Misty Monday morning in Newlyn

Making the most of her extended range capabilities following a major refit, the tangle netter Ygraine landed an excellent shot of monk and turbot...

this should be young Jeremy's last year working the Nazarene once his new boat Galilee  has completed her refit...

off comes tubs of tangle net gear...

just in time for an early morning crew enlightenment session...

luckily, after a weekend of dull but fine weather the market was awash with inshore trawl fish...

with top quality fish a-plenty like these John Dory...

two very different plaice...

luscious lemon sole...

and some superb red mullet from the Imogen III...

more John Dory...

even more John Dory...

and, compared to 10 years ago, a rare blackfish...

hake were provided by the netter Stelissa...

while the beam trawler AA landed a good shot of brill, turbot and Dory...

luckily, many of the local boats are able to land fish that is suitable for use as bait by the growing fleet of crabbers...

caught around 120 miles SW of Newlyn by the Ygraine who also reported that they were still seeing plenty of crawfish in their nets - unheard of for over 30 years...

as per usual in the summer months, the beam trawlers AA  and Cornishman landed good shots of monk, megrim and other flats...

to  go with the Ygraine's monk...

every inshore boat landed a handful of bream, all of them Couch's...

soles, but which kind?..

now that the nights are drawing in it seems that another misty day is just par for the course...

time to start dispatching the morning's purchases...

Nichola of Ladram, the latest addition of the growing south west crabbing fleet...

now that the sailing season is in full swing Newlyn is once again bursting at the seams and pushed for berthing spaces - don't forget to join the harbour's Whatssap group to stay in touch, in addition there is a new visiting vessel form that you can download or complete on-line...

Nereus, that 'Old Man of the Sea' is back in Newlyn with her final landing of Cornish langoustine...

weeks away from the start of the Cornish  sardine season...

regular pontoon users will be glad to see the back of the temporary barriers surrounding the new lifeboat house - access all areas!

no doubt this cute little ball of fluffy feathers will be back next year fully fledged  and poised to dump on unsuspecting harbour uses from on high...

diary date - the not-to-be-missed annual Newlyn raft race is only weeks away - get your raft built now - all monies raised goes to help fund the amazing Newlyn harbour Christmas lights...

good to see Star Inn landlady Debs still does her bit to put a smile on the faces of passers-by.

Misconceptions about the seafood industry are putting off young talent

Campaign developed by Seafish aims to help industry attract young jobseekers

The next generation see the seafood industry as low skilled and unexciting, leaving seafood businesses struggling to recruit fresh, young talent.

Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, is calling for the industry to prioritise attracting young people to jobs in the sector, following research which highlighted a number of misconceptions that are currently putting them off.

To better understand attitudes and the barriers that exist, Seafish commissioned research to find out what young people (between the ages of 16 and 18) thought about careers in the seafood sector. The findings make for worrying reading as many of those who took part thought the industry only offered limited career prospects and that friends would make fun of them for working with fish.

The research has informed a new practical guide, designed to help seafood businesses understand what they can do to attract young people. It builds upon The World is Your Oyster campaign which Seafish launched in 2015 to appeal to young jobseekers and highlight the benefits of working in the seafood industry. Seafish is now encouraging seafood businesses to use the updated campaign materials to support recruitment. The free materials, which include a film, infographics and seafood career maps, are also available to schools and colleges.

There has been a recent push to shine the light on some of the inspirational young people already working in the industry through the Young Seafood Leaders Network, run by Seafish, and various industry awards for Young Fisherman of the Year, Young Seafood Chefs of the Year, Young Fishmonger of the Year and Young Fish Frier of the Year. However, the seafood industry is still struggling to attract young talent across the board. This impact of this is potentially even greater for pockets of the industry that rely quite heavily on EU labour with uncertainty around Brexit still on the horizon.

Marcus Coleman, CEO at Seafish, said: “We were already aware of some issues around attracting young jobseekers to seafood careers, but this research has highlighted the misconceptions and perceived barriers that we need to overcome to win over the next generation of talent. It includes a lot of valuable insights which we’ve used to inform a new practical guide for industry that’s full of recruitment advice.

“As a collective seafood industry, we need to shine a light on the positive stories and show young people that it’s possible to carve out an exciting and rewarding career. We need to shout about all the different jobs that are available and the fact that seafood careers can offer young people a chance to travel the world, to become a leader or own a business. With this in mind, we’ve also updated our The World is Your Oyster campaign materials and made them freely available to help get these key messages out.

“Our seafood industry is thriving but we can’t afford to be complacent - it’s vital that we attract young people who can bring so much energy and insight and keep it vibrant for years to come.”

Finally, a flaming June #FishyFriday for the longest day!

Signs of summer as the sardine boats begin to make ready for the start of the season...

and begin to sort deck machinery and nets...

along with removal of the weed beds that have developed since they stopped fishing in March...

another paint job nears completion...
  

Imogen III was just one of the ashore trawlers to put fish ashore...

though fellow skipper Nigel seemed to have fared better on the Dorys...

while the New Venture picked away on a few ray...

the only beam trawler to land struck gold with turbot...

and a few of those much coveted big tub gurnards...

while hake, that most voracious of fish...

was the only netter's contribution from the Ajax...

a trio of two fish tails...

but which fish are they?..

having bought the fish...

young Mr Smart can't get those tallies down fast enough...

not a ripple in the harbour...

to celebrate the summer solstice...

though down the quay there are still plenty of jobs to be done before the boat can go back to sea...

sailing into a flat calm bay...

 young Ben has the crabber Nimrod away...

leaving behind those boats between trips and undergoing repair...

the new Penlee lifeboat house is all but complete.

Government intervention - Recruitment to the Fishing Industry.

Right now the biggest issue facing many skippers and boat owners is that of crewing. 

Pilipino crew repair a trawl footrope.

Many larger vessels, once jammed with local men, are now totally reliant on crews from other countries like the Philippines and Sri Lanka.  Fine in the short term, but where are the local skippers, mates and engineers of the future going to come from?

• The fishing workforce is ageing and the industry relies on labour from abroad.
• There is limited understanding of the opportunities and realities of work in the catch sector among young people.
• Careers in fisheries are considered dirty, with limited prospects and low pay.
• High costs of entry and limited access to training present additional barriers. New funding schemes may overcome this.
• Engaging with schools will help challenge perceptions of fishing and promote it as a rewarding career to young people.
• The industry needs to adapt to accommodate a short-term dynamic workforce, in line with the
• current priorities for young job-seekers. Providing a professional environment and transferable skills may enable this.

The situation in Cornwall and Devon is mixed. Many of the new netters employ crew from the Philippines while the fleet of big crabbers in Newlyn rely mainly on Latvian men to crew and skipper the boats.  

Brackan Pearce and crew take ice in Newlyn.

There exceptions however and boats like the Spirited Lady III with a combined age for skipper and crew of 57 can be contrasted to the UK fleet overall where the average age of crews is around 42 and up in the 50s for skippers.

Currently, there is an all-party Parliamentary Fisheries group researching the situation. The results of the first meeting can be found here. One thing is for sure, everyone involved in the industry can do their bit by promoting the huge number of positives enjoyed by fishing - especially when it comes to sustainable fishing, healthy living and lifestyle!

Future of inshore fisheries on the agenda as major conference announced

Changing Landscapes
Industry and government to come together to establish way forward on management approaches to realise full benefits of our inshore fisheries

Fishermen from across the UK are set to come together with policy makers, regulators and researchers to discuss issues around the management of inshore fisheries and to establish a blueprint for their future management.

The Future of Our Inshore Fisheries Conference – which is to take place in London on 8-9 October – was announced at a specially convened workshop today at which members of the Future of Our Inshore Fisheries steering group met with representatives from the inshore industry, government and science community.

Attendees at the workshop - supported by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry - heard steering group chair Professor Michel Kaiser, of Heriot-Watt University, announce the conference and call for industry to engage on this important initiative.

Fisheries Minister Robert Goodwill said:

“Collaboration between industry, scientists, regulators, UK government and devolved administrations is key to ensuring the future management of our domestic fisheries is sustainable and profitable for all parts of the nation.

“I’d like to thank Seafish for their efforts in bringing everyone together and urge fishermen to support this work and play their part in shaping a successful seafood sector for decades to come.” 

The project steering group was established in January 2019, with representatives from across the UK industry, government and science communities.

Steering group chair Professor Michel Kaiser of Heriot-Watt University said:

“The Future of Our Inshore Fisheries is an ambitious project that looks to transform how we manage these important resources over the medium to long-term, so that we can ensure that our fisheries, our marine environment and our coastal communities are sustainable and thriving.

“There are no quick wins here so it is vital that we take the time to understand the issues and challenges that currently exist so that we can build awareness, understanding and consensus amongst all the parties involved in the management of this important marine resource.

"A key focus of the October conference will be to bring all interested parties together, whether that’s small scale fishermen, regulators, the environmental community and researchers, to help shape the blueprint for future management.  By working together from the outset we hope to lay the foundations for future collaborative working.”

Jim Pettipher, Chief Executive of the Coastal Producer Organisation, which represents small scale fishermen, said:

“It’s vital for the inshore sector to be managed in a way which allows us all to realise the benefits that these fisheries offer.

“From the formation of the steering group to today’s workshop, industry has been involved in every step of this process to establish a way forward.”

Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation said:

“This conference provides a unique opportunity to establish a bespoke fisheries management regime for the UK that recognises and explicitly responds to the potential value that the inshore fisheries sector can contribute.”

“I would encourage inshore fishermen to take this opportunity to be part of creating this blueprint for the future management of our fisheries by engaging through the steering group and by attending the Future of Our Inshore Fisheriesconference in October.”

Aoife Martin, Director of Operations at Seafish said:

“Seafish is pleased to be part of this important initiative. Our unique role across the UK seafood sector means we are perfectly placed to facilitate and support people to come together to work on solutions to improve the management of our local fisheries.”

“The October conference will provide an opportunity for participants to look at examples of best practice, from the UK and beyond, and to consider how we wish to responsibly manage our fisheries so that we can continue to support a truly thriving seafood sector.”

Inshore fisheries have historically been an important component of the UK seafood sector. In 2018, there were 3,327 active vessels in the 10m and under sector, with a total fishing income of £110 million, an 18% increase since 2009. Lobsters, crabs and nephrops were the top species landed, when measured by value.

Registration for the conference – to be held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel at Tower Bridge in London on 8-9 October 2019 and free to attend - is open now.