France Pelagique have been posting from their fleet of freeze trawlers during the start of this season's herring fishery in the North Sea and Channel.
Another herring fishing report, this time from the freezer trawler, Africa.
"Not only in June but also in December we fish for herring every year. The herring swims in large schools through the North Sea to the south to the Channel. Our trawlers catch the herring there and freeze it on board for the African and Asian market. The crew of the SCH-24 Africa tells more about the coming days and shows the fishing on board."
At the same time, Patrice Noel, chief engineer of the Scombrus made his last trip. Here is a testimonial to him and his life at sea aboard these large ships.
"On November 27th, the chief engineer of the Scombrus, Patrice Noël, left us for his last trip.
All the teams of France Pélagique wanted to pay tribute to him through this podcast. Because Patrice had this will pegged to his body: to learn, always and again; transmit, again and again.
This tribute is above all a testimony. Testimony of a fisherman on his life as a sailor and his relationship to the sea, the ships or the crews with whom he worked.
Testimony also for the younger generations, in order to share with them the singularity of the fishing professions, rich in discoveries and apprenticeships.
Testimony of a commitment to a job well done, with passion but always with humility.
It is now up to us to perpetuate what Patrice has brought us so much, humanly and professionally, in a perpetual quest for innovation and improvement of the existing.
On land and at sea, we will try to keep his memory alive. Thank you Patrice.
For some, this will be a chance to practice your French speaking skills.
Fishing not far from the Scombrus, the Africa is a member of the the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA) whose members fish high-quality December herring in the Channel alongside the Africa.
The PFA, whose members include some of the largest fishing companies in the world including Parlevliet & Van der Plas Group and the Cornelis Vrolijk fishing companies in the Netherlands own the largest factory ships fishing in European waters. See the full list of participating vessels below.
PFA members specialise in fishing pelagic fish such as herring, (horse) mackerel and blue whiting. These pelagic species constitute a huge biomass and the shoals of fish can be as big as the island of Malta.
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The PFA says that many independent studies have given evidence that the carbon footprint of pelagic fisheries is the lowest of all forms of animal protein production.
They say:
“Because pelagic fish migrate through the water column (away from the seabed) in huge, homogeneous shoals, vessels from PFA members can fish very selectively, using high-tech equipment such as sonar. As a result, by-catch levels are no more than around 1%.
“Pelagic freezer-trawlers of PFA members are larger than most other pelagic trawlers and are almost unique for our processing and freezing space onboard, which makes up around 70% of the vessel’s size. This allows for longer fishing trips and less fuel consumption from returning to port.
“In pelagic fishing, it is an economic necessity to apply economies of scale due to the very large volumes of fish involved and tough international competition in the seafood market. As always, PFA members are committed to fishing these large volumes within the applicable quota, which are based on a very solid scientific basis.”
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| Some of the PFA supertrawlers working in the English Channel. Image: Vessel Tracker |
Pelagic fish are seasonally abundant in specific areas. Therefore, specific species are better fished on specific fishing grounds and in specific months of the year. December is the season for the MSC-certified North Sea herring’s population in the English Channel. Its quality is now optimal.
Herring is very healthy because it contains high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals, along with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that are an essential part of a healthy diet. In addition, this herring from PFA members is very affordable. Around 90 percent of all our fish is destined for markets outside Europe, especially African countries where food security is not always certain.
Several freezer-trawlers from PFA members will be fishing in the English Channel these weeks and they have moved to dispel the public’s concern over them saying that despite some claims that large vessels or “supertrawlers” are less sustainable than smaller vessels, they like to continue to tell the factual story about their vessels:
Not the size of the vessel, but scientifically derived quotas determine how much freezer-trawlers can fish.
Our fishing operations are within the allocated quotas.
Pelagic fishing is not in competition with small scale fishers. It’s only a different speciality which focuses on almost entirely different stocks, different fishing grounds and different markets.”
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