Tuna shoal filmed off Lands End - from the air!

 

 

Local photographer and drone pioneer Duncan Scobie shot this short video recently off Lands End. he said, "In my 55 years of living in Cornwall I have never seen a shoal of tuna. This is shot with the brilliant DJI Avata - you can even see the bait fish in the video"

What happens when you add ‘Highly’ to Marine Protected Areas?

Our Marine Environment Regulation Advisor explains what Highly Protected Marine Areas are, how sites are selected and how they could impact fishers. Most of us are already familiar with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). They have been around for some time, cover almost a quarter of UK waters and have a diverse range of conservation goals.

The marine landscape is set to change with the introduction of new Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) next year. When they come into force, HPMAs will impose further restrictions in waters around the UK.

A Defra consultation on candidate sites for HMPAs draws to a close this week. So, this feels like an appropriate time to reflect on the potential impacts they could bring. But first, let’s look at what HMPAs are and how they have come about.

These sites are a form of MPA that use a whole site approach to protect biodiversity. The higher conservation objectives of HPMAs mean that if designated, all forms of fishing will be prevented within site boundaries. They are being proposed as a way of further protecting the marine environment. By setting aside areas with high levels of protection, nature is expected to recover to a more natural state, allowing the ecosystem to thrive.

In 2019 the UK Government commissioned Lord Benyon to review the need for HPMAs. The Benyon Review concluded that the substantial benefits provided by HPMAs would justify the negative effects associated with their designation. The government have subsequently committed to designating several pilot HPMAs.

How have potential sites for HPMAs been identified?

The Defra consultation is seeking views on 5 candidate HPMA sites in English waters.

Due to a lack of data, it is not possible to select sites purely on a quantified cost-benefit basis. Instead, a qualitative approach has been adopted. This involves prioritising based on ecological criteria and then balancing this with economic risk.

Candidate sites were identified by Natural England (NE) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) on the basis of three ecological criteria:

Ecological importance (e.g. high levels of biodiversity, multiple species and/or habitats of importance, supports key life stages such as spawning or nursery areas). Naturalness, sensitivity and ability to recover (e.g. represents a natural system or a relatively degraded system) Ecosystem services (e.g. habitats important for carbon storage, flood or erosion protection, or supports key life stages). Locations that were already licenced for certain activities – for example renewable energy, aggregate dredging or dumping, and aquaculture – were then specifically excluded from consideration.

NE and JNCC submitted 30 sites to Defra for consideration. Following an assessment of the socio-economic impacts of these proposals, 5 sites were chosen as candidate HPMAs:

• Allonby Bay in the Irish Sea
• Dolphin Head in the English Channel
• Inner Silver Pit South in the North Sea
• North East of Farnes Deep in the North Sea
• Lindisfarne in the North Sea

The locations of sites are shown in the map below:

Map showing proposed HMPAs provided by JNCC

What does this mean for the fishing industry?

Spatial or marine squeeze has become a very real issue. Fishing restrictions associated with nature conservation and offshore renewable development are expected to continue to increase in order to meet various Government environmental commitments.

The fishing industry is concerned about the impacts these changes will bring. The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) contracted marine consultants ABPmer to develop a better understanding of spatial pressures on fisheries. Their report indicates that by 2030, a third of UK waters could no longer be fished with mobile gear. It also stated that by 2050 this could be as much as a half. This will have significant implications for the future viability of the industry.

Because fishing grounds are not clearly identified or delineated, it’s difficult to determine the true impact of candidate HPMA designations on the local fishing industry and associated coastal communities. Defra have undertaken the socio-economic impact assessment at a broad scale for each site. They have concluded that the UK vessels impacted will usually be able to move to alternative grounds.

Further detail of the expected impacts on local fishing businesses was provided in online meetings. This is summarised in the table below:

Candidate HPMA	Number UK vessels using area between 2017 and 2019.	Gears and target species	Estimated first landed value affected
Allonby Bay (Irish Sea)	Very few vessels use the site.	Mainly dredge or bottom trawls for brown shrimp and king scallop using. Some potting for  lobster, edible crab and whelk.	Estimate 80% of vessel revenue comes from site for several small vessels.  Categorised as a low economic risk as few vessels use the site.
Dolphin Head (English Channel)	53 large vessels	Mostly whelk, horse mackerel, mullet, king scallop, herring or squid are harvested using dredges, midwater trawls, Scottish seine or pots.	£100,000  Estimate that <1% of vessel revenue obtained from site.  Categorised as a high economic risk due to high level of non-UK fishing in the site.
Inner Silver Pit South (North Sea)	23 large vessels and 53 small vessels	Mainly harvesting edible crab, lobster, king scallop, velvet crab, brown shrimps, cockles, or whelk using  pots or dredges.	£5.3M  Estimate 75-80% vessel revenue obtained from site.  Categorised as a high economic risk due to high level of UK fishing in the site.
North East of Farnes Deep (North Sea)	45 large vessels	Mainly pelagic vessels targeting haddock, plaice or whiting, and some scallop dredging.	£10,000  Estimate that <1% of vessel revenue obtained from site.  No economic risk categorisation provided in Impact Assessment.
Lindisfarne (North Sea)	56 large vessels and 40 small vessels	Large vessels harvesting Norway lobster, squid, or turbot using dredges or bottom trawls. Smaller vessels harvest lobster, edible crab, or velvet crab using pots, longlines, or bottom trawls.	£3.5M Estimate that >80% of vessel revenue obtained from site. Categorised as a medium economic risk due to high number of UK vessels and proportion of vessel revenue from site.

Why is Defra consulting on the proposed sites? The socio-economic assessment does not consider the negative impacts or the unintended consequences of the expected vessel displacements. These can include increased pressure on stocks, or damage to habitat and potential increased bycatch of sensitive species, as well competition with the fishers already using the area to which the displaced vessels move.

Defra need better evidence in order to improve their socio-economic impact assessment for these candidate HPMAs. They are keen to understand the finer scale impacts of the proposals, particularly at the individual vessel level. Defra want to hear from anyone who may be affected by the designations of the candidate HPMAs. They would welcome submissions on the ability or inability of the fishing fleet to be displaced and the impacts of displacement for the fleet. Any fisher affected by any of the candidate HPMAs can respond to the consultation, providing evidence of impact.

What happens next?

The Defra consultation closed on Wednesday 28 September. If the Defra socio-economic impact assessment is found to be inaccurate, then inappropriate designation decisions could be made by ministers.

A decision on which of the candidate HPMAs to designate will be made by ministers and implemented by 6 July 2023.

Find out more

Further information on the public consultation on HMPAs is available from the link below:

Visit Defra’s consultation hub website for full details on the HMPA consultation The Benyon Review into HPMAs is available from the link below:

Go to our webpage on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

If you have further queries about HPMAs or our marine regulation work, please contact me on Eunice.pinn@seafish.co.uk

 

Hunting the Catch - new BBC1 TV series.

BBC continues its work on chronicling the modern fishing industry in the UK. Across 300,000 square miles of ocean multiple deep-sea fishing trips were filmed around the clock across one brutal week at sea. From the North Sea to the English Channel - all hunting the catch.

Hunting the Catch tells the story of our fishermen on a scale not seen before: a national scale. With access across the British deep-sea fishing fleet from Shetland to Cornwall – from £300 million pelagic mackerel boats and state-of-the-art squid hunters to super-crabbers and beam trawlers – satellite data simultaneously tracks the voyages of each boat on their grounds around Britain. From the North Sea to North Atlantic, the Irish Sea to the English Channel, these are some of richest fishing grounds in the world and competition for the catch is intense.

But each skipper and crew face different challenges. Each has a different financial target they're back, each hunting different prey, each on different grounds. In their way are fierce storms; mechanical breakdown; crew exhaustion; seasickness; rival boats; injury; fluctuating market prices. This is high drama on the high seas around Britain. In this episode, it’s the last trip before Christmas and with demand surging, fish prices are rising.

Off the south coast of Cornwall, Ocean Pride is heading out in pursuit of pollack. It’s destination: old sunken shipwrecks in the English Channel. Best mates Ben, Joe and Zyam are targeting £30,000 worth of pollack. If they can catch quickly and land before any of their rivals they’ll have a monopoly on the market – and bank themselves a big pay day. But wreck-netting requires pin-point accuracy to hit target. As the nets miss and seals eat the valuable catch, skipper Ben gambles. Steaming 60 miles West he shoots nets around one of the biggest wrecks in the channel – a 300ft long WW2 tanker – and what could be a haven for thousands of pollock.

380 miles away on the Yorkshire coast, crabber Tydus is preparing to head out. With shellfish prices rising for Christmas the crew have hopes of a big pay day. Stig’s aim is six tons in the tank, a catch that this week could fetch well over £30,000. Once expenses are covered, each of the four young deckhands have the potential to earn themselves up to three grand for a week’s work. On the trip, there’s a greenhorn onboard. 21 year old Glyn has little experience at sea and he’s stepping into the toughest job in fishing; he’ll be expected to haul and empty one crab pot a minute.

Off the south coast of Devon in the English Channel Margaret of Ladram, one of Brixham’s most successful beam trawlers is heading for an area of ground known as the ‘pot boxes’, opening to trawling for the first time in months. Skipper Adam Cowan-Dickie is hoping they contain one of the most lucrative species in British waters: dover sole. With the restaurant trade in full swing for Christmas, Adam could earn £80,000 for the trip – if he can find the fish. Adam hits good fishing, but as other boats start to see his movements how long can he keep these grounds to himself?

As the Covid-19 omicron variant sweeps around the country, the restaurant industry is threatened with closure, creating shockwaves across the fishing fleet at the most lucrative time of year. Skippers are forced to react to real-time price changes.

Cornish college restaurant, Senara, named best in the UK

 

Cornwall, home to some of the best restaurants and eateries in the country, can now add another venue to its growing list of accolades after Senara Restaurant at Penwith College in Penzance was crowned Best College Restaurant in the UK at a glittering award ceremony in London this week. 

Senara, which has long been known locally as one of the best restaurants in the area, has now seen its appeal go national, after judges for the AA Hospitality Awards scored its students 100% for their final presentation, a top score not matched in any previous year.

Professional cookery students – Emily Earley and Shay Uren - from Penwith College travelled to London for the glittering award ceremony on Tuesday, hosted at the Grosvenor Hotel by television sport personality Gabby Logan. The event is a highlight in the industry calendar with over 1,000 guests from hotels and restaurants coming together to celebrate the best in the UK.

The students, selected because of their dedication and professionalism to the trade throughout the competition, were joined by catering lecturers Dave Izzard and Dean Bungay who couldn’t believe they came out on top against a shortlist of two other leading college restaurants from Milton Keynes and Cardiff. The award was sponsored by People 1st International.

“We know how good Senara is and reviews from our customers back this up, however being awarded “the best in the UK” by such a prestigious awarding body is fantastic,” said a shocked Dave Izzard. “The awards evening event was amazing, such an eye opener for the students who have never attended anything like this before. We are honoured to be celebrating alongside the best in the industry at such a prestigious venue.” 

Jo Lello-Dunn, the Programme Team Leader for professional cookery at Truro & Penwith College, added: “We are extremely proud and delighted at the accolade as it is valued recognition of the hard work, dedication, and commitment that the team have with their learners, and which enables them to progress to such an exemplary level to achieve such amazing awards like this and showcase their exceptional industry talents.”

As well as a trophy and the recognition that comes from winning such a coveted prize, the students have been awarded an invaluable, all expenses paid, week of work experience with some of the country’s top chefs in top Michelin-starred restaurants in London including a day at the Park Plaza London, at Murano, courtesy of Angela Hartnett and a day with Tom Booton, Executive Chef at the Grill, Dorchester.

On winning the award, student Shay said: “I can hardly believe that we have been awarded the best college restaurant in the whole of the UK. When they announced our names, we were stunned. Our little restaurant in the far west of Cornwall, has beaten much larger college restaurants. “I finished my Level three course last summer and loved every moment of it. For myself and Emily, this is the icing on the cake celebrating three amazing years at Penwith College.”

Lucy Maggs, College Director, added: “Winning this award is testament to the outstanding teaching staff we have here at Penwith College, not only in Hospitality but across the whole range of courses offered at Penwith college in Penzance. We work to support all of our students to ensure they gain the skills and experiences that will ultimately allow them to gain the job that they desire. The hospitality industry is worth 20% of Cornwall’s economic output and is definitely a place to begin a very bright future.” 

If you’d like to discover why Senara Restaurant has been crowned best in the UK, reservations can be made for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday throughout the college year. Email senara@truro-pebnwith.ac.uk

Visit the College website at truro-penwith.ac.uk to learn more about the professional cookery and hospitality courses available at Senara at Penwith College or visit us on an open event to find out more.

Big tides and a slack market.

Looks like Lionel is making fish soup ce soir...

just a handful of inshore caught fish graced the market floor this morning...

otherwise the chillrooms were empty...

both quays are shortly to be admission by number plate recognition only to meet new H&S requirements...

Winter of Ladram  riding high at the end of the Mary Williams pier...

as the Enterprise has her blackwater tanks emptied...

Amanda of Ladram also riding high...

next boat down the quay is the Ocean Pride which features in episode 1 of the BBC' new fishing series, Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch which will hit your screens on Tuesday 4th of October on BBC1...

early morning high water on a big spring tide finds most of the fleet in port.

Harvest Reaper For Sale.

 "Undoubtedly the finest under 10m trawler produced by a UK yard"

Harvest Reaper was built in 1988 for top Newlyn inshore skipper Bob Yeo to incorporate his ideas on how to get the most out of an under 10m boat. She was built by Abels in Bristol who had a reputation both for solid construction and innovative design. Their partnership created a roomy multi-purpose vessel capable of both stern and beam trawling.

Her massive beam and draught created a stable boat that allowed for a forward engine room and large 160 box fishroom resulting in a quiet 4-berth accommodation aft.

Main particulars:

• length oa                11.88m/39ft
• length reg               9.96m/32.5ft
• breadth mid            4.88m/16ft
• depth mid               2.8m/9.2ft
• draft aft                  2.4m/8ft
• gross tonnage         21.77

Engineroom:

Access to the engineroom is via a hatch sheltered beneath the roomy whaleback. The main engine is a Cummins QSM11 (11000 hrs) which provides 300hp/22kw at 1800rpm driving through a Twin Disc MG5143.8-1 reduction gearbox to a Teinbridge 47ins four-bladed prop housed in a Kort nozzle. New fuel pump and injectors.

Electric throughout the vessel are 24v DC with two sets of batteries charged from an engine driven alternator. Two main fuel tanks have a capacity of 1000 gallons/4,500 litres housed in the engineroom along with a 100 gallon hydraulic tank.

Sodena and Maxsea plotters repeater screen under the forward whaleback

North Sea winch and fishroom hatch.

Deck Machinery:

The four-barrelled main winch is rated at 3.6 tons with 300mm whipping drums, new bearings four years ago. Aft gantry mounted Spencer Carter net drum. Controls for the winch are both local and wheelhouse. Duplicate radar and plotter screens mounted by the winch under the whaleback.

Accommodation:

The accommodation comprises four berths, gas cooker and Refleks oil heater.

In the wheelhouse is a Furuno FV1150 colour sounder, Icon M55 VHF, Koden MD3000 radar, 2 x GPS, 2 x VHF, AIS, Radar along with Sodena and Maxsea plotters with additional repeater screens under the forward whaleback.

Dyneema warps but can be swapped for wire if required. The boat has a full stability book.

Harvest Reaper featured in the BBC's This Fishing Life, series 2. 

The vessel is available immediately for £180,000 ono - currently berthed in Newlyn 

Cornish sardine fishery celebrates a win for sustainability!

On a shelf near you, Tesco's finest Cornish Sardines.

A small-scale, sustainable sardine fishery in Cornwall has won the backing of the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, with the launch of a sardine product marking the first time the Cornish sardine is being canned in the UK for sale within the domestic market.  

The launch of the new Tesco Cornish sardine product follows a remarkable turnaround for the fishery after pilchards were rebranded as Cornish sardines in the 1990s later becoming certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Fisheries Standard in 2010.  The news comes during MSC UK’s Sustainable Seafood Week (September 16 to 23), a nationwide celebration of sustainable fish and seafood, that asks consumers to only choose seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel for this week and beyond.

The Cornish sardine fishery is made up of 15 vessels under 15m in length, usually consisting of a skipper and two crew. The vessels, which use ring nets, leave from Newlyn, Mevagissey, Falmouth and Plymouth from the start of the season in July through to February.

Tom Pascoe, relief skipper of the Serene Dawn, who is one of the fishermen who supplies to Tesco, said: “This fishery has been a huge success and we want to ensure it goes on as much as possible. It’s fantastic to have this new Tesco product in store and the backing of a major retailer.”

While MSC labelled sardines have previously been available in UK supermarkets, they have mostly been sold fresh on fish counters, or in frozen or chilled packs. Most sardines consumed in the UK are sold in a can and the vast majority of canned sardines sold in UK supermarkets come from Morocco from a fishery that has not yet gained MSC certification. 

In order to start canning this new product in the UK, Tesco has worked closely with International Fish Canners, which has been involved in the fish processing business for over four generations and remains the only fish canning plant in the UK.  

Carmen Stone, Buying Manager for Packaged Food at Tesco said: “Together with our supply partners, Interfish and International Fish Canners, as well as support from MSC, we’ve been working behind the scenes to help our Cornish fishermen and create a wholly British supply chain for Cornish sardines. They really are a versatile, cost-effective lunchtime option, and thanks to their MSC certification, customers can be reassured they’re playing their part in helping to promote healthy and sustainable marine environments.” 

Modern sardine ringnetter Mayflower lays ahead of the lugger Happy Return built in 1905

Sardines, or pilchards as they were previously known, have been fished in Cornwall for 500 years and at the beginning of the twentieth century there were dozens of plants salting pilchards in Cornwall supplying the booming Italian, Spanish and French market. But by the 1980s, with alternatives of fresh and frozen fish, little pilchard fishing took place due to limited market opportunities. 

See how skipper Dan nets 21 tons of sardines with his Cornish ringnetter, Golden Harvest.

In the 1990s, ring nets replaced drift nets and pilchards were rebranded as sardines which led to a rise in demand. 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. 

George Clark, MSC UK & Ireland Programme Director said: “Cornish sardine fishermen have been looking for this kind of support from UK retailers for a number of years and it is fantastic to see that Tesco have now put their catch on the canned aisle shelf at hundreds of stores.

“The Cornish sardine, or pilchard as it used to be known, has an incredible history, a story that goes back centuries, and at one point the preserving of sardines was the bedrock of the local economy for fishing communities in the South West. The canning or preservation of Cornish sardines is as relevant now as it was back then, with the introduction of this new product.”

The Cornish sardine is currently the only MSC certified source of the species (Sardina pilchardus) worldwide. To be certified as sustainable a fishery must fulfil three core principles: the fish stocks must be at a level that fishing can continue, the environmental impact must be minimised and the fishery must be well managed. 

The new canned product, Tesco’s Finest Cornish Sardines in a Rich Tomato, Olive & Caper Sauce, (£1) is available in 767 Tesco stores.