There's much fish on the mid-week market in Newlyn.

Overcast from dawn till dusk is what they are saying; Spring is not quite sprung properly just yet it seems......

but that doesn't have much affect with a big mix of fish including last week's fish of the week, scad on the market this morning, with the fish mainly from a few of the bigger netters and the inshore and handline fleet...

this cracking example of a cuttlefish found its way into a beam trawl...

while the Britannia V landed a good shot of hake...

under the watchful eye of Mr Market Manger sporting the latest in fishy headgear courtesy of Comfish...

luckily the boats don't have to dump these fine eating fish when they find them coming up in the nets en masse...

though there is still an Area VII quota per month on spurdogs...

looks like the Stelissa gave the turbot gear a go this trip...

and fine looking fish they are too...

typical sort of trip from an inshore trawler for two or three hauls taken in the daylight hours...

which included a few boxes of bass...

big white fish like these haddock...

from the netters...

along with ling helped keep the buyers busy...

sadly, the port lost a young fisherman last week in sad circumstances ashore, Kyle Knipes was a popular young member of the crew and boats in the fleet are donating boxes of fish from their trips to help his young family ind dealing with their loss...

plenty of stars on the market this morning...

and megrims too, each box has a layer of perforated film to protect the top fish from ice marks...

more sharks coming ashore, both tope...

and dogs...

silver fish from the Silver dawn...

there's enough pf these fine fish to warrant the tags being added to them which hopefully will also attract a premium price fo these beautiful bass...

Barry's been at the mackerel...

both sides of dinner plate sized turbot...

it was up to the inshore beamer to supply the Dovers...

and lemons...

that's it for the last load headed to Port Isaac and young Mr Cleave this morning...

unusual to see a flint type boulder in this neck of the woods...

Mousehole Harbour now has a new harbourmaster...

and it is none other than ex-fisherman and Penlee lifeboat cox, Neil Brockman - seen here supervising the scrapping of Stevenson's last remaining wooden beam trawler back on 2007, a man with a huge amount of knowledge and experience as befits the post of harbourmaster...

Poole registered Harvey Grace makes her way to the fish market...

as another punt heads in after a morning on the mackerel...

quiet enough this morning...

every day sees something towed up...

and all the bigger boats carry these bags in which to put ashore any seabed rubbish they pick up during the course of a trip...

Richard, the fleet owner - interestingly, if you fish with sail then quotas do not apply......

new fenders continue to take shape.

Fishermen all around the shores of the UK are under a grave threat - The Clearances Again - Angus MacPhail

On top of ever-increasingly over-zealous regulations from the likes of the MMO, MCA and MSC et al come even more devastating proposals to change where fishermen can fish - where they have done in some cacses for centuries.

An industry post today and an incredibly important one for any and all of you who like me, value our wonderful British seafood. Fishermen all around the shores of the UK are under a grave threat. Draconian top-down and ill-advised legislation is set to determine the futures of one of our oldest, most dramatic, essential and until recently, revered occupations.

A toxic combination of poorly thought through government policy, loaded and supported with biased and dogmatic, unproven assertions from well-funded and single agenda organisations, is making life unbearable for many of our historic fishing communities. Indeed, their very existence hangs on a precipice and none more so than in the case of the Scottish West Coast, where HMPAs (Highly Protected Marine Areas) are destined to occupy a devastating 20,000 square miles of sea area, barred to any form of economic activity. Even a hand line for mackerel !!

It’s a clear and present danger to our coastal communities and livelihoods derived from the sea’s wild harvest.

The UK fishing industry is a relatively small but incredibly significant sector, which if left to wither, will lead to devastating consequences for fishing community socioeconomics and their own sustainability.

Hospitality need to be made aware of this. Those delicious langoustine, crab, scallop and lobster that so many chefs delight in using, will become increasingly expensive or even unavailable. We must support our fishermen in whatever locality, but here in the Western Isles the threat is immediate and seriously affecting the mental health of all involved, many of whom have been working their local waters for generations.

If you value local, seasonal British seafood, eaten either at home or abroad, then please consider this threat seriously and the realisation that the identity of Britain’s harbours and coastlines could change irreparably.

And this from The Female Fisherman: thefemalefisherman 

"Every small scale fisherman in this country is under threat, if you stop and take a look around at the crippling legislations from our various governing organisations the future looks barren!. At the moment the fishermen on the west coast of Scotland are facing being an endangered species with highly protected marine areas threatening to stop their very existence… . But you can help… you can sign the petition (link in bio) or answer the consultation (which I must say is not the easiest option or very accessible to anyone) or download/stream @skipinnish_ protest song ‘the clearances again’ I fear that this will be another nail in the coffin for the British fishing industry if we don’t start standing together and fighting back against those that set to delete us. 

Thank you for taking the time to read, listen and support an industry at threat of dying out"

Of course it is not just the Uk that is being affected as can be seen from the response above. Globalisation and rampant consumerism is shaping the world we live in to the extent that the actions of these ever-growing multinationals is having the same devastating affect the world over - and not in a good way. You have to wonder just what sort of work today's grandchildren will inherit.

Angus MacPhail's song, The Clearances Again is one man's small protest at the way things are headed in just his part of the world where many in his position see the much of his homeland, Scotland being reduced to a giant theme park.

The Clearances Again - Angus MacPhail 

Farewell to the cliffs of Mingulay And the shores of the Sandray Sound And the glow of a boat well laden Steaming north when you’re homeward bound.

Donald Francis MacNeil is my name, I’m a fisherman through to the bone. I have lived by the creel and the wave To provide for a family and home. Generations before me have followed The toil and the call of the seas But the soul will be torn from our future And the heart from the Hebrides.

I have hauled through the stacks and the arches And learned from the old in my youth. Ten thousand seabirds my chorus The sea is my way and my truth. At one with the ocean, with nature, The world above and below, The harvest of harmony’s circle But my life and my living must go For the fashions of urban ideals Where passions of ignorance play To the lies of political deals - No care for the lives in their way.

My people, my language, my Island And the rights that our forefathers won To remain on the soil of our homeland By the sweep of a pen will be gone - A wrecking ball through our existence; Tradition and culture condemned At the hands of the arrogant stranger - The Clearances over again.

But we’ll join with the kin of our coastline From Ness to the Holy Isle. Faceless grey suits from the cities, They will not play games with our lives. My song marks a fight for survival A Mayday call we cry. We will stand for the rights of our children. We will not let our islands die.

The same issues are being hotly contested in France:

Fishermen demonstrate brest death of fishing FRED TANNEAU AFP

LIKE THE THERMAL CAR, BOTTOM TRAWLING IS DOOMED TO DISAPPEAR 

The ban on bottom trawling proposed by the European Commission has set fire to the powder leading to "dead days" for the first time in the ports. However, this technique, much criticised for its environmental impact and very fuel-intensive, is doomed to disappear if France wants to achieve its climate objectives.

"Dead days in ports". A first for the sector. At the end of March, hundreds of angry fishermen left their boats at the dock to protest. "We are here to tell Europe: stop your bullshit" , testifies Yann, a Breton fisherman interviewed by Le Télégramme. In the line of sight, the proposal made at the end of February by the European Commission to ban bottom trawling gear in marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030 because they "are among the most widespread and devastating activities for the seabed and the habitats associated with it," she explains.

One more injustice, denounce the fishermen, already cornered by Brexit, fishing quotas, rising fuel prices or even the restriction of fishing in certain areas of the Bay of Biscay in order to preserve dolphins . “The accumulation of standards, threats, litigation calls into question the very foundation of our profession by making us feel guilty for exercising our professions”, notes the National Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming (CNPMEM), which represents the sector. . " The cup is full."

"In 30 years, the trawl will have disappeared, a bit like the thermal car" For France, the ban on bottom trawling would eliminate a third of the fleet and leave 4,350 sea fishermen unemployed, according to calculations by the CNPMEM. “Today, bottom gear produces half of French fishing, i.e. nearly 204,000 tonnes for a value of around 500 million euros”, details the Committee in a press release . "More broadly, the door is wide open to even more imports from third countries such as China, Russia or Norway! (…) We are not playing Russian roulette with the future of a sector “, concludes Olivier Le Nézet, its president.

The Pleine Mer association, which has been working for a sustainable transition in fishing for four years, also recognises that " as things stand, such a measure would have catastrophic socio-economic impacts". And it is the artisanal fishermen who would be the first affected. “75% of the boats in the MPAs are artisanal, explains to Novethic Thibault Josse, the coordinator of Pleine Mer. We tend to think that artisanal fishing is necessarily good for the environment, but this is not always the case. In the bay of Saint-Brieuc for example, covered by an MPA on 20% of its surface, we are talking about family businesses that would go out of business if the use of the dredge was banned overnight.

However, the association also insists on the fact that banning trawling is inevitable in MPAs. "In 30 years, the trawl will have disappeared, a bit like the thermal car. And nothing will change, it's public opinion that wants that: we can't say that areas are protected if we use fishing techniques that have an impact on the environment. So you might as well prepare for this ban". It thus proposes to review the MPA zones in consultation with the fishermen and to financially encourage them to gradually turn to new alternative fishing techniques.

Trawling is 'the most fuel-intensive fishing method in Europe'

At the heart of the sector's transition, there is also its decarbonization in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels as much as possible, what is more in a context of soaring prices. However, as the NGO Oceana reminds us in a report on the subject published on February 1, trawling is " the most fuel-consuming fishing method in Europe" because trawlers need a significant tractive force. to pull the trawl. In addition to environmental protection, the end of the trawl therefore also has an economic advantage.

Thus, the NGO proposes to tackle the fuel subsidies paid to fishermen. Diesel is indeed tax-exempt for professional fishermen. However, according to a report published by Our Fish on April 12 on EU subsidies, " with a tax of 33 cents per liter in 2019 (the minimum level of taxation applicable to fuels), the EU could have paid the salaries 20,000 fishermen for one year or 6,500 energy reduction and decarbonisation projects" . These discussions could be initiated within the framework of the revision of the European directive on energy taxation.

Need for a democratic debate

And if this crisis, this historic movement initiated by fishermen, was finally an opportunity to transform itself sustainably in the face of the climate emergency, the decline of biodiversity, the energy crisis but also the lack of attractiveness of the profession among young people . Yes, but "the French artisanal fishing sector is facing a political class totally disconnected from the realities of fishermen and 'representative' institutions that are increasingly plagued by industrial fishing lobbies", regrets Pleine Mer . also a very solitary profession, where it is difficult to organize collectively ", adds Thibault Josse.

Among one of the demands of the "Angry Fishermen" movement who demonstrated at the end of March, there was precisely the dissolution of the National Fisheries Committee*. He is also accused of having set fire to the powder. The Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, is also highly criticised. He has in fact affirmed on several occasions that the Plan published by the European Commission on bottom trawling would " condemn French artisanal fishing and lead it to disappear, not in 10 years, tomorrow ", suggesting that it was binding, which has never been the case. It was just a proposal.

Then after traveling to Brussels, the government and the Fisheries Committee congratulated themselves on the in reality imaginary "victory" they had won. Therefore, the Bloom association filed a complaint against Hervé Berville before the Court of Justice of the Republic for his "misleading remarks" which "damaged the possibility of leading an informed and peaceful democratic debate concerning the transitions that we must begin". As a reminder, in this explosive context, the offices of the French Office for Biodiversity were set on fire in Brest.

Full story here

Magic Monday morning in Newlyn.

Nothing like some fresh hake from the netter Ygraine to kickstart the week's fish auction in Newlyn...

along with some good sized haddock...

and early season spurdogs...

much of the market was filled with inshore fish, Tom's heart must have missed a beat when this cracking turbot dropped onto the deck from the cod end...

just a sample of the superb fish from his weekend trip...

a specimen sized Plus Four or Greater Forkbeard...

the mind-boggling boggle-eyed pollack...

and plenty of ray...

along with good hauls of bass...

 from a mix of inshore boat landings...

and with no beam trawl trips on the market these monk tails and other prime fish will bring premium prices for the boats that landed toady...

especially prime fish like these big turbot...

even good quality white fish will bring out the buyers cheque books...

especially for the more unusual fish like this Couch's bream...

or Mediteranean octopus bound for Falmouth fresh fish shop, Pysk Fish...

looks like Brixham fish auction will be busy tomorrow - circumstances dictate that many of the fish in these boxes which will head up the road by lorry today will be bought on tomorrow's Brixham market only to return to Newlyn for processing, which as regards the environmental impact is hardly an altogether unsatisfactory situation...

also landing a big trip of hake was the netter, Ocean Pride...

hard to guess just how long this pot was rolling around on the seabed before it was towed up...

headed for. quay berth the Ajax...

makes an early start...

on putting some of her nets back in to order...

meanwhile, relief skipper Scotty, is all smiles as he heaves some new buffs aboard the Nichola of Ladram, having missed out on fishing through the 50+ knot wind that skipper Steve Best fished through this time last week,..

as the saying goes, what a difference a day makes...

as his crew land the reliefs skipper's trip of brown crab...

there's still much work to do before the St Georges is back in action after damaging her derrick...

no doubt in the coming years the number of service vessels like this will grow as Newlyn looks to become a major hub port for the energy needs of the country...

the weather is fine enough and the main engines fired up aboard the St Piran maybe she'll get to sea today without getting her decks too wet which just wouldn't do...

the chances of a five-day window in the weather will also see these old boats towed to the scrapyard in the not to distant future.

Fish of the Day - week 21 - horse mackerel.

 

Horse mackerel, or scad as they are better known are an oily fish. They swim in shoals and can be caught in large quantities by boats using pelagic gear like a mid-water trawl or purse net. 

Most of the scad landed in Newlyn are caught as a by-catch when netting or trawling. Occasionally, bottom trawlers will take large hauls when fishing on deeper water grounds like the smalls.

The fish have a tough but shiny skin and a spiny dorsal fin. They can be eaten and are most often grilled or baked in the same way that you might get the best out of their cousins, herring or mackerel. Like mackerel this might be a fish to try out in a sashimi dish.