Survey ship, Jorgen Amundsen on the slip.

 

Scottish prawn trawler Orion is the latest to make a landing in Newlyn...

while the skipper of the Jorgen Amundsen plans to locate the wreck of cargo vessel MV Mark that sank on the same night as the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster.  The MV Mark got into difficulty off Penzance, Cornwall, on the night of 19 December 1981, resulting in six crew losing their lives. The vessel has never been found and identified, although debris was found. Fredrik Lunde says he hopes to find the ship and get more information for the families of its crew. The bulk carrier, loaded with China clay, suffered engine failure and lost contact with the coastguard. Fredrik Lunde became interested in the MV Mark after locals in Penzance told him about it - debris including a lifebelt was washed up, with the belt now hanging on the wall in a local pub, The Dock in Penzance. The sinking happened on the same night the Penlee lifeboat was dispatched to help the Union Star. Newspaper reports at the time pointed out that 22 lives were lost that night - 16 from the Solomon Browne lifeboat and the coaster it had attempted to reach. Fredrik, who has been in Cornwall since April plans to take out his converted Norwegian rescue ship, which he has been turning into a survey vessel, to examine a possible wreck site some 165ft (50m) deep, about seven nautical miles off Penzance...

meanwhile, the Algrie, the first ex-Dutch beam trawler ever brought to Newlyn is one of the remaining three boats now waiting the return of the tug to tow them to Belgium and the scrapyard - end of an era indeed...

three men and their ladder...

a brighter sign of the changing fortunes and times, the harbour now has its very own electric forklift...

looks like there is still plenty of mending to do before the gear goes back aboard the Spirited Lady III...

and even more work for the guys aboard the Enterprise...

at this time of year the pontoon berths are filled with passing yachts, build it and they will come...

today's mackerel boats have yet to land their morning's catch, now where did the landing book go?...

there was a mix of fish on the market tis morning with quality fish like these hake and red mullet...

and John Dory from the Orion...

landings of mackerel picked up a little last night for the punt men...

you wouldn't want these to be wrapped around you when swimming in the Bay...

staple catch for the beam trawl fleet...

while these make an additional bonus to the landings...

if you know where to go there are still shots of bass to be had...

beam trawlers like the Trevessa IV make the biggest landings of megrim sole...

fish like these red mullet add variety to the trips...

looks like today could be fine.

Monday morning finds the Scottish prawn fleet in Newlyn.

Finally the weather seems to have settled...

which will mean the tug will be back for these two in a few days time...

following the departure of these old stalwarts of Stevenson's fleet...

headed for a scrapyard in Belgium...

with no beam trawlers landed over the weekend it was down to the visiting Scottish prawn boats to fill the market with whole monk...

of all sizes...

the 'bait' that the monk dangles in front of its cavernous jaw can clearly be seen here...

there were good trips from the local inshore trawlers too...

with quality fish like these John Dory...

Couch's bream...

and superb red mullet...

turbot a-plenty...

that often seem to travel in pairs, the up side and downside to veery turbot is clear to be seen...

both types of squid on offer from the Spirited Lady...

while Dovers...

megrim...

and lemon sole from the prawners...

inshore boats continue to pick away on the eight leggers...

the use of seaweed is he traditional way of keeping shellfish like lobsters alive when not able to be kept in seawater...

a fine BBQ treat in the offing...

tow of the prawn fleet...

while the Cornishman undergoes another major overhaul...

Ocean Vision back in Newlyn...

with plenty of trawl work to keep skipper Zander busy...

headed for the slip...

nothing beats the morning light says Breton artist Christophe, currently visiting Newlyn...

along with friends on their yacht...

nearly made it to the cradle...

atypical trawl wear and tear, the combination fishing line has parted at the splice, always a fun job replacing that!...

the latest entries in the slipway record book...

which go back to day one, these from back in the 80s...

'PD', the Slipmeister and his kingdom...

she'll have to wait for high-water this evening before being slipped...

as the cradle needed to be made narrower to accommodate her beam...

a day sailer...

as another visiting prawner arrives...

the Ocean Crest heads in through the gaps.

Catch crabs off Cornwall? Your chance to have your say to IFCA.

 

Cornwall IFCA has launched a Call for Evidence from 17 May to 14 June 2023 to collect detailed views about the management of potting for crabs and lobsters. This follows a questionnaire in 2021 in which active fishermen identified rising fishing effort as being the biggest threat to the long term future of this important fishery which supports over 270 commercial vessels in over 42 Cornish ports. This is supported by our fisheries data which is collected directly from inshore fishermen.

Similar concerns about increasing potting effort for edible crab and lobster were also shared with us during a consultation in December 2022 about the potential use of an emergency byelaw to restrict access to inshore waters by larger vessels. Whilst this byelaw didn’t go ahead, there has been continued support across Cornwall for effort to be controlled, particularly for edible crab.

A national fisheries management plan for crabs and lobster is under development and our work at a local level will link into that process as it emerges.

This Call for Evidence focuses on options which have been highlighted by inshore fishermen as being the most important ways to manage effort. These are listed on a flyer which we have circulated.

Click here to download the flyer.

For each of the options listed, we would like to know;

if there is support for it and if so; how could it be practically used inshore? If an option isn’t the best solution, why wouldn’t it work? It is likely that one option alone may not provide the solution and it may require a mixture of different approaches.

If you would like to submit a response please complete the form on this page.

Information and ideas received through this call for evidence will feed directly into the development of new management measures to support the future of these key fisheries.

Click here to see our Privacy Policy describing how we will handle your personal data. 

MMO announces the results of I-VMS device testing

 

Industry update on the results of I-VMS device testing, as MMO confirms its ongoing commitment to support fishermen.

Fishers will continue to be supported by MMO following the outcome of the independent testing on Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (I-VMS) devices and are assured that upcoming legislation is on pause and will only come into effect once roll-out has been fully completed.

I-VMS devices are required to monitor inshore fishing activity to improve marine management and sustainability, ensure proper fishing practices and prevent illegal fishing to help protect and enhance the livelihoods of fishers.

Legislation in the form of a Statutory Instrument is due to come into force making it a legal requirement for all under-12 metre vessels - domestic and foreign - to have an I-VMS device installed and transmitting data to MMO, when they are at sea in English waters. Following the end of independent testing, there is no expectation that government will progress introduction of the legislation until issues with the roll-out of I-VMS devices have been resolved.

As England’s marine regulator, MMO has been leading preparations to support industry, through Type Approval, grant funding and a staged roll-out of I-VMS devices, so that every fisher can be compliant when legislation is eventually introduced.

Four devices were Type Approved in 2021 after suppliers provided evidence of their specification. However last year, following feedback, MMO acted and commissioned independent assurance testing on all four devices to provide assurance. Fishers were advised to wait until the results of this additional testing before choosing and purchasing their I-VMS device.

This independent testing is now complete, and two of the devices have failed the assurance process. Type Approval status will therefore be revoked from Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device and from the Satlink Nano as they have been shown to not meet the original Type Approved specifications set out by MMO. This will be effective from 12:00pm Friday 19 May 2023, subject to final confirmation from MMO. The remaining two devices, Fulcrum Nemo and Succorfish SC2, will remain Type Approved following minor fixes and further review. MMO has therefore taken the decision to temporarily pause the I-VMS roll-out while it works with suppliers and fishers in resolving the issues raised. All fishers are being contacted directly to make them aware of how this affects them, and what steps are being taken to support them if any changes are now needed.

Tom McCormack, MMO Chief Executive, said:

• We remain committed to supporting the industry and fishers, and the feedback received last year could not be ignored.

• In response, MMO acted and commissioned independent testing. After receiving the testing results, we have now taken action to pause I-VMS roll-out and focus on supporting affected fishers.

• I know this news is unsettling and I apologise for this. But we absolutely needed to take action in response to a supplier who has been selling I-VMS devices to fishers that have significant failures against the agreed device specifications.

• I want to assure fishers our priority is to support affected fishers to secure replacement devices.

• MMO can confirm that fishers will be financially supported to secure suitable, replacement devices.

• Fishers will be contacted directly with more information and there is no requirement to take action at this stage.

• Fishers are also being supported via our coastal teams and through a dedicated helpline.

A dedicated helpline has been set up to help with enquiries. Call 01900 508618 Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4.30pm. It will also be operating on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May from 10am to 4pm.

Fish of the week 25 - mackerel

Mackerel has played a huge part in the modern history of Newlyn as a fishing port...

 

throughout the autumn and winter months from the 1970s into the 80s, every boat in the Newlyn fleet under 60ft, plus dozens more from as far afield as Weymouth to the east and Milford Haven to the north rigged themselves with hand-lines and gurdies - a mechanical winding machine with a 7lb lead weight and 24 'feathered' hooks - and fished for mackerel - mackerel shoals were so big they were measured in tens of fathoms deep and five miles or more across by the paper echo sounders of the day - so dense was one shoal that a large merchant ship limped into Falmouth Bay with her seawater-cooling inlet systems choked with mackerel...

eventually, even Newlyn's biggest boats couldn't ignore the fishery any longer and turned to mid-water trawling - seen here is the ports biggest ship at the time, the Silver Harvester and her pair partner Dew-Genen-Ny...

even a few of the port's trawlers like Bobby Laity's, Marina  tried their hand with pelagic gear...

as word of the huge shoals spread, ever larger boats came from far and wide, like the Lowestoft fleet and boats like the Boston Sea Harrier skippered by the legendary Alec Lincoln...

or the huge factory trawlers from Grimsby and Hull, though not everything went quite so well for them as the Conquest found out when she ran ashore near Mousehole on Boxing Day 1977...

or the Bounteous in 1980, where three lives were lost while she was hauling her net, she was one half of two pair trawling teams that came down from Buckie, Heather Sprig, Loranthus and Wave Crest...

at that time, the catches were huge and landings reached hundreds of thousands of tons, however it was not to last, over time, changes in the climate saw the fish head to the west of Ireland - in this 1981 photo, the entire Scottish pelagic fleet anchored in Mounts Bay having searched in line abreast from Plymouth over the previous 12 hours looking for mackerel marks to shoot on...

the year before the Mackerel Box was introduced which banned trawling for mackerel completely...

today most mackerel landed in Newlyn is caught by fishermen using handlines...

and landed, in ice, hours after it is caught. Mackerel is up there with the healthiest and tastiest of fish and can be eaten raw sashimi style, grilled, griddled, baked, soused whole or filleted - one of the best eating fish in the sea according to Michelin starred chef Richard Corrigan who has a mackerel signature dish. Nothing more than a squeeze of lemon on a freshly cooked fish will guarantee the chef gets the nod from all those stood around the barbecue! When Bruce has it on the menu at The Shore in Penzance, you can't go wrong dining at the shore to taste what can be done with this fish that some, surprisingly, won't eat because of its reputation as a 'scavenger'!