Fishing for Cornish sardines aboard the Golden Harvest.

 

Heading out from Newlyn at first light, skipper Danny Downing finds a mark of fish under the cliffs that surround Porthcurno and are home to the Minack Theatre. Within minutes, the boat's ring net is shot over the stern and encircles a shoal of unsuspecting sardines. Not until the net is brought alongside and the foot-rope hauled aboard to close or 'ring' the fish is the catch a certainty. On this occasion, 21 tons of the finest Cornish sardines are held captive in the net alongside the boat until pumped aboard into three ice-chilled seawater tanks.

Golden Harvest, skippered by Danny Downing, is a member of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, a group of Cornish fishermen and processors who came together in 2004 to agree common standards between themselves for catching, processing and marketing Cornish Sardines. 

The aims of the Association are:

• to maintain the quality of the catch 
• instil methods to protect the stocks 
• manage and record the catches 
• to develop the marketing of the product

The owners of the fifteen ring net vessels and the four local sardine processors are members of the Cornish Sardine Management Association who between them catch and process over 95% of the Sardine caught in the fishery. 

Once, when sardines were known as pilchards, they contributed to a huge industry that provided 'meat, fish and light, all in one night' throughout every port and cove in Cornwall. For over two hundred years most of the sardines caught were cured in salt and exported to Italy in wooden casks, as this invoice for pilchards exported from Mevagissey indicates.

The last survivor of these once great pilchard processing houses was the Pilchard Works in Newlyn, owned by Nick Howell who, working with fisherman Martin Ellis from Cadgwith, was the primary driving force in re-introducing the fishery to Cornwall back in the 1990s and ultimately the creation of today's Sardine Management Association. Sadly, the Pilchard Works museum and factory cured its last batch of sardines in 2009, though the company continues to produce tinned sardines thanks to a canners in Brittany.

In 2007, under the EU’s protected names scheme, the name ‘Cornish sardine’ was granted the Product of Geographical Indication (PGI) status, meaning that sardines can only carry that name if the fish are caught within six miles of the Cornish coast, landed and processed within the county of Cornwall or the port of Plymouth. A business wanting to use the PGI logo must be registered with Defra to do so.

In 2010, the Cornish Sardine Fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), meaning that north Atlantic sardines caught by CSMA members within the six mile limit off the coast of Cornwall and landed into Cornwall may carry the MSC logo. These conditions were recently expanded to include sardines from the same area being landed and processed in Plymouth. Fish processors, merchants and retail outlets may label sardines caught off the Cornish coast with the MSC logo, provided they have suitable chain of custody arrangements in place, linking the sardines back to a CSMA fishing member. The Cornish fishery was re certified by the MSC Marine Stewardship Council in March 2017.

For more information visit the Cornish Sardine Management Association website.

Head-on monk on Monday morning's market in Newlyn

Trips from two boats made up the bulk of fish for Monday's market with a handful of herring...

and mackerel...

and mullet from the Phoenix thrown in for good measure...

the netter Ocean Pride stuck out some pretty harsh weather...

to bring the buyers the only MSC Certified hake that will see the market this week...

sometimes a simple hug is all that is needed...

as auctioneer Ian tries to get the best possible price for...

these head-on monk landed by the Spanish Flag of Convenience netter Monte Mazantu - there's a meeting later this week with national fishermen's organisations and the Defra where fishermen's representatives will be pushing hard to see that flag of convenience vessels are forced to land at least 70% of their annual catch to UK markets - at present a tiny fraction of the many millions of pounds of fish caught by these boats is landed onto lorries and shipped back to Spain, Belgium or Holland and the fish sold there giving no direct financial benefit to the UK whatsoever - other than the rather curious practice of counting all the existing landings towards our GDP...

unlike most Cornish boats which cut the heads off monk and often discard them...

Spanish boats make a small incision in the belly of the monk and simply gut them to maximise their return on the catch...

big plaice featured in the beam trawler Cornishman's catch...

along with a few big butt...

bidding was brisk on the monk...

as the porters quickly hauled their respective buyer's purchases from the auction floor...

with the entire fleet tied up for weather...

buyers are left wondering if they will see any more fish on the market before the week is out...

Newlyn is never short of the unusual...

time for the artic to head back to base...

with no sign of a let up in the weather which has seen some severe winds hit the UK for five days now...

many of the local netting fleet fished through 50 knots of wind...

to put ashore their trips of MSC Certified hake...

while any boats fishing out at Rockall during the last few days will have experienced the sobering view of looking up to the tops of the waves breaking astern of them - and that's from the wheelhouse some 20 feet above sea level - a reminder, as if needed, of the price of fish. Video courtesy of Shaun McClenaghan aboard the Northern Celt from earlier this year.

 

Large fleet of Japanese fishing vessels - at Rockall!

 

There's a fleet of ten large Japanese fishing vessels working west and south west of Rockall...

they have been searching as far north as the east coast of Iceland...

in their hunt for tuna...

most have come through the Panama Canal after steaming across the Pacific and then the Atlantic Oceans to fish here...

others have been fishing off the west coast of Africa and Rockall since January of last year...

south-west of them again is a solitary Korean tuna boat...

which hasn't seen a Korean shore for over two years.

Behind the Scenes: North End Shipyard

Harking back to the days when Hull and Grimsby supported huge distant water fishing fleets. 

 

 

Behind the Scenes for MaritimeTales: The North End Shipyard, part two. Bill and Cliff talk about their experiences of working at the dockyard during different periods of the fishing industry.

UK Fishing Industry Warning as further COVID-19 Restrictions Bite Hard

UK fishing industry covid-19 restrictions Call4Fish say the UK fishing industry will suffer job losses under further COVID-19 restrictions.

Fishermen across the United Kingdom have expressed grave concerns about their future in the industry as fresh COVID-19 restrictions hit fish sales.

The industry has warned that thousands of jobs are at risk as restaurants cancel orders and doors shut due to coronavirus restrictions designed to prevent households from mixing.  Falling fish sales, in particular high-end fish such as crabs and lobsters, have prompted industry figures to call for greater government assistance and the launch of a campaign to persuade people to buy more fish over the Christmas holidays.

The Fishing Daily Call4Fish came together in March to help fishermen affected by the COVID-19 crisis, many of whom fell outside various government schemes for jobs and businesses. The group worked hard to enable consumers to source and buy fish locally, which was a great outlet for desperate fishermen.  Once again Call4Fish is calling on the British public to help out the nation’s distressed fishermen and have launched their latest campaign “Spread Christmas Cheer, Give Fish This Year”.

The idea behind the campaign is to set up a gift service in an attempt to fill in for the loss of the restaurant and party season. They have asked people to send a fabulous gift of a box of fish and shellfish to friends and family, and to stock up your freezers with locally sourced fish.

The campaign comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces calls this week to announce whether measures will be lifted to allow families to celebrate Christmas after one police and crime commissioner said the current guidelines meant officers would have to break up gatherings on Christmas Day.

As of today, Friday, almost nine million people will be living under the strictest alert level in England where mixing between households is banned indoors and in private gardens, while even the lowest restrictions in Tier 1 areas prevent groups of more than six from meeting up.

If the restrictions were to remain in place over the Christmas period, it would signal the end for many fishing families around the coast.  Former Director of fisheries and Marine at DEFRA and co-founder of Call4Fish Rodney Anderson said:

“The COVID crisis came hard and fast at the fishing industry in the Spring, had it not been for Call4Fish and other initiatives that helped suppliers and fishermen sell to the public things would have been a lot worse.

“On the continent boats were tied up for weeks, but here in the UK, the public support was unprecedented, it really kept the fleets going. They showed up at their fish shops, or went online and ordered for home delivery. Perhaps for the first time, across the country households were enjoying freshest-of-fish, a myriad of species found in our waters but not on supermarket shelves and the feedback was amazing.

“It is difficult to see without that public support once again rising up how many of these businesses will keep going to Christmas.

“Industry is warning that they are seeing a slow decline in sales over the past few weeks with prices dropping by 30% as export markets once again soften, restricted operations of some restaurants and lockdown affecting others are weakening demand for their products.”

Over the past few years fishermen have invested a lot of time and money into improving fishing methods and safety in the industry by investing in new boats or upgrading their current vessels. Boat owners and fishers are self-employed and many of them find themselves in debt with no income at this time other than their local fish sales.

St Ives skipper, David Stevens is owner of the trawler Crystal Sea SS 118 whose family has been fishing for twelve generations. The Stevens family took delivery of the Crystal Sea in February this year from Macduff Shipyards in Scotland.

Speaking on the the current situation Mr Stevens said:

“The problem for fishing families is that all incomes coming into their households are associated with their fishing business, so when their income from sea drops the whole family is affected and it’s not possible to make up for the poor prices their fish gets.

“We’re seeing fish prices dropping 30% from what wasn’t a strong place to start with due to further lockdowns across the UK and Continent.

“The public support was truly amazing through the lockdown and we’re going to need them and Call4Fish more than ever again now. “So if you are looking for a great fish meal, you know who to call. There’s rough waters ahead for all of us. But we will keep fishing and people fed and hope for the best. It’s what we do.”

Catherine Spencer, Seafarers UK CEO said:

“Our research on Fishing Without a Safety Net was carried out before the impact of COVID-19. But even then, it was possible to see the fragility of the small scale inshore fishing industry with many lacking any savings or reserves to fall back on. “When the first lockdown occurred the financial support programmes that were immediately actioned by Government for employees and the self-employed, mostly did not apply to fishing businesses. This left many fishers without any form of safety net at all. “Seafarers UK is doing all it can to create a new financial safety net for fishers and I call on the Government to do the same. It is difficult to see how some fishers will survive a locked-down COVID winter without urgent Government intervention to put in place a safety net. 

 “Fishermen around the coast are already feeling the pinch. Normally at this time of year prices will begin to rise as hospitality starts their Christmas Party season and wholesalers prepare for their Christmas rush and take early stock positions, but not this year.” “Crab and lobster prices have been poor all year and we had weeks when Covid hit when we couldn’t sell at all and so couldn’t fish,” says Plymouth based crabber Brian Tapper. “We are a family business, me and my son work the boats and the wife has a small processing unit and shop. But it’s been a hard year and we don’t have the reserves we usually have to get us through the winter. It is all tied up together, our business also supports three other families who as crew and in the shop, we are their sole source of income too. I worry for all of us.”

Graham Flanningan of Berwickshire Shellfish whose family firm is responsible for selling the catches of 12 small crab and lobster boats in his area said:

“These latest industry concerns come on the back of a recently published report Fishing Without a Safety Net by maritime charity SEAFARERS UK commissioned last year that demonstrated fishing business, but in particular the small scale fleet often the beating heart of their coastal communities had little or no savings, or financial reliance, and that was before the first wave of COVID-19 in the Spring.”

The Berwick-on-Tweed shellfish trader has a large vested interest not alone in his boats but also in their crews and families. “We have around twelve fishing boats,” he continues. “Boats that rely on us landing crabs & lobsters on a daily basis weather permitting. “In October, we would normally see the lobster market prepare to place Christmas orders to pre-book stock , this hasn’t happened at all. “Restaurants are closing at a terrifying rate & people who are still in work are very cautious with what money they have to spend. “Over the last 9 months we have seen a massive drop on demand both in the UK and throughout France & Spain. Prices of Live Lobsters have dropped as much as 30% on this period last year. Sending markets into a downward spiral. “The only good side to this is the fact that we created a new website last year and this has been a great success for online seafood orders during the 1st lockdown in the UK. “We were able to send out packs of Fresh Fish & Shellfish on a daily basis, allowing our customers the chance to eat fresh healthy seafood delivered to their door the next day, as we look forward in the current climate it appears that this way of shopping for a lot of people is here to stay for sometime. Thus helping to keep our Fishermen’s families and ourselves in a job.”

Brexit has also brought a huge uncertainty to the fishing industry. The permanent loss of valuable markets such as France and Italy in the EU is a possibility but even if the access remains, the likelihood of high trade tariffs will diminish further meagre profits which is the fisher’s wage.

Plymouth crabber Brian Tapper summed it up in his conclusion:

“With the transition period ending on January 1st, and uncertainty of what that means for UK exports, it looks to be a long bleak winter for fishermen and the coastal communities who rely upon the shore based jobs that support it and them.”

Full story courtesy of Fishing News Daily.

New guidance published to support commercial fishers, merchants and exporters from 1 January 2021

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is supporting businesses to prepare from 1 January 2021 

From 1 January 2021, the UK will have sole responsibility for the future of our seas and fishing industry and we need to be ready for change.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is supporting businesses to prepare now by producing a series of guides to signpost the steps commercial fishers and seafood exporters may need to take to continue trading. 

Our ‘one stop shop’ guide for commercial fishers, merchants and exporters covers the administrative side of the fishing industry – signposting to business requirements needed such as for fishing, landing, exporting, importing, transportation, food hygiene and regulatory controls.

There is also a handy step by step guide to exporting fish and seafood products to the EU, and a checklist for fishers intending to landing their catch directly into the EU.

Some processes will stay the same, such as UK registered vessels landing fish in UK ports, and the regulations that are in place to deter and prevent illegal fishing will not change. Our guides will be updated with the latest information over the coming weeks.

Remote Electronic (REM) Monitoring Call for Evidence

Remote Electronic (REM) Monitoring Call for Evidence Closes 30 Nov 2020 

Overview From January 2021, at the end of the transition period, the UK will, as an independent coastal State, control and manage the resources in our waters. With a new way paved for our country, our marine environment and our fishing industry, it is important to think about long-term ambitions.

As part of our commitment to delivering a world class fisheries management system Defra committed to look at increasing the use of Remote Electronic Monitoring in the recent Fisheries Bill debates and our White Paper. We want to do so openly and collaboratively. This call for evidence is the first stage of that process. From this we will work with interested parties and follow up with a formal consultation next year.

Remote Electronic Monitoring includes integrated on-board systems of cameras, gear sensors, video storage, and Global Positioning System units, which capture comprehensive videos of fishing activity with associated sensor and positional information.

Why We Are Consulting

Defra is interested in how we can expand our use of Remote Electronic Monitoring to help us manage and monitor our fisheries and marine environment moving forward. However, we know there are a number of questions and challenges that we, industry and other interested parties must jointly work through before that expansion can happen.

Take the online survey here

Contact Ayath Ullah 

(REM Policy Adviser) 

MarineFisheries.PreparednessCentre@defra.gov.uk