Misty Monday morning in Newlyn.

 

Time-lapse movie- very quiet as the sun rose in the harbour this morning...

just enough breeze to ruffle flags on the prom...

and keep the gulls feeding on the shore break...

before the sun burnt off the mist rolling out from Newlyn Combe...

solid looking new net drum...

the Unity's doors are ashore again...

stones that fell out of the cod end big enough to put the dents in the fish pounds...

interesting cloud formations overhead this morning...

bit like Goldilocks...

the long-promised fuel berth is nearly up and running...

with its environmental hazard gear in place...

including a barrier to contain any spilt fuel...

an overview of the new compounds.

It's another September #FishyFriday in Newlyn.

 

Social distancing measures now in place at Jubilee Pool's geothermically heated area...

tall ship Gallant set's sail for Falmouth...

outside boat, Bon Accord, looks like the latest addition to the Rowse crabber fleet has been working hard...

there would be no escape for any nautical miscreants if caught by the Border Patrol vessel Vigilant...

little and large scallopers, from 7 dredges aside on the Le Men Dhu to 17 on the Albion...

Unity, in from yet another trip working well south of Mounts  Bay...

there's a long day ahead for Dan and the boys on the sardine boat Golden Harvest the price you pay when the net hitches on the seabed...

meanwhile the last of the nigh's catch of sardines are brailed ashore from the Pelagic Marskman...

an ink-wash by local artist Bernard Evans hangs in the Harbour reception - some of the characters are still working on the market this morning...

Nazarene takes on bait (small gurnard) for another day on the pots...

those forklifts don't hang around in the keenness to get the best quality fish off the market and out to customers all over the Uk and EU...

be they megrim soles...

or mackerel...

inside the market is bright enough...

with buyers maintaining Covid-19 social distancing etiquette...

while they bid on haddock from the only beam trawl trip on the market from the Twilight IIIi...

inshore boats like the New Venture provided some cracking John Dory and monk tails...

as did the huge scalloper Albion...

the very best fish is line caught of course, here's a trio of bass from the Storm Petrel...

though these monk cheeks and Dory from the inshore netter Tracy Claire would happily be plated up by any of the best chefs in Cornwall...

along with these Dover soles...

ray wings...

not to mention a good shot of MSC Certified hake from the Britannia V - click here for more information on 'What it takes" to put hake on your plate...

after a week at sea just a handful of monk and megs discarded, these have become increasingly less and less with the technical advances made to trawl gear...

nice little trip from an inshore boat...

at this time of year, so late in the sailing season, the size of yachts passing through increases reflecting their ability to deal with the more unpredictable weather associated with this time of year...

here's hoping, though the current negotiations seem to have reached something of an impasse...

six at a time when landing the ports largest trawler, Crystal Sea.

Seems Fishing still has a long way to go - Brexit and fish exports.

 

With less than 100 days to go, until UK exports hit by end of EU transition period, this session of @CommonsFREU just highlights how much still needs to be done. 

Danger of lorries driving hundreds of miles to Kent and then being turned back if paperwork isn’t right.  Massive increase in bureaucracy, and delays at ports, will reduce value of fresh seafood and agricultural produce and hit farming and fishing businesses right across Scotland.

Calling and and all of those in the fishing industry - have a say in the Fisheries Bill - it will shape your future!

Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Fisheries Bill 2019-21 [HL], which is currently passing through Parliament?



If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration.

The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee will be on Tuesday 8 September and the Committee is scheduled to report by Thursday 17 September 2020. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 17 September 2020. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Aims of the Bill

All quota species fish categorised as 'discards' have had to be landed since Jan 2020

The Fisheries Bill 2019-21 [HL] provides a framework for fisheries management after the Brexit transition period ends and the UK is no longer part of the Commons Fisheries Policy (CFP). It is intended to underpin the UK’s management of fisheries as an independent coastal state.

This is the second time a Fisheries Bill with this aim has been introduced. The previous Fisheries Bill 2017-19 was presented in the House of Commons on 25 October 2018. The Bill fell after completing Committee stage in the Commons when Parliament was prorogued for the December 2019 General Election. The current Fisheries Bill, as it was presented in the Lords, was similar in content and aim to the previous Fisheries Bill 2017-19.

Fisheries management in the UK (including quota allocation) is devolved, with different approaches taken by the four administrations. A Concordat for UK fisheries management was reached in 2012 which established common practice across the UK nations for vessel licensing, effort management and fishing quota distribution. Legislative consent for the legislation has been granted by the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Governments.

There were five successful Opposition amendments to the Bill at Report stage in the Lords, which took place on 22 June and 24 June 2020. An amendment on drafting regarding distribution of fishing opportunities was accepted by the Government. Four others were successful at Report stage on division. These made the sustainability objective the prime fisheries objective in the Bill; created a national landing requirement for 65% of fish caught in UK waters to be landed in the UK; established a quota reserve for new entrants and under 10m vessels; and mandated Remote Electronic Monitoring of fishing vessels.

The Government also made a number of amendments. These included removing the specified time period of a year for setting Total Allowable Catches; amendments throughout the Bill to reflect the change of name of the National Assembly of Wales to Senedd Cymru; and an amendment to clarify that references to EU legislation relate to British fishing boats and quotas. Schedule 10 was amended “to incorporate further amendments to retained EU law which we would have otherwise undertaken through secondary legislation”, to ensure changes are made in time for the end of the transition period and relieve pressure on the secondary legislation timetable.

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 if access to UK waters is agreed

• Fisheries will be managed sustainably

• The UK fisheries administrations will seek to ensure increased benefits from fish caught by UK boats in a way that respects the devolution settlements

• 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

Follow the progress of the Fisheries Bill 2019-21 [HL]


The Fisheries Bill 2019–21 [HL] completed its House of Lords stages on Wednesday 1 July 2020 and was presented to the House of Commons on Thursday 2 July 2020. Second reading was held on 1 September 2020.

Bills before Parliament:Fisheries Bill 2019–21 [HL]

Read Explanatory Notes: Fisheries Bill 2019–21 [HL]

House of Commons Library Briefing Paper


The Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 8 September. There will be no oral evidence sessions.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions:

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.

The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee will be on Tuesday 8 September and the Committee is scheduled to report by Thursday 17 September 2020. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 17 September 2020. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk.

Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here.

Doing what it takes to put MSC Certified Cornish hake on the table.

 

Do you know what it takes to sustainably fish for hake? Watch hake fisherman, Ryan Davey, and his crew of seven battle the elements for a week at sea as they search for hake 100 miles off the Cornish coast.

Ryan is part of the MSC certified sustainable Cornish hake fishery. This means they have proven they don’t overfish the hake stock, they don’t cause unnecessary damage to the environment and the fishery is well-managed.

MSC is on a mission to end overfishing and MSC certified fisheries, like this one, help achieve this mission. You can do your part by choosing seafood with the blue MSC label.

Fifteen Cornish hake netters work all year round to supply what is now largely a UK market (90% of hake used to be exported to Spain) with a truly versatile fish that is at least equal to or even better in many ways than cod or haddock. Chefs like Nathan Outlaw, Tom Brown and John Fell are true exponents of the art of hake cuisine!

If your local fish and chip shop doesn't serve hake - ask them to get some and give it a go!

'Economic peanuts, political dynamite': how fishing rights could sink a UK-EU trade deal

 

Fishing has always been one of the biggest hurdles to a post-Brexit deal between the EU and UK. Now it is becoming one of the most bitter.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, last week accused the government of treating European fishermen and women as “a bargaining chip”, while vowing that there would be no trade deal without a “fair and sustainable” agreement on fishing. Hitting back at Barnier’s speech, which also covered trade, a UK source said it was “a deliberate and misleading caricature of our proposals aimed at deflecting scrutiny from the EU’s own positions, which are wholly unrealistic and unprecedented”.

The acrimony of the debate has some echoes with the British entry negotiations to join the European Community 50 years ago, when the government was presented with a fait accompli on fishing.

Only eight hours after accession talks had begun on 30 June 1970, the British got an unwelcome surprise: the six EC members had agreed to have a common fisheries policy (CFP), hammering out a speedy deal that had eluded them for 12 years just as fish-rich Britain, Ireland, Denmark and Norway were knocking at the door.

“I think they knew quite well they had pulled a sharp one,” Sir Richard Packer, a former British official involved in entry negotiations in 1971-2, told the Guardian.

Fishing became one of the most poisonous issues of entry talks, leading British officials to doubt whether they would get enough votes in parliament to join the common market. (Norway rejected EC entry over fishing.) “The question of fisheries was economic peanuts, but political dynamite,” wrote the late Sir Con O’Neill, the UK chief negotiator, in his account of the talks from 1972.

Half a century later, the 100 shared stocks that swim in UK and EU waters are once again proving politically explosive. And British negotiators are finding that history is in the negotiating room, as well as politics and geography. But the EU sees the past differently. Mogens Schou, who spent 32 years as a fisheries official for Denmark’s government from 1981, disagrees with the idea that the British got a bad deal when the details of the CFP were finally worked out in the early 1980s. “I don’t remember strong dissatisfaction from the UK with regard to quota sharing. I think this is underlined by [UK] minister Peter Walker’s smile, when he in 1983 described the agreement as a ‘superb agreement for British fishermen’,” said Schou, citing an article he kept from Fishing News.

“Superb is way over the top,” said Packer, who was the UK’s lead CFP negotiator and later the top official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. “But that’s the way politicians always claim these things, don’t they – but we did quite well to get where we did,” he said, citing concessions that increased UK catch quotas, with the aim of protecting small fishing communities, mostly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. But it wasn’t easy, he added. “We were labouring uphill to get any change.”

The UK is once again labouring uphill to convince the EU to drop the tough negotiating mandate member states have written for Barnier on fish. Led by eight member states that fish in British waters, the EU’s opening position was that the UK should accept the status quo, meaning European boats can continue to fish a rich harvest in British waters. More than half (58%) the fish and shellfish landed from the UK’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone by EU boats was caught by non-UK boats, according to a 2016 report from the University of the Highlands and Islands.

For Boris Johnson’s government, Brexit means the status quo must go. British negotiators want bigger catches, based on where fish live, rather than the historical claims of foreign fishermen. Even Barnier, a former French fisheries minister, has described both EU and UK positions as “maximalist”. Speaking to the House of Lords in June, Barnier said he was willing to negotiate something “between those two extreme positions” [of the EU and UK] that “would take account” of the UK’s preferred “zonal attachment” model. But the UK must compromise too, Barnier said, citing EU fishing claims that date back centuries, as well as coastal towns and villages dependent on the industry.

EU negotiators think a deal can be done on fisheries, but after a fruitless summer of talks, Barnier lamented last week that “the UK has not shown any willingness to seek compromises”.

Packer thinks the EU will have “to cave in”, saying: “If everything should carry on in relation to fishing, why should it not carry on in relation to financial markets?”

However, Schou wants his government to defend Denmark’s “strong interest” in access to fisheries. Schou says: “If I was a Danish official, my advice would be to stick to the mandate that Michel Barnier has got. To me it is not a question of rights, but about negotiating a package on mutual interests in fishing, in trade relations and banking, and what you can put on the table.”

For now, EU member states are sticking to this line. “The mandate stays,” one senior EU diplomat told the Guardian, claiming historical rights dating back to the 14th century. But other member states think the EU is out on a limb. “If the French play harder and harder and put Britain in the corner, it makes it harder for Berlin to defend,” said another senior diplomat. “I think we need a compromise on our side.”

The two retired officials suggest the final compromise may not be a million nautical miles from one feature of the status quo – annual ministerial haggling over catch quotas in airless rooms. Packer points to precedent – the current system within the EU, where total allowable catches [TACs] are agreed each year, based on a formula for sharing the stocks. “We are not asking for any more than the EU demands in relation to its negotiations with Norway.”

Schou points out that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea obliges the UK and EU to cooperate on shared stocks. He thinks the final result could be compared to the internal policy of the EU, “where we have heated discussions on TACs and technical rules, but no discussions on allocation”, meaning the formula to divide catches between the EU and UK must be agreed in current negotiations.

British ministers could be sparring in Brussels on cod and sprat quotas for years to come.

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Fuol story courtesy of the Guradian news paper:

Can you ID any of the women gutting sardines - or pilchards as they were called then?

 

This is just one of hundreds of images and fishing related documents that Penlee House museum has in its collection - but can anyone identify any of the workers in this photo which looks as if it was taken outside. The fish are most likely being prepared for canning.