Monday morning and there's fish on the market!

The Ajax was one of two netters that consigned hake to this morning's market...

Alan's trip also included a few big bass...

a good shot of big dogs...

and the odd shark...

while beam trawl fish from the Trevessa IV included even more bass...

in addition to her big shot of cuttles...

and some superb ray...

while the netter Britannia V landed just the one big cod...

plenty of haddock...

some superb whiting...

and plenty of pollack...

as evidenced by the large box of roes landed...

the James RH picked up a few good lemons...

and a good run of plaice...

late to the market was the Padstow registered netter Charisma seen here taking on clean boxes after landing her fish ready for tomorrow morning's auction......

a visiting scalloper left a good shot of scallops bagged up and ready to go...

while mackerel...

were plentiful for the handful of boats that braved the heavy swell that found its way all round the coast over the weekend.

A largely fish-free #FishyFriday in Newlyn.

There were some arboreal acrobatics earlier in the week...

as the huge Monterrey pine, planted in 1872 behind where the Newlyn Filmhouse now is, was topped before it toppled...

first sighting of a Great White on display in the latest art gallery to open its doors in Newlyn...

there's always something to catch the eye window shopping...

truck-meister Edwin reverses his Volvo tractor unit and trailer down the Mary Williams pier...

harbour staff are busy making new pier fenders...

as big John heads for the gaps in search of pots...

while the Benediction, which features in the next episode of BBC2's This Fishing Life gets the signwriting treatment from that master of the rigger's brush, Squirrel Signs...

two well known Newlyn punts have been beached at the top of the Canners' slip for repairs...

the hunt for sardines begins, the Vesta was one of the boats featured in episode 2 of This Fishing Life...

deckhands on the Dutch beam trawler Joachem get to grips repairing their beam trawls...

low cloud obscures the distant horizon as the sun casts subtle shades...

over the fleet this Friday morning...

forcing Le Men Dhu to keep her deck lights blazing...

as the sun re-rigs the ex-scalloper for beam trawling...

along with her smaller cousin...

Manx Ranger...

both boats should be back fishing by the weekend...

as will these two from Rowse's crab fleet...

and on the same day the UK leaves Europe for one man, the one with the a huge smile and a face that has featured many times on Through the Gaps, this will be the final #FishyFriday of his working in Newlyn - Roger has probably spent more hours than he cares to remember sat behind a wheel trucking and forklifting for much of his working life and today is the day he can finally forget about landing one of Stevenson's boats, picking up tubs of ice or taking yet another operator's licence of one sort or another and leave that kind of work to the next generation - thanks for all the repartee Roger!

One day before Brexit and Breton fishermen fear the worst!

"Cataclysm", "catastrophe", "brothel without name" ... Breton fishermen are on the warpath with the approach of Brexit, which could deprive them of a large part of their fish resources and create enormous tensions in the English Channel.


"A Brexit without agreement for fishermen, it will be a real disaster. We are on the verge of a war in the Channel," said Alain Coudray, chairman of the Côtes-d'Armor fisheries committee, in his office lined with 'a huge map of the Breton coast. Their worst fear: a hard Brexit, without agreement with the United Kingdom, which would prohibit access to British waters overnight. "It would be a cataclysm," recognizes Olivier Le Nezet, president of the Breton fisheries committee.

An important part of Breton fishing

Fish caught in British waters, "it is 30% of sales under auction in Brittany" , itself the first French region for fishing, according to Jacques Doudet, secretary general of the regional fisheries committee.

"One hundred and twenty vessels fish for at least part of the year in British waters," he said.

Among the first concerned, are the deep-sea vessels, which fish offshore. "We have the impression of being forgotten about Brexit," says Dominique Thomas, owner of the Ecume des Jours, a 21m boat that fishes 90% in British waters, the English Channel and the Celtic Sea. Its crew delivers monkfish, rays or haddock every Wednesday at the port of Roscoff (Finistère). If British waters are prohibited, "we will end up with the Belgians and the Dutch in the West Channel and we will no longer have enough space, there will be more cohabitation" , he warns. "There will be accidents with cargo vessels and the resource will be destroyed by overfishing. "

Domino effect

His fear is also that all fishermen will find themselves ultimately penalized by Brexit, via a domino effect which would see the deep-sea fishers approaching the coasts and encroach on the fishing grounds of their colleagues.
"It's going to be a war between netter, potter and trawler," says Dominique Thomas. "We're going to come and get their bread."

Brittany has around 5,000 fishermen for more than 1,200 boats. And six of the ten largest French fishing ports are Breton, according to a ranking by the Union of French ports. The port of Lorient is in N° 1, both in terms of turnover and tonnage of fish sold at auction.

Temporary work stoppages, financed by European funds, are planned in the event of a hard Brexit. "They would pay us 70% of our 2017 turnover to stay ashore," explains Dominique Thomas. "But you don't buy a boat to stay in the basin. And then, it is more damaged by staying along the quay than at sea".

Such a stop would also risk penalizing the entire industry, from shipbuilding to repairing boats, including fish processing. "It is estimated that one job at sea corresponds to four jobs on land. Boats at the quay are sailors who go to look elsewhere, less naval repair, fishmongers who have no more fish to buy" , underlines Pierre Karleskind, vice-president (LREM) of the regional council.
In the fishing, processing and marketing sector alone, there are 16,570 jobs in Brittany , according to the regional observatory for the maritime economy.

Even a Brexit with agreement would not settle anything, because the issue of fishing was left to further negotiations. "Seeing the treated fishery aside, that worries us. At the end of the day, the negotiators will be exhausted and the British will not give up , " said Jacques Doudet. A context that could cause strong social tensions, according to some. "We are not the yellow vests, we are not the black blocks but we know how to do it," warns Alain Coudray. "If the CRS are equipped, so are we."

*Translated by Google

New Fisheries Bill announced.

The new Fisheries Bill introduced creates powers to ensure profitable future for UK fishing industry with a fairer share of fishing opportunities.

Legislation creating the powers for the UK to operate as an independent coastal state and manage its fish stocks sustainably outside the European Union is being introduced into Parliament today, 29 January 2020.

The introduction of the Fisheries Bill delivers a legal guarantee the UK will leave the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) at the end of the Transition Period, in December 2020 – allowing the UK to control who may fish in our waters, and on what terms, for the first time since 1973.

The Bill ends current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in British waters. In future, access to fish in UK waters will be a matter for the UK to negotiate and we will decide on the rules that foreign vessels must follow.

As well as powers to implement new deals negotiated with the EU and other coastal states, set quotas, fishing opportunities and days at sea, the Bill includes new measures for Devolved Governments and a single set of UK-wide fisheries objectives to ensure that fish stocks, and the marine environment, are better protected.

Changes to funding rules enabling the UK government to provide financial support for the breadth of what is currently funded by the EU’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, such as training and port improvements, are also included in the legislation.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said:

This new Fisheries Bill takes back control of our waters, enabling the UK to create a sustainable, profitable fishing industry for our coastal communities, whilst securing the long term health of British fisheries.

Leaving the EU’s failed Common Fisheries Policy is one of the most important benefits of Brexit. It means we can create a fairer system which will allow marine habitats to thrive, with new powers to support our fishing sector and conserve our wonderful Blue Belt at home and abroad.

Fisheries Minister George Eustice said:

The Fisheries Bill gives us the powers to implement our own independent fisheries policy, improve our marine habitats and make decisions based on the health of our fish stocks not vested interests.

For many people in coastal communities, taking back control and leaving the Common Fisheries Policy is at the heart of getting Brexit done, and this Bill delivers for the environment, fishermen and the Union.

New provisions in the Bill mean the UK will take into account climate change impacts on its fisheries, with a new objective to move us towards ‘climate-smart fishing’ in UK waters. Last year we became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end our contribution to global warming by 2050 and the Fisheries Bill will complement this.

A new legal requirement for all fish stocks to be fished at sustainable levels is also at the heart of the Bill – delivering on the government’s manifesto commitment to ensure there will be sustainability plans for each fish stock.

The Bill includes powers to ensure fisheries management decisions are taken strategically, for the benefit of the whole marine environment. Fisheries management plans will be will be tailored to the UK’s ‘mixed fisheries’, which have lots of fish stocks swimming together and where certain fishing practices can have a significant impact on the marine environment.

The plans will also recognise that many of our fish stocks are ‘shared stocks’ as they will swim in both the UK’s and other coastal states’ waters. For these stocks, negotiation with other coastal states is crucial as sustainable catches cannot be achieved through UK action alone.

The Bill also boosts the government’s flagship Blue Belt programme by ensuring the Marine Management Organisation has the powers it needs to provide advice and assistance on sustainable fisheries, marine planning, licensing and conservation overseas.


The Bill will also ensure:

• EU vessels’ automatic access right to fish in UK waters is removed
• Foreign boats will be required to be licensed to fish in UK waters and will have to follow the UK’s rules
• Fisheries are managed in a sustainable way – balancing social, economic, and employment benefits while preventing the over exploitation of fish stocks
• The UK fisheries administrations will seek to ensure increased benefits from fish caught by UK boats
• Sensitive marine species, such as dolphins, are protected and the bycatch of unwanted fish reduced
• The UK fisheries administrations will continue to collect robust scientific data on fish stocks and shares it to manage shared stocks sustainably
• UK boats can continue to access any part of UK waters, as they do now regardless, whether they are registered in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

UK fishing industry - a maritime operator's perspective.

Until recently Peter Aylott was running the UK's largest trawler fleet based in Newlyn, Cornwall. He has since moved on but felt compelled to write about  his hopes for the future of the industry to which he became closely attached:

"After the oil downturn in 2016/2017 I was recruited to run an historic fishing company in Cornwall. I was uncertain of what I would find operationally as the business had been ailing for some time and the fleet was old. Poor vessel serviceability squeezed the cashflow and a decision was made to sell a majority equity share of the business to the largest Cornish fish wholesaler. As I leave the sector, I thought it would be useful to highlight 5 observations from my experience of operating the largest beam trawler fleet in the United Kingdom."



1. Crew sustainability.

2. Employment of fishermen.

3. ILO 188 (Working in fishing convention) implementation.

4. Safety management.

5. The fishing vessel operating safety envelope.

There are many more including a review of vessel regulatory demarcations of 24m and 30m registered lengths and the need for immersion suits that can be worn whilst working on deck on a day to day basis in cold weather.

The main observation is that crew sustainability in a remote fishing community is, I believe, the biggest challenge to the industry. This is not unique to fishing, but given the relatively small and diminishing fleet size which will grow less and less skippers, I think this issue will come to pass faster than other marine industries.

I take a view that employment arrangements need to come into the 21st century – a view I suspect not shared by all fishermen. Any comment on the fishing industry does need to focus on safety. The industry has a poor record here and whilst I believe ILO 188 has been a positive experience, there is a great deal of work to do now to ensure that the new standards do deliver the desired outcome. I remain and will always be in awe of the seamanship skills and resilience of fishermen – they are unique in our maritime industry and deserve even more assistance with training and welfare. A great deal of excellent support does exist through charities, the UK Government and the industry itself, especially in physical health and well-being. Going forward I hope that resources can be made available to really improve safety training and mental health.


1. Crew sustainability.

In a very similar vein to the offshore industry the average age of fishermen is increasing. This experience level is a positive message, but the number of new entrants to the industry and their development is falling behind the fleet requirement. Entry to the industry is a relatively low barrier with financial support for training, but conversion to skipper level qualifications remains the biggest hurdle. Standards have risen and candidates are struggling to pass examinations. Whilst sometimes this is symptomatic of a shortfall in preparation, I believe the gap between what is required of a skipper at sea today and what they have to know to pass the examination is becoming larger. Many might argue that this is progress, but whereas I am unaware of offshore support vessels not sailing due to shortage of crew, this factor has prevented fishing vessels from sailing. Whilst operational efficiency and vessel development naturally lead to a lower manning requirement, this factor will lag behind the current and future shortage of qualified and experienced crew.

2. Employment of fishermen.

From my time in the RN in the Fishing Protection Squadron I was aware of the self-employed share fisherman status. An historic arrangement recognised by HMRC that links the traditional hunter-gatherer mentality to compensation. Whilst it suits the current fishermen and their distrust of paying tax, MAIB are, in my opinion, right to raise their concern about the balance of risk and reward. I would prefer to see a bonus-based employment scheme adopted by other fishing fleets, which rewards the skill required and the bounty of a significant catch, but provides more steady income when the weather is poor or a vessel is out of operation. It would help in improving mental health and would also enable fishermen to access employment benefits such as mortgages, health provision and life insurance more readily.

3. ILO 188.

ILO 188 has now been implemented in the UK and it is a step in the right direction for providing more consistent working conditions for fishermen at sea. Having been through the implementation of MLC 2006 in the marine offshore industry in 2012, I was very familiar with the issues, concepts and MCA strategy. Like most international conventions, one size does not fit all comfortably, and there are a number of areas that will need to be adapted going forward. My experience of this process has been positive with the fleet organisation and safety management in a better place now and there was strong support from the MCA throughout.

4. Safety.

Whereas most shipping companies complying with MLC 2006 found that it enshrined what they were already dong, there is no question that ILO 188 Safety Management System (SMS) has been a new concept for most fishing fleets. It is going to take time for the practical output of safety to improve without investment in training and I think this is an area that the sector could learn a great deal from the deep-water shipping fleet. Here the introduction of the International Ship Management (ISM) code took some time to generate traction, but the advent of training at all levels has generated a doctrine that is followed and practiced by all.

5. Fishermen seamanship skills.

Much is made of fishermen’s natural can-do attitude and there is a view that their priority for safety is inconsistent, but I remain in awe of their day to day seamanship skills and resilience. Operating 30 metre beam trawlers in the South West approaches in poor weather requires extensive skills and sound judgement based on a rare depth of experience. My view is that they encounter seamanship challenges far more routinely than their other maritime operators and whilst they do make mistakes, their activities naturally lean far more towards the edge of the safety envelope. I always asked myself if that envelope was too large, but the reality is that regulations are usually set after accidents occur and not by experts before – human nature perhaps and economics. In the 21st century we need to bring that envelope in to provide a margin of operational safety that significantly reduces the accident level. This will only come with training."

Boats for sale:

First up is Dave Sales boat from Bridport. A Cygnus Marine GM19, the Shelly Marie, once a Newlyn boat and a good boat, a Beta Marine B28 (predecessor to the latest B30). 

It has a Seawinch slave hauler, full CatA license - also, with shellfish entitlement and a H and L bass entitlement. You can get Dave on 01308 422755

Second boat is South West Handline Association guru, Dave Muirhead's punt Bill Eric, a legendary Plymouth Pilot 18 with a Yanmar engine and a Spencer Carter slave hauler. More pics to follow. Email me for Dave's contact and more details.

SOLD! Seems Dave Muirhead has sold his boat already!

Just in time for Brexit and the end of EU funding - UK government launches the Seafood Innovation Fund.

What is the UK Seafood Innovation Fund?

The £10 million UK Seafood Innovation Fund will support the UK’s fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries to deliver cutting-edge technology and innovation. By supporting ambitious projects with a long-term view, the fund aims to kick-start a step-change in the productivity and sustainability of UK seafood into the future.

Running for three years, this programme administered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), will share regular calls for applications, offering interested collaborators the chance to bid for up to £50,000 for feasibility studies, or up to £250,000 for full R&D projects.

The programme will support projects that aim to deliver longer-term, cutting-edge innovation across the seafood sector and supply chain. It will also support projects that will take innovative ideas from early-stage research to commercial viability.

From experts in the seafood space – cutting-edge businesses within the fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors – to innovative thinkers in tech, engineering, data science and app development, let’s innovate together.

Who can apply?

The UK Seafood Innovation Fund will run open competitions, and welcomes applications from both inside and outside of the seafood sector. Your idea, technology or product must benefit the sustainability and/or productivity of the UK seafood industry.

The fund is open to all organisations within the EU who have an innovative idea meeting the objectives of the fund. EU organisations can apply as a project lead, or can be part of an application as a subcontractor. Collaborative projects including both seafood sector experts and technology businesses are encouraged.

For more information on whether you are eligible to apply for the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, please read ‘Am I Eligible?’ on our FAQs page.

What is disruptive innovation and technology?

The UK Seafood Innovation Fund is particularly keen to hear from applicants bringing novel innovation and technology to disrupt the seafood sector. These ‘disruptive innovations’ should bring techniques, skills and processes that can improve on current practices and bring significant benefit to the sector.

Disruptive innovations may have the potential to be scaled up and could be applicable to any part of the seafood supply chain – from boat or farm to plate.

If you have an idea and want to check if it is in scope for the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, please feel free to contact us.



Examples of disruptive innovation may include, but are not limited to:


AQUACULTURE
Innovations in feed, biotechnology, health, robotics, logistics, storage.

WILD CATCH FISHERIES
Innovations in gear, bycatch reduction, improving catch recordings, logistics, storage, transport.

PROCESSING
Innovations in robotics, logistics, traceability, packaging, storage.

DISTRIBUTION
Innovations in logistics, traceability, packaging, supermarket storage, selling point tools.

HARVESTING
Innovations in fishing gear around target catch, bycatch avoidance and selectivity, monitoring and reporting of harvesting activity.

FINAL CLIENT
New, intuitive tools for making decisions on purchase or consumption.

CROSS-CHANNEL TECHNOLOGIES
Innovations in traceability, Blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, satellite technologies, big data and marketing tools.

SAFETY AND WELFARE
Innovations leading to better working conditions for fishers and fish-farmers, or that lead to higher welfare for animals within the supply chain.

CLIMATE CHANGE
In the context of the UK Government declaring a ‘climate emergency’, innovations are required that reduce carbon impacts of aquaculture and fishing, accelerate or enhance best practice in this area, and effectively raise awareness of low-carbon options already available.

Everyhting you need to know and where to get more advice r information can be found on the brand new Seafood Innovation Fund website.