Wednesday landing from the new boat, Our Frankie Shan.

First time in Newlyn for the latest addition to the Spirited fleet, Our Frankie Shan...

seen here with sisterships, Spirited Lady III and the Our Charlie Mia...

after she landed her trip at the market...

by a cheerful crew following their three-day shakedown trip, from L-R, mate David Haigh, Tadas Sakalauskas, Brackan Pearce, Ian Murdock, Jamie Smith and Evaldas Labeikis...

the local turnstones always look like they are freezing...

and so they should hundreds of boxes of top quality fish on the market again this morning like these big John Dory...

and monk tails from the new boat and its fellow fleet members...

Brackan's mighty tub gurnard...

alongside some cracking hake from the Ygraine...

there were plenty of ray wings...

and fresh monk tails from the new boat...

while almost no inshore fish except for these grey mullet...

luckily there were plenty of lemons...

and prime flats ready to go...

including turbot...

Dovers...

and whole seine net caught monk...

and plenty of haddock to keep the chip shops supplied...

the Billy Rowney also landed cuttles and octopus...

while the seiner filled a box with roe...

but only managed a single cod for the whole trip...

an empty fish tells a story - bad weather has kept the handliners from getting out to sea...

so the new grader, specifically bought to cater for the inshore boats landing smaller fish like mackerel up to 40cm in length will have to wait for another day for some fish before it is commissioned..

Medicals for fishermen - must read!

Both the NFFO and NUTFA have been working hard on behalf of thousands of inshore fishermen (who represent 80% of the industry) as yet another piece of legislation causes great concern for their livilhood and welbeing.

Folloing up from the call for evidence, NUTFA have had a huge response from fishermen in respect of the problems faced in respect of the MCA medical certification required before the deadline of the end of November 2023. 

They wrote to the CEO of the MCA in respect of the data collated but particularly wasnted to hear from fishermen who have managed a medical condition successfully for five years or more, whilst working at sea as a fisherman, whether this is a physical condition, or simply working whilst being over the weight recommendation of the BMI calculator. The letter to the MCA is available for viewing on the NUTFA Articles section of the website.

 

NUTFA were also nterested in how the Grand Father rights might work as a scheme for those fishermen who have worked successfully at sea with an ongoing medical condition, or for those who are not classed as being of perfect weight ratio. There is now a specific group of fishermen whose condition has been static for over five years at sea, whilst working hard in a fishing environment. 

If this applies to ypu please contact Sara Ready at NUTFA for more information - it could save you from a drastic outcome! sarah@nutfa.co.uk or Whatsapp her on 07402 089170 in the first instance. 

 

The NFFO too has been working with POs around the counyry to gather evidence themselves: 

Charles Blyth writes: "By the 30th November 2023, all UK fishermen will be required to have a certificate of medical fitness.

Although in principle this is a good thing, unfortunately the medical standard being applied to single handed fishermen in the UK is likely to mean that hundreds, if not thousands of small inshore, low impact and sustainable fishing vessels will no longer be able to legally operate, even if the fisherman can demonstrate a safe track record and effective management of their medical condition. Not to mention the additional strain that the assessments will put on an already exhausted NHS.

We at the NFFO are doing everything within our power to encourage the UK government to reconsider their approach to this and to avoid putting existing hard working fishermen out of business."

If you think you or your organisation can help support our fishermen in this, please do not hesitate to contact Charles.

So as not to alaram too many, this comment from a fisherman may help allay some fears:

"I wouldn't panic too much, I've had Eng1 for 20 years, I've got 2 x medical conditions that require medication and the only thing is I can only get a 1 year medical instead of 2 years, I work/have worked with people that have high bmi and high blood pressure and they still got eng1 again only 1 year. As far as I'm aware the science is now saying a bmi between 25 and 30 is healthier than under 25, I know my doctors limit is 30 before action needs to be taken."

The NFFO's position as they see it below:

Resurrection: The fall and rise of industry participation in fisheries science.

 

For all those keen to foster and further increase industry participation Fisheries Science then this lecture from Buckland Professor Steve Buckland reflecting on the development of industry participation in fisheries science and how it influenced his career path. It gives a possible insight as to how fishermen can further increase meaningful participation in the science of what they practice on a daily basis as tey run their fishing business.

Newlyn is full of fish this Monday morning!

Overcast and mizzly time to land for Sid and the boys on the Karen of Ladram, though there fish is headed for the auction at Brixham...

out of the rain the market is end-to--end with fish, mainly from the four big netters that landed over the weekend...

with big trips poof hake from the Ajax...

and when there's still blood on the fish you know its fresh...

next up is the Silver Dawn with more hake...

and some cracking tub gurnards...

the Ocean Pride targets whitte fish hence a good landing of ling...

the inshore boats had their say too with thhis big Mediterranean octopus from the Lisa Leanne...

and a couple of boxes of spider claws from the Katy B...

Bay 2 was in the process of stacks on pallets of fiish being shipped out...

like these boig early season JDs...

and some good sized greater forkbeards...

in amoingst the hake from the Silvver Dawn were these quality haddock...

and at this time of year there is no shortage of hard and soft roe coming ashore...

typical spread for a small inshore boat landing for one day at sea...

decent run of hake from the Stelissa...

while the weekend proved very slack foor the handline fleet...

a gentle remonder to all skippers that iit is time to renew your skippers parking pass...

 crabbers all set to go!

“Bass, pollack, trawl, where is fisheries management headed?" - a familiar story?

“From March 15, the end of the voluntary biological rest period of the association of liners from the tip of Brittany, the member liners working in the Bay of Biscay will return to the sea to search for their main target species: the bass. Not without concern. Indeed, the year 2022 was for most of them the worst they had seen in their entire career.

A disastrous assessment shared with other fleets: the assessment of the bass fishery in the Bay of Biscay is 1,851 tonnes, or 76% of the authorized catch ceiling (2,446 tonnes). How to explain such a poor balance sheet when the management rules have been relaxed in recent years: increase in the national catch ceiling, quarterly limit, increase in the ceiling for off-licences, etc.? In short, the worse the fishing, the more the rules are relaxed…

The basics of “old-fashioned” fisheries management that drove the industry into the wall at the end of the century! So for lack of bass, it was necessary to refer to other species: pollack, snapper. But the situation for pollack seems even worse than that for bass! All the fishermen are unanimous, the pollack resource has decreased very sharply, and we find the same ingredients as for the bass: insufficient scientific knowledge, almost non-existent management measures, minimum size below the size of sexual maturity, intensive fishing in winter, unlimited recreational fishing, virtual disappearance of large individuals, etc. In 2021 in the Bay of Biscay, France landed 600 tonnes of pollack for a fishing quota of 1,200 tonnes, obtained from“high fight” by the Ministry of (over) Fishing. Look for the error!

"We therefore want to move to a situation that would bring down the entire Breton fishing industry..."

The year 2023 is therefore not starting under the best auspices. For handliners as for all the rest of the fleet, and in particular coastal trawlers which are threatened with a ban in marine protected areas from 2030. The latter, and in particular the Natura 2000 areas, represent a very important part of the coastal zone, and many ships have been working there without any restriction measures for several decades. We therefore want to move abruptly from a situation decried by ecologists where everything is allowed or almost, to a situation that would bring down the entire Breton fishing industry. 

Could we at some point find our sanity? Yes, fishing still needs to progress so that we can finally find a healthier ocean, but socio-economic issues must also be taken into account before defining dates and cutting measures with such strong impacts: fishing is a socio-ecosystem with many interdependencies between actors: auctions, fish trade, shipyards and equipment, etc. We have lost too many boats and sailors for too long, all to the benefit of increasingly intensive or industrial fishing. Applying such a measure is a jackpot for industrial fishing!

Furthermore, we ourselves could be prohibited from fishing for the sand eel that we use as bait with our small sand eel trawls, on the underwater dunes located in the areas concerned. It is essential to better protect the marine environment, but this cannot be done by sacrificing most of our industry. 

Full story courtesy by Gwen Pennarun, liner and president of the tip of Brittany liner association.

Biggest UK beamer launch, Admiral Gordon to join the South West fleet!

Parkol Marine were excited to announce the launch of New Build 058 at Middlesbrough on Friday. Many of their followers have been looking forward to seeing the completed vessel...

So it's congratulations to the vessel owners on the launch of Admiral Gordon PH-330, a 27.3m LOA beam trawler. It has been a pleasure working with you all, best wishes from everyone at Parkol...

The vessel will undergo completion and commissioning work over the next few weeks before sailing to Whitby at the beginning of April for final trials...

then travel to her home port of Plymouth for an official Christening before taking up fishing duties.

A special thanks to the designers SC McAllister as well as our landlord, Port of Middlesbrough,

Sarens crane company,

and all of our employees,

 and suppliers who worked on the Project AV Dawson Limited.

Admiral Gordon is the first over 20-metre beam trawler to be designed and built in the UK for 30 years, a massive achievement to all involved, British Manufacturing at its best!

We look forward to seeing her pay a visit to newlyn in the future where she will replace the old Admiral Gordon, her name is synonymous with some great British seafaring history!

Plymouth-based beam trawler, Admiral Gordon is owned by Interfish, white fish processors and merchants from Plymouth.  For many years the Gordon was skippered by the popular Newlyn fisherman, Archie Donaldson before his untimely death in 2012.

In 2008 the boat, skippered by Archie, undertook a series of Seafish gear trials under the auspices of Gus Caslake investigating the potential use of outrigger trawls (a style of fishing popular in Australia) fishing for flats, langoustine and cuttlefish. 

A similar trial was carried out by the Brixham beam trawler, Linquenda back in 1983 fishing with two IC Prawn trawls on the Smalls SW of Milford. 

The full story of the Admiral Gordon trials can be read here.

The Admiral Gordon is one of three identical boats, the other boats in the Interfish fleet are the Admiral Grenville and the Admiral Blake. 

Admiral Gordon was once described as the 'Last of Nelson's captains' and thought to be the principal model for the heroic character of CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower.  In 18811 he lost a leg after a cannonball shattered a knee in the Battle of Lissa and spent the rest of his life with a wooden leg. 

Interestingly, the prefix admiral is a misnomer for Blake who was actually ranked as a 'General at Sea' - himself being credited with being the founding father  of the British Navy and the first to introduce rules of engagement of the kind used by Nelson to defeat the French and Spanish on many occasions.

Unlike Blake, who was first and foremost a soldier, Admiral Grenville had Navy blood coursing through his veins, his father being the unlucky Robert Grenville, captain of the Mary Rose at the time of her sinking. Grenville was keen to pursue fame and fortune and with an air British superiority and the kind of thinking that would eventually lead to the creation of the British Empire he submitted this patent in 1574:

"Supplication for a new navigation, permission to seek rich and unknown lands, to discover and annex all or any lands, islands, and countries beyond the Equinoxial, or where the Pole Antarctic hath any elevation above the horizon, such lands not being already possessed by any other Christian Prince. The planting of people and habitations in strange and unknown lands. Need not offend foreign powers or provoke war, provided no attempts were made to take from other civilised nations anything they already possess. Such expeditions should be composed of voluntary adventurers; but under patronage and benediction of the Crown; the leaders having authority from the Queen to require that obedience, quiet, unity, and order be maintained. Gilbert an m'self having pointed out to her Majesty that such undertakings would provide work and livelihood for many of her subjects; and also bring honour and strength to Your Majesty with immortal fame, … besides great enrichment of Your Highness and your country, with increase and maintenance of the Navy."

Grenville was one of many Devon and Cornish sailors who plundered the high seas with their privateers (Killigrew House near Truro was one such estate built on the rewards of 'legitimate' piracy) but would go down in history as the captain of the Revenge who singlehandedly and suicidally took on 53 Spanish ships off Flores in the Azores. The battle saw him decimate the Spanish fleet in a battle over three days that cost him his life through injury - ironically, most of the fleet including the Revenge were lost in a huge storm a few days later. Tennyson's poem, 'The Revenge: A Battle of the Fleet' tells the story in graphic detail.

Closer to home, the inshore boat, Lady Hamilton boasts a connection with Britain's greatest naval commander - a story for another day.

Fish of the Day - week 18 - the grey gurnard

On this #FishyFriday and the spiky subject of fish species, let's take a moment to send some fish-love and 'all the best' thoughts to one of Newlyn's most enduring characters; fish market boss and walking database of every fish that has been landed on the marlet for the last fifty years or more to our very own Lionel.

Lionel referring to his fish bible and sharing info on the Greenland shark with assistant harbour,aster Jedna.

The man is a veritable walking encyclopaedia of fish facts and is the go-to person whenever the harbour has educational or indeed royal visits. 

Lionel at the forefront of yet another royal visit, seen heand giving Camilla and the then Prince Charles the lowdown on many of the fish landed at Newlyn during their visddit in 2022.

Lionel is a keen angler himself so will be itching to get a rod in his hand again after major heart surgery from the trusty cardiolgy team up at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth - all the best Lionel!

Grey and red guranrd side-by-side

Tons of gurnards are landed in Newlyn every week. The majority are red gurnard as can be seen from this box but in amongst the splash of red skins are a smattering of grey. These tasty fish are caught by trawlers in the fleet and can be found at any depth and on any kind of seabed. Many of the fish too small to eat are sold to the crabbing fleet for pot bait.

Gurnards are bizarre looking fish with a large bony head and distinctive snow plough shaped profile. For years they were thrown back or used as bait by fishermen but in recent years people have realised that they make great eating and their popularity is on the rise. Gurnards use modified fin rays as feeling legs as they feel their way around on the seabed tasting and feeling for their prey, crustaceans and worms

As the Cornwall Good Seafood Guoode tells us, "Gurnard have historically been discarded and only recently have they been appreciated as a food fish. Gurnards are fast growing and abundant fish although more research is needed to ascertain how well gurnard stocks are fairing their populations seem to be stable in Cornish waters. Avoid eating gurnards less than 25cm in length and during spawning season (April – August). There is some indication that stocks are ok from The EVHOE-WIBTS-Q4 survey, which, has shown a slight increase in abundance in red gurnard stocks in the Celtic sea and the bay of Biscay, since its beginning in the 1990's."

Management is currently minimal, gurnard are a non quota spcies and there are no limits on catches. Landings to Cornwall are steady around 20 tonnes per year. In 2019 a total of 26 tonnes of red gurnard were landed to Cornish ports with a value of £54k (MMO data)."