Almost fishless #FishyFriday.

By 6:30pm there's not a single box of fish in the second grader chill room......

or left in the inshore fridge...

whichever end you look from - two local inshore boats landed a mix of mackerel and pollack, tope, whiting and herring this morning - you can see an up-to-date spreadsheet of what fish has been landed at Newlyn here...

meanwhile, the netters Ocean Pride and Joy of Ladram are about to make their way out to sea through the gaps.

Can you help fund Falmouth Uni Film School film?

Pyskador, Cornish for fisherman, is an ambitious graduate project by 3rd year Film students of Falmouth University. We are working in collaboration with Music and Marine Natural History Photography students. The short film set in Cornwall is a dark psychological horror-thriller that will be both visually and audibly a highly exciting piece of work.

Full kickstarter information page here:

The Story

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein

When a fisherman kills his wife he finds himself in a world of reoccurring horror. He is no longer sure what is illusion and what reality.

Story Background

“So the story of man runs in a dreary circle, because he is not yet master of the earth that holds him.” ― Will Durant

Pyskador abstractly comments on socio - political issues related to Brexit. It metaphorically portrays the problematic relationship between small scale fishermen in the UK, the European Union and the English fishing industry.

Why we need your Help

The film will be shot on two different locations which were chosen with deep consideration towards the story of the film. An abandoned Caravan located in the very North of Cornwall and a Fishing boat in the South of Cornwall. Even though the distance between both locations is quite far from each other, we are convinced they are the most suitable. However, this means that logistics are an important part in our Budget. As the skipper who will take us out on his boat will loose his daily catch of fish he is living of, we will also have to refund his concession.

A very important part in our budget is to make sure every crew member is healthy and safe during the shoot. Therefore, we are working with a lifeguard and the coast guard and provide other necessary safety measurements.

As Pyskador is a very expressive story with little to no dialogue, we are extremely excited to work together with two professional actors which fit the roles perfectly. This will be the biggest and most important part of our budget.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pyskador/pyskador-short-film?ref=project_link

Groupement les Mousquetaires is closely following the negotiations on fishing in British waters

Yet more evidence in the French media as to the potential impact Brexit negotiations will have on their industry:

Given that around 70% of the Scapêche catches are made in British waters, the sea sector of the Groupement les Mousquetaires is closely following the negotiations on fishing with the United Kingdom. What activities will be affected by the next decisions?

Focus on the activities of the sea sector:

According to Sylvain Pruvost, President of Scapêche, the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union will certainly influence the sea sector of the Musketeers. This is why the industry has been on the alert since the end of January regarding the decisions that will be taken in the context of Brexit.

La Scapêche represents the first fresh fishing owner in France with 16,000 tonnes of fish per year. La Scapêche has 23 ships, 250 sailors and officers, and 50 employees ashore.

Scapeche artisanal trawler Alya, visiting Newlyn 

Co-owner of 7 artisanal trawlers, it participates in the presence of the French flag on French and European waters. Thanks to it, Agromousquetaires has a direct supply of marine products.

As for Captain Houat's teams, representing 650 people (Boulogne-sur-Mer and Lanester), they prepare and process 22,000 tonnes of fresh fish, shrimp, shellfish and crustaceans each year.

The two Captain Cook units (Finistère) will be less directly influenced by Brexit.

Thanks to the distribution bases (Lorient, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Bordeaux-Bègles and Frontignan), fish and seafood products are displayed in the tide departments of 1,800 Intermarché stores and 300 Netto France. These bases ensure the control, management, traceability and delivery of approximately 36,500 tonnes per year of marine products.

Fish a-plenty on Monday morning's market this morning!

With the real Brexit negotiations due to start on the 25th February when the EU declare their hand, local MP Derek Thomas discuss the price of fish with CFPO chair Paul Trebilcock on the market this morning...

the Cornishman was one of three beam trawlers that managed short trips between bouts of string winds and heavy seas so that merchants this morning were able to bid on over soles...

plaice...

lemons from the James RH...

freshness guaranteed this morning as the boats were only at sea for a few hauls...

which meant that interest from the buyers was high...

for big flats..

like these brill...

the Twilight III was the third member of the hardy trio with a few boxes of Dovers...

to go with the monk tails...

pollack...

and cuttlefish from the others...

precious few discards were landed...

and these were the sum total of mackerel landed this morning making an eye-watering price reflecting the scarcity of fish throughout the UK following over a week of constantly high winds in all sea areas...

which is set to continue with just a slight break in the weather for Tuesday and Wednesday before the next bout of strong winds comes in from the west.

Newlyn fleet port-bound, Penlee lifeboat exercise.

Most of the fleet in Newlyn have been in port since last weekend. However, tomorrow morning's market will have fish from three beam trawlers, James RH, Twilight III and the Cornishman.

Happy Valentines day Newlyn - Crystal Sea sails in!

After leaving Macduff shipyard on Monday and making two stopovers at North Shields and then Brixham to avoid storm force 10 winds...

the brand new Crystal Sea arrived in Newlyn at first light this morning...

quite a Valentines' Day gift for the port! Congratulations to the Stevens family from St Ives who had the boat built. Full story and pictures to follow.

Funding for PFDs with PLBs

Seafish is administering a new UK Government-funded scheme which allows owners of UK-registered commercial fishing vessels to recover £200 per item against the cost of purchasing type-approved Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) fitted with integrated Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) for their crew.

The scheme is being delivered in co-operation with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Trinity House as part of the Fishing Industry Safety Group’s 10-year strategy to eliminate preventable deaths in the UK fishing industry. It is open to owners of active UK registered commercial fishing vessels who have not previously received support for purchasing PLBs. (You can apply for the cost of adding a PLB if you previously received funding to purchase PFDs).

To qualify for funding, owners must apply to Seafish for approval before purchasing their preferred PFDs/PLBs. They need to provide a specification of the equipment they want to buy, a quote from their preferred supplier and an indication of the number of items required to equip all the crew on their vessel.

Please note:

• The deadline for applications to be received is 31 March 2020.
• Funding will not be awarded retrospectively so owners must complete the application form and receive authorisation before purchasing equipment to be eligible for reimbursement.
• You must also include a product specification and quote from your preferred supplier along with your application form.
• PFDs purchased must comply with minimum standards – see MGN 588 for details.
• Seafish will check with the MCA and the relevant Fisheries Department to check and confirm the accuracy of the information provided in an application – including personal details, vessel ownership, licensing and that it is currently active.

Download a PFD/PLB funding application form here
(N.B. the above link will download a word document)

Completed application forms should be returned by email to: training@seafish.co.uk

On receipt of an application, Seafish will check the details provided and then write to the applicant to confirm eligibility and provide a claim form if your application is successful.