Fine start to #FishyFriday in Newlyn.

Big clouds pervade a big sky this morning...

but no big landings of fish to speak of, with just the one trip being landed from the beam trawler, Billy Rowney...

which included several tons of cuttles...

along with pollack...

scampi tails...

plaice...

and the staple diet of beam trawlers, Dover sole...

a few boxes of sardines came from the Serene Dawn...

and bass came from a dozen or so inshore boats taking advantage of some good marks...

the auction was all over well before 7am and fish whisked away post-haste to buyers' premises...

the only netter in port was the Rachel of Ladram with her gear on the quay ready for

the crew to take on board...

yet another relic from the past trawled up...

heading in from the gaps, young Tom Pascoe brings in the Charlotte Clare...

and, waiting on the quayside ready to catch the mood of the morning, was local boy made good, cinematographer Josh Richards, currently back 'home' from LA where he now lives...

camera in hand busy scoping the landing action of Tom...

and his trusty crew...

as they put ashore a full trip of sardines...

sometimes a phone will do the job just as well...

as the fish are iced...

into tubs...

in order to keep them in the best possible condition...

from their short journey, the boat having sailed at 5am this morning...

and now with all three tanks full, there's a few hours work yet to land the trip...

under watchful eyes of the ver-hungry gull population...

before the tubs are picked up by forklift...

and taken to the waiting lorry...

a sardine boat of yore, the Barnabas by Tim Hall, is on display in the Jupiter Gallery...

along with a classic Robert Jones seascape.

Plagued with dogs - the reality.

The Kelly of Ladram is a Newlyn based netter that fishes primarily for hake. Skipper Alan Dwan has made his reputation fishing for these fine fish. Skippers have limited control over the type of fish they catch. For some boats, like the pelagic fleet, targeting specific fish is more straightforward - as experienced skippers they have learned to recognise the kind of fish below the boat from the image on their electronic fish-finding screens like echo-sounders and sonar. Boats like the Kelly of Ladram target bottom dwelling fish and the skill of the skipper is finding the right kind of ground at the right time of year with the right tide and weather conditions - and even then, what fish swim into the nets is still largely chance. In 2022 Cefas launched an app for skippers to report their tussles wuth dogfish while at sea. The pioneering technology will allow skippers to report bycatch and plot routes to avoid areas of high spurdog density – all in one place.

Which is where the issue of dogfish - or more accurately - spur-dogfish - become an issue for skippers. It is only in recent years that a fixed number of boats were allowed to land the dogfish they caught - and even then limited to 1 ton per month. The rules were further relaxed at the start of this year to include other vessels. The problem with spurdogs is that they sometimes swim in concentrated 'packs' - and when that happens netters (and trawlers) don't just catch a few they can catch tons. When that happens the nets used, be they gillnet or trawl can be severely damaged - something that no skipper wants as nets are expensive and the time taken to repair or replace the damaged gear can be excessive, especially if repairing the damage is needed.

This is the irony of the situation. Spurdogs do not fetch much money on the ,market - certainly not enough to make it worthwhile ignoring the cost of the damage and effort needed when there are a lot on the ground - which is why you see text messages from skippers like Alan posting his 'office' view with a message home like the one below...

 

Back in the late 1970s and early 80s many of the Newlyn long-line fleet targeted dogs - they followed the packs as they travelled northwards and based themselves first in Milford and then Holyhead to fish off the Isle of Man. The difference in those days was that longlines, unlike nets, are not damaged by targeting dogs so the fishery was both viable and sustainable.

For a short time, as more and more boats in the longline fleet changed to multi-mono nets the packs of dogs were targeted by the smaller netters - even though the toll on the gear (and the crew when picking out) was high. At one time, the entire length of the Mary Williams quay, was covered with spurdogs landed in 100st piles. That week the 37' tosher Boy Gary broke the port record when skipper John Thomas made over  £37,000.

What a load of pollack! - Industry alarmed by zero TAC proposal for area VII pollack

The Cornish FPO (CFPO) has expressed its deep concern over the recommendation for a zero total allowable catch (TAC) for pollack in area VII. The organization, which represents the fishing industry in Cornwall, has warned that such a measure would be "devastating" for many vessels in the region.

Chris Ranford, chief executive of the CFPO, said that a zero TAC would have a "massive impact" on the pollack fishery, which is a vital source of income for many fishermen in the South West. He warned that it would force many boats to switch to other species like hake, putting further pressure on those stocks instead as well as livelihoods.

The CFPO is urging the government to reconsider its position and adopt alternative management measures instead of a zero TAC. Mr Ranford said that fishermen are willing to play their part in conserving the pollack stock and are open to considering measures such as increasing the minimum size of pollack or introducing a seasonal closure.

The CFPO is also planning to engage with French and Irish fishermen to discuss their priorities for managing the pollack stock. Mr Ranford said that it is important to get some certainty for fishermen about what they will be able to catch next year.

The Maverick, skippered by Dave Smith fishes exclusively for pollack using hook and line...

once caught, his fish is instantly placed in slush ice in insulated tubs to ensure the fish is kept in the very best condition - one of many boats that have helped put pollack on the menu again.

 Line caught pollack with its tag certify its provenance.

Key points

• The CFPO is concerned about the recommendation for a zero TAC for pollack in area VII.

• A zero TAC would have a "devastating" impact on the pollack fishery in the South West.

• The CFPO is urging the government to reconsider its position and adopt alternative management measures.

• Fishermen are willing to play their part in conserving the pollack stock.

• The CFPO is planning to engage with French and Irish fishermen to discuss their priorities

Listen to the plight of south west fishermen as highlighted on Farming Today this morning with a report by Lucy Fisher from the Cornish port of Mevagissey - a thriving port bucking the trend with many new young local entrants taking up fishing as a career - a zero pollack quota would be devastating for them and others who rely on pollack.

How big would the impact be for the fish market in Newyn?

Below are pictures of the pollack landed on the market this Monday morning in Newlyn - only none of the boats actually targeted pollack..

the rest of the pollack shown here...

 were all caught along with many other species...

which highlights...

tyhe impact that a zero TAC would have on the amount...

and loss of income...

to the fleet as a whole...

all of whom catch pollack throughout their trips...

and the variety of fishing methods, from gill netting...

to beam trawling...

to hook and line...

to inshore trawling...

all of the fish seen above would have to be dumped - dead - back in the sea should the zero quota be implemented....

above is the quota allowance for CFPO boats in Area VII - currently at 12 tons in total for the month of December. The amount of pollack landed on this day alone in Newlyn amounted to several tons.

 

The story featured again on BBC Spotlight from Mevagissey.