Sunny Wednesday - make the most of it.

Back in Newlyn for the last time this Channel sole season Julie of Ladram is under command of skipper Sprat, who has that happy satisfied look on his face knowing he is about to head back home to Brixham...

then it all changes...

 as he spots the not-so-deft mending-knife work ...

of future deck boss Podge who is doing his best to cut out a myriad of mended meshes behind the fishing line of the Julie's port side beam trawl...

trawls this big require constant repair to keep them fishing and prevent elusive fish like the Dover soles they have been targeting from escaping through any broken meshes...

take one English speaking Spaniard and one Scottish crewman and the conversation is bound to become a little strained as the Heather Sprig takes a berth on the end of the Mary Williams pier to land......

young Mr Walsh in the process of taking ice...

classic gaffer at rest...

"I see no ships!" as sea trials commence for another immaculate St Ives registered punt...

the lorry has arrived for the Heather Sprig to land his prawns to...

well this guy is taking advantage of a break in the weather, though with 50-6o knot winds forecast there's no way he'll be doing this again over the next few days!

Newlyn captured on canvas.

Yet another Scottish visitor to Newlyn, this time the boat is not chasing prawns but quality whitefish like hake west of the Scillys...

the Greenock registered GK44 Acionna is a traditional Scottish seiner like the Boy Andrew in the video Last of the Hunters  uses rope reels to spool combination warp and shoot her nets from the stern...

- a far cry from the ultra-modern Dutch fly-shooters that were operating off to the southar'd last month

the classic lugger Barnabas has had her masts restored to their rightful position...

the ever-changing scene in the harbour provides local and visiting artists like Lizzie Black and Clare Bowen with a wealth of views from which to take inspiration and capture on canvas...

be it close-up studies of fishing boats...

or a wider view of the gaps with the Mount in the distance.

 

Fishing into the Future release event summary encouraging a clear written commitment to co-management in future policy

Following their relaunch event, the industry-led charity Fishing into the Future (FITF) has published an event summary that encourages a commitment to the language of co-management in future fishing policy.

The ground-breaking ‘Cast Your Voice – The Future of Fisheries Management’ event on 1st April 2021 focused on creating a dialogue around fishing, science and policy, and was well-attended by a variety of people within the UK the fishing sector. It provided an opportunity for people working in fisheries to explore the concept of co-management, share their experiences and diverse approaches to management and science, and discuss their ideas for the future of UK fisheries management.

The highlight of the event came from within intimate, thought-provoking group discussions, led by FITF fishing industry Trustees, David Stevens, Adrian Bartlett, Peter Bruce, and Jimmy Buchan. Conversations emphasized the importance of true collaboration between industry members in policy and science, and ensuring well-structured and transparent management processes while trialling new approaches of working together. During the discussions there was a desire to move towards long-term commitments, with ideas put forward on what this might look like, how they could be funded, and how existing initiatives could be brought together effectively, with an appetite to see these approaches incorporated into policy.

Emma Plotnek, FITF Programme Manager said:

“We already know of so many forward-thinking initiatives that have the attributes of effective co-management and industry-led data collection – however, we must also remember we are still figuring out what co-management and collaborative science will look like in the UK. Looking to the future, we hope to see people from the industry engaged in the development of policies that tie these efforts all together.”

The event brought together a number of renowned, multi-disciplinary contributors, including 

• Alexa Dayton, Scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, who explained the US approach to fisheries management; 

• Gus Caslake, Independent Chair of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, who spoke of collaboration and data collection within the organisation; 

• Alan Steer, Vice-Chair of the South Devon and Channel Fishermen, who gave an insight into the history of the Inshore Potting Agreement in South Devon; and 

• Jim Evans, Chair of the Welsh Fishermen’s Association (WFA), who presented on the effective relationship between the WFA and marine scientists to obtain data for better management decisions. 

These insights were followed up with some perceptions from within Government, with key messages shared by Robbie Fisher of DEFRA and Jim Watson of Marine Scotland.

It was highlighted during the event that the Scottish Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 already uses clear language that is committed to co-management. During the event, Jim Watson of Marine Scotland reaffirmed that a commitment to co-management needs to be built into each part of the management process - established during the initial stages of development right through to delivery. Drawing on this valuable insight, FITF have drafted a summary of the event, in which one of the take-home messages encourages the adoption of this approach more broadly into policy.

David Stevens, Chair of Fishing into the Future, said:

“A positive reception from government provided us with much reassurance, the next leap forward will be seeing specific wording in policy that commits all of us to these processes. We need to keep this at the forefront of our agenda as the Joint Fisheries Statement is being written throughout this year and next.”

FITF’s approach is unique and truly collaborative, as the charity is led predominantly by fishermen and those working in the fishing industry, who give their time voluntarily to support the charity whilst also running fishing businesses and working directly with the sector. FITF focuses on creating learning opportunities, encouraging collaboration, and providing a platform to enable effective dialogue and mutual understanding between the diverse set of people working across the fishing industry, science, and government. The short and clearly written event summary is available on the Fishing into the Future website and the event is available to re-watch in full on the FITF Facebook Page.

Contact: emma@fitf.co.uk

Monday morning in Newlyn.

 

Silver Dawn at dawn heads in through the gaps for the fish market...

she will pass a bevvy of the port's biggest crabbers, five of them currently between trips...

tyre fenders in the making...

they could come in handy...

the weekend saw a number of landings from boats large and small including these top quality red mullet from the Harvest Reaper...

and signs that the good fishing on ray has come to an end...

things are still pretty slack on the squid front...

though haddocks - which famously 30 years ago when one was landed in Looe had to be identified when it was landed - now they are caught and landed in every port landing fish from the Western Approaches...

with no netters landing hake supplies came courtesy of the big Sottish prawn boat Vision IV currently fishing on the banks west of the Scillys.......

traditionally, Scottish boats land their monk whole...

simply gutted through the belly rather than headed as is the practice for most local boats...

the boat also landed a few boxes of red mullet and ray...

along with a bigger run of megrims sole...

the buyers may not be present on the market in person any more but their fish tallies are everywhere...

just the remnants remain of life before the internet auction went live...

reds don't come much better quality than these koi carp-like fish...

or these big JDs...

the big Irish trawler Unity made a good landing of reds...

JDs...

monk...

and haddock...

while the one beam trawler made do with megrims...

and monk as the bulk of its trip...

and just the one box of cod with the monthly quota barely workable...

the inshore guys landed their usual mix of top quality fish, some lucky enough to ht on a good shot of bass...

while others had to make do with pollack...

or cuttles...

meanwhile alongside the market the Silver Dawn was busy landing her first day's fishing of hake...

forced to head back to Newlyn with damage to the main net guide on the hauler...

with her nets still in the water the boat needs to get the repairs completed asap...

so she can get back to sea and continue fishing...

meanwhile, skipper Richard Carrol brings the crabber Nicola of Ladram alongside to take on spare gear and bait....

Just some of the boats coming and gong from Newlyn in recent days.