Amanda...

big beamer brill...

and a collection of bass, a weaver...

while a few dozen sand soles from the Sapphire III...

as well as a nice touch of bass...

and big turbot...

yes, that is what they call smoothounds down here...

end-to-end with fish from boats across the fleet...

including line caught herring...

mackerel...

by the boxful...

buyers tallies at the ready...

and a wave from young Edwin...

these look stunning too...

as the buyers rush to bid...

book in hand...

whether it's net caught hake...

or beautiful bass...

spurdogs, green-eyed monsters of the deep...

a good shot of cod for this time of year from the netter Stelissa...

three of the Rowse cabbing fleet between trips...

with another one on the way.

Live Fisheies Bill committee meeting - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Wednesday 5 December 2018 Meeting started at 9.33am, ended 11.17am

Yesterday @CommonsEFRA had two public evidence sessions for our short inquiry scrutinising the Fisheries Bill

The first meeting started at 9.33am, ended 11.17am.

Members present: 

Neil Parish (Chair); Alan Brown; John Grogan; Dr Caroline Johnson; Mrs Sheryll Murray; David Simpson; Angela Smith.

Witnesses:

Dr Carl M. O'Brien CBE CStat CSci FLS, Defra Chief Fisheries Science Adviser & UK Delegate to ICES, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Dr Craig McAngus, Lecturer in Politics, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland
Councillor John Lamb, Chair, Kent and Essex Inshore Fishery Conservation Authority

The second meeting started at 2.51pm, ended 5.09pm


Make a note in your diary for the next meetings:

12 December 2018 9:30 am
Oral Evidence Session Scrutiny of the Fisheries Bill
Witnesses
Chris Williams, Senior Programme Manager, New Economics Foundation
Dr Thomas Appleby, representative, Blue Marine Foundation
Martin Salter, Head of Campaigns, The Angling Trust
Helen McLachlan, representative, Greener UK
Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Lecturer in Marine Conservation, University of Plymouth

Location: Room 8, Palace of Westminster

12 December 2018 2:45 pm
Oral Evidence Session
Scrutiny of the Fisheries Bill

Witnesses:

George Eustice MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Anne Freeman, Deputy Director for Domestic Fisheries and Reform, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Location: Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Witnesses:

George Eustice MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Anne Freeman, Deputy Director for Domestic Fisheries and Reform, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Location: Room 5, Palace of Westminster

Watch live! - MSC Landing Obligation seminar.

Watch the seminar

We are hosting a seminar on the obligation legislation in Brussels on 6 December from 10:00 CET. We will be showing the seminar live here.

The new EU landing obligation comes in to effect in 2019. The MSC is working with stakeholders to understand and prepare for this new EU law.


What is the EU landing obligation?
The EU landing obligation requires all EU catches of regulated commercial species on-board to be landed and counted against quota. These are species under TAC (Total Allowance Catch, and so called quotas) or, in the Mediterranean, species which have a MLS (minimum landing size, such as mackerel which is regulated by quotas; and gilthead sea bream regulated by size).

This new obligation comes in to effect in a phased approach during 2019.

Preparing for the EU landing obligation
MSC certified fisheries must comply with all relevant laws as a key condition of certification to the MSC Fisheries Standard. Therefore, the MSC is working with stakeholders to understand and prepare for this new EU law and ensure MSC certified fisheries can continue to be certified and maintain supplies of sustainable seafood.