Job Vacancy: Newlyn Deputy Harbourmaster.

A position has become available for the position of Deputy Harbour Master at Newlyn Harbour.

Located in the far Southwest, in the popular destination of Mounts Bay, Newlyn Harbour is a Trust Port set up by an Act of Parliament, with the responsibility to manage the harbour in an open and transparent way as detailed in the Port Good Governance Guide and related statute.

This role is exceptionally varied and will see the successful candidate working with multiple stakeholder groups from the local community, government organisations, harbour users and the general public.

The Deputy Harbour Master is expected to operate at a high level implementing and taking decisions within agreed policy as well as developing policy in relevant areas. Working over public holidays, outside normal business hours and extra hours will be necessary, together with the possibility of being called out in response to significant incidents.

The competitive salary is offered alongside annual leave of 25 days plus public holidays, training support and on-site parking.

A Job description and list off qualifications and experience required can be seen below.

Applications should be made in writing to indicating where you saw the post advertised.

Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners Harbour Office

Newlyn

Cornwall

TR18 5HW

Hervé Berville at Guilvinec: many questions, few answers

 

Hervé Berville meeting professionals in the fishing industry, at the Guilvinec auction. (The Telegram/Benjamin Billot) 

The Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, came to meet fishing professionals on Friday, October 28, at Guilvinec. Fishermen and wholesalers expressed their concerns about the price of fuel and the fleet exit plan.

It is 5:30 a.m. when Hervé Berville gets out of his government sedan, to rush into the Guilvinec fish auction, Friday, October 28. The Secretary of State for the Sea, followed by a handful of local elected officials, is expected by fishing professionals who are facing a new crisis situation.

The price of fuel , which jumped with the war in Ukraine, is the first burning issue. The second is the Brexit-related fleet exit plan, which has reduced the fishing areas accessible to the French. Strategically renamed “individual support plan” by the government, it offers financial support for skippers who choose to send a ship for scrapping.

The visit to the auction is an opportunity for the Secretary of State to discuss with the employees.(The Telegram/Benjamin Billot) 

The visit to the auction is an opportunity for the Secretary of State to discuss with the employees. (The Telegram/Benjamin Billot) After visiting the auction to shake a few hands and discuss with the employees, the Secretary of State and the local elected officials sat around a table, with representatives of the sector, to take stock of the situation. On leaving, Christophe Collin, the boss of the Bigouden Armament , which has eleven offshore vessels, was not really happy: “In a fortnight, we won't have any more help. At the current price of diesel, it will no longer be possible to send ships out to sea”.

The state wants supermarkets to take over Hervé Berville, announced it previously, he wishes that the large distribution take over to finance the assistance with the fuel. An idea reminiscent of the "fish tax", set up between 2007 and 2011 , to help fishermen cope, already, with the increase in the price of diesel.

But the negotiations have not been successful for the moment: “It has not progressed as much as I wanted, gets annoyed Hervé Berville. I asked the government to put the legislative mechanism on the table, to ensure that the contribution of the players in the sector is up to the challenges. I say it once again, the sector must show solidarity. We need to have products from the French fishery on our stalls”.

Hervé Berville in the cutting workshop at the Guilvinec auction. Hervé Berville in the cutting workshop at the Guilvinec auction. (The Telegram/Benjamin Billot) While the end of the aid is approaching, the rest is still not settled: "We will have to make announcements in the coming days", specifies Hervé Berville, who wanted to remind the State of support for fishermen: “We would like there to be boats that go out, to supply the auctions”.

About thirty boats eligible for the fleet exit plan The fleet exit plan is another sensitive topic discussed during the visit. Eligibility conditions and financial compensation were published at the beginning of October. Christine Zamuner, mayor of Loctudy and vice-president of the community of communes of the Pays bigouden sud in charge of the economy, assures that, out of the fifty deep-sea vessels in the ports of Cornouaille, around thirty are eligible for the plan and could submit a file. A figure from an estimate by the local fisheries committee.

To read on the subject Brexit: the conditions of the fleet exit plan for dockside fishermen However, not all applications submitted will necessarily be accepted. Choices will be made at the level of the regional prefecture and the State undertook, during the meeting this Friday morning, to be vigilant so as not to “unbalance the territories”. Shipowners will have until November 18 to submit their applications.

Storm ground sea swell in Newlyn.

Moving boats made all the more difficult as a heavy ground swell flows past the harbour lighthouse. After a refit lasting six months the Trevessa IV is ready to take ice and fuel for her maiden voyage with a new 900hp cCaterpillar main engine.

Seafarers' Charity safety film for fishing vessels.

 

The Seafarers’ Charity has funded a new information film to help fishers meet new MCA inspection standards.

In partnership with the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) and supported by the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG) the film is aimed at helping all owners to prepare for their MCA inspection following changes to the regulations for fishing vessels under 15 metres.

The Seafarers’ Charity aims to make working at sea safer for all and ensuring fishers can work and return home safely from voyages without experiencing harm or an accident is a big part of that.

The Seafarers’ Charity has supported the production of the film which highlights the changes to the MCA’s inspections of under 15-metre vessels. It will help owners to get their vessels ready for survey as well as signposting resources to help prepare for a successful inspection.

Charles Blyth, Risk, Safety & Training Lead at the NFFO identified that many fishers were not aware of the changes to the MCA’s inspection regime and were therefore finding themselves tied up and prevented from fishing for longer periods because they did not meet the new requirements. Charles approached The Seafarers’ Charity with his idea for a short film to help share information on preparing for the new inspection requirements. As a previous Marine Surveyor with the MCA, Charles is well placed to help fishing vessel owners and the wider industry maintain high safety standards for their crews and their vessels.

'Recently, the under 15 metre fleet has seen some significant changes to the MCA inspection requirements including new stability tests and an out of water inspection, with some vessels struggling to meet all the requirements and therefore being tied up and unable to fish. We have made this information film to support all owners of under 15-metre vessels.' 

Charles Blyth, Risk, Safety & Training Lead at the NFFO

#FishyFriday in Newlyn.

 

Late Thursday evening saw the Ajax back in town after her refit - looking very spruce indeed!..

Rowse's latest crabber to join the fleet, Francesca...

a juvenile black backed, it will be interesting to see just how many birds there are in the harbour next year after bird-flu ravaged the local gull population...

first light at high water and the fleet is ablaze...

most of this morning's fish came from two beam trawl landings...

along with a good run of mackerel from the smallest boats from around the area that supply Newlyn with handline caught fish...

the top team on the case this morning...

it was fish from the Cornishman...

and St Georges that supplied the bulk of the auction with fish like these Dover sole...

megrim...

lemons...

ray...

cracking tub gurnard...

a pair of greater weavers...

beautiful turbot...

and bass...

anyone would think there wasn't a market out there for monk cheeks and livers, untouched monk heads all going for pot bait...

a fine Mediterranean octopus...

red mullet...

and john Dory topped off the quality end of things...

while this meaty conger...

and cod provide the flavour for some...

the doleful eyed ray...

there was also a good supply of prime brill...

and a few boxes of the chippy's favourite, whiting...

and this beauty, one of the largest plaice ever landed on the market for many years...

down the quay, the working deck of a crabber...

after a month long refit it's time to put all the hake nets back aboard the Ajax...

and after a six months major refit including a new Caterpillar engine skipper Mike is chomping at the bit to get away and get the first haul in...

but before then it's a case of slipping out from inside the Karen N...

under the watchful eye of Stevenson's fleet manger Abby...

it's a tight squeeze when air is in short supply...

but with assistant harbourmaster Roger supervising what can go wrong...

heading back in, the Karen N...

heading back out, the crabber Emma Louise...

time to take ice and fuel for her first post-refit trip....

a timelapse of the early morning action.

Recommendations for advancing the Joint Fisheries Statement

Associate, Dr Bryce Stewart (York) contributed to this list of 8 recommendations for improving the draft Joint Fisheries Statement, which has been developed by the four UK administrations. The final JFS is expected in November 2022.

In Cornwall (Brittany) , the octopus, a diversely appreciated invader

This article is a translation from the French newspaper, Le Télégramme - in France the region of Brittany translates as Cornwall - there are are strong ties between the two, especially with language - undoubtedly, in days gone by, Cornish and Breton fishermen could speak together in their own language and make themselves easily understood.

In the port of Loctudy, since January there have been 130 tonnes of octopus landed (186 tonnes in 2021). (File photo)

"For a year, octopus fishing, which proliferates on the Cornish coast and more particularly at the Glénan level, has intensified to the detriment of crustaceans or fish such as pollack, bass or sea bream. This is not without consequences for the local market. “The direct consequence is the radical change of activity. This does not really concern coastal fishing or langoustine fishing but the small boats that work in the coastal strip of 10-12 nautical miles. They started fishing for octopus permanently. It is extremely lucrative for them and we can understand them. The problem is that the species they were fishing until now, we no longer have them? regrets Emmanuel Garrec, fishmonger in Loctudy whose company Terre de Pêche delivers baskets of fish and shellfish to individuals. 

This concerns both pollack, sea bass, sea bream and flatfish, which are popular with local consumers. He cites the example of the sale at the auction of Concarneau, at the beginning of last week where there were 20 tonnes of goods including 16 tonnes of octopus. “It is revealing! he says. At the Loctudy auction, we have been unloaded since January at 130 tonnes. The total was 186 tonnes in 2021. br>
Here, people don't have the culture of eating octopus at all. We're not going to eat octopus salad three times a week. 

“Much less diversity for our customers”

“The problem is that we have nothing to offer. The few goods, apart from the octopus, are overpriced. We are out of step with other regions such as the Channel, Normandy or Boulogne, which have no octopus problem”, continues the fishmonger. “Here, people don't have the culture of eating octopus at all. It remains an occasional product. It is not a product that can be marketed. For one kilo of octopus tentacles to eat, you need 4 kg of octopus. When you pay it €8, you have to multiply it by four. People wouldn't understand the price,” says Emmanuel Garrec. “Some products are out of stock, such as cakes, spider crabs or lobsters, and this also has an impact on the price of fish. We wait. There is not much to do despite good fishing quotas,” 

An export market to Spain and Portugal

Carmen Desnos, in charge of exports within the fish trading company Furic tide in Guilvinec, seized this market and saw its sales explode. “Since September of last year, we have sold 650 tons of octopus. There is a deposit on the Glénans and, every morning, at the moment, we are at 13 or 14 tonnes landed under the Concarneau auction. There are a good two dozen boats to fish for pot and octopus pot. They learned everything by getting closer to what is done in Morocco or Spain. We, it's the same for purchases, packaging, we learned as we went along”, she describes “It goes mainly to Spain, Portugal. These are large factories that process the octopus to offer it vacuum-packed or frozen. The best way to tenderise it is freezing,” she adds. This proliferation of octopus on the Glénan site will again have an impact. “This year again, there will be no scallops. There is also a lack of fish because they do not put nets or lines,” admits Carmen Desnos."

Full story here.