It's a foggy first #FishyFriday in October.

Full-on fog this morning before the sun gets up...

and with a 19' tide there were no net trips landed so it was up to the beam trawlers Trevessa IV and Algrie to land some bait for the crabbers...

along with boxes of boggle-eyed bothicks...

red mullet...

Dover sole...

sand sole...

big blondes...

while the inshore trawlers made mixed landings of ray...

both fabulous eating big fat fish, brill and turbot, but which one is which?..

the bass boys don't always get the fish...

but the old Imogen certainly still knows how to pull those John Dory aboard...

along with a few haddock...

enough to keep merchants like Mr Smart happy...

looks like a handful of handliners made the most of some big mackerel marks...

its been a long time since we saw multiple 100kg stacks from single boats...

even a few grey mullet found their way from Cadgwith cove...

the usual flats like plaice...

and big Dovers made up the rest of the landings...

even the crabbers aren't to keen on working such big tides...

while the Emma gets a big makeover...

it's been a while since the Saint Brieuc registered Stradale called for ice...

at the other end of the quay it's time to grab a quick sketch above the slip...

as it is being prepared for the netter Charisma...

by Jeremey towing down the cradle...

and then going on standby...

before pushing her straight on the cradle...

watched over by the harbourmsater's new assistant Jedna Hall getting the benefit of Lionel's lifetime at experience of slip's idiosyncrasies...

as Cap'n Cod heads for the gaps...

a juvenile gull takes a morning stroll before going in search of breakfast...

a brace of Falfish HGVs...

early morning fog manoeuvres from the Girl Pamela, Stradale and Charisma of Ladram.

UK Seafood Innovation Fund Continues to Push the Boundaries with a New Call for Innovative Ideas

Applications are now open for a third round of funding from the UK Seafood Innovation Fund. Continuing to support a sustainable future for the UK seafood, the programme seeks ideas from innovators looking to introduce novel and practical solutions into the sector. The programme has also announced £1.5m of follow-on funding awarded to projects with promising outcomes from the previous round.

The UK Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) continues to promote development and productivity at the cutting edge of the sustainable UK seafood sector. A third call for applications for funding is now open, offering a renewed opportunity for innovators to disrupt the status quo by providing positive solutions to challenges in the realms of aquaculture, fisheries and the seafood supply chain.

Call 3 is looking to fund feasibility studies for up to five months - to a maximum value of £50,000 - that test new ideas or approaches that will provide long-term, practical benefits to the seafood industry. Unlike in previous rounds, full Research and Development projects will not be considered, allowing the programme to direct a larger proportion of available funds to encourage new, unique ideas.

Since the Fund’s inception in 2019, it has supported 65 projects across the UK, spanning aquaculture, capture fisheries, and the seafood supply chain. Previous projects have pushed the boundaries of new technologies, and have investigated consumer habits, market gaps, animal welfare issues, and the circular economy. Although already extensive, SIF is looking to further diversify its range, and is welcoming applicants (and collaborations) that draw together knowledge from across the sector and beyond, and apply solutions using a novel approach.

For applications that are successful in gaining funding from Call 3, which then go on to demonstrate a successful project outcome, there will be an opportunity to apply for follow-on funding through a closed call. In particular, SIF will be looking for strong ideas that can be converted into widespread realities for UK seafood.

Separate to the opening of Call 3, the fund has also recently announced an additional £1.5 million of follow-on funding that has been awarded to SIF-funded feasibility studies that showed demonstrable promise and applicability in their project results from previous rounds. This follow-on funding has been allocated to nine projects, each now progressing with Research and Development, and testing their ideas in real-world scenarios.

One such project is investigating the potential use of sea cucumbers as bioremediators in Scottish salmon pens. As the “marine equivalents of terrestrial earthworms”, sea cucumbers feed off waste and rework the seabed. Initial work demonstrated that 70% of the organic matter can be removed using just 10 sea cucumbers per square metre. The project team (led by Blue Remediation) is now running in-situ trials, to measure the effectiveness of the technique and the process’ direct impact on the seabed.

Heather Jones, CEO of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), sits on the Seafood Innovation Fund steering group, and provides input and guidance on aquaculture innovation. Speaking at the launch of Call 3, Heather said:

“Aquaculture is a significant contributor to the UK economy, yet there is still huge potential for growth and untapped opportunities for companies and researchers across the country to boost the sector’s capacity through innovation. Salmon farming is playing a crucial role in meeting rising global demand for sustainable protein. Here in the UK, we have the resources and expertise to foster applied innovation that can enhance the health and welfare of fish, support sustainable production, deliver best practice husbandry, and reduce the environmental impact of farms. Working closely with SIF, SAIC looks forward to seeing more exciting collaborations through this latest funding call, drawing on academic and commercial innovation from all corners of the UK, to deliver valuable results for the entire farmed fish and farmed shellfish sector.”

Another aquaculture-based project due to commence at-sea trials is seeking to engineer the first commercial fish pen suitable for use in open sea conditions. The pioneering project, led by IMPACT-9, aims to provide offshore space for sustainable seafood production, enabling fish farms to operate in open water and reduce the incidence of sea lice, disease, and contamination. Using inflatable structures and flexible materials able to withstand high-energy environments, the team have created prototypes to test at sea. The SIF Programme also supports innovative projects in capture fisheries and the seafood supply chain. One project, working to increase sustainability of inshore fishing, is trialling climate-friendly electric outboard motors on small vessels. Modernised elements of the technology include early heat detection safety features, alongside solar-powered recharging. 

A separate project, delivering supply chain innovation, is creating a sustainable alternative to single-use polystyrene food delivery boxes using compostable biofoam - a project spurred on by the uptick in home delivery during the pandemic. Successful in attaining follow-on funding, these projects, along with others, are working hard to test their innovations in the real world.

Call 3 opened on 6th October 2021, and the fund will accept applications until midday on 7th January 2022. In the first instance, project teams can submit their innovative idea for feedback (in advance of a full application) via an Expression of Interest (EOI) form. For more information on how to apply, visit the fund’s website: https://www.seafoodinnovation.fund/apply/

For more information on previously funded projects, and those that have received follow-on funding, visit the fund’s website: https://www.seafoodinnovation.fund/projects/

Fly-shooter fishing power inside the 12 mile limit up to 6 miles.

Six powerful fly-shooters from 30 to 40m, some over 1000hp, some less than two years old are currently fishing inside the 12nm limit and up to 6 miles off Bridlington on the east coast...

the Hank Senior...

750hp Hendrika Jacoba...

Jacob Maria...

Jong Johannnes...

Ansgar...

1245hp Annalijdia...

These vessels have recently become the focus of attention from Greenpeace. With those vessels that are flagged the net benefit to the UK economy is a possible bone of contention - this AIS trace shows the last 12 months voyages for just one of these vessels and identifies their main ports of landing their catches.

MP Derek Thomas in surgery at the Star Inn, Newlyn.

Just a quick head's up - local Conservative MP Derek Thomas will be holding one of his surgeries in the Star Inn, Newlyn on November 4th.

This is a great chance for all those connected with the fishing community in Newlyn to speak with their MP face-to-face on all things fisheries related.

Two important issues facing Newlyn:

Housing of any sort for working people in Cornish coastal communities is becoming a real issue as demand outstrips supply- with so many properties having been turned over to second or holiday homes - there is a real lack of affordable housing in the area - either to let at affordable rents or to buy near to your place of work. 

The harbour commissioners are currently looking at major concept plans to double the size of the harbour using Sandy Cove in conjunction with Marina Developments Ltd - the concept for these plans can be seen on the harbour's Advisory Board page.

A full list of Derek Thomas' 2021surgeries is available here.

Bugaled Breizh - Why Thierry Lemétayer has been calling for the truth for 17 years

Bugaled Breizh entering Newlyn to shelter from a storm in the 1980s.
 

Thierry Lemétayer has been fighting for 17 years to find out the truth about the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh. The fight of a lifetime, for his father who, like four other crew members, perished at sea on January 15, 2004. From the investigation which opens in London on October 4, he hopes and expects a lot.

"What France refused us, Great Britain gives us" says Thierry Lemétayer whose father, Georges, disappeared with four other crew members during the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh in 2004 "What France refused us, Great Britain gives us" says Thierry Lemétayer whose father, Georges, disappeared with four other crew members during the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh in 2004.

On October 4, Thierry Lemétayer will cross the Channel, direction London. The Channel, as a symbol. This cursed sea in which, on January 15, 2004, her father disappeared during the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh . Georges was its mechanic. And it is for him that the son has been fighting for seventeen years in order to raise the gray areas on this tragedy which claimed the lives of five crew members. "I have a debt to my father," he said soberly.

Head on While the French justice definitively closes the file in 2014 by a dismissal, confirmed two years later by the court of cassation, the British justice, it decides to continue the investigation. And it is in London that this concern will begin for three weeks. "It is unexpected, three weeks, underlines Thierry Lemétayer. What France refused to us, Great Britain gives it to us" .

The mechanic's son really took the case head on in 2007. Until then, he had always thought "that there was a desire to find the culprits. I was quite naive" he confides . At the time, a judicial investigation was opened in Quimper and concluded that there was a fishing accident, a theory validated by the Bureau of Investigation of Marine Events (BEAmer) .

There is some evidence that we haven't been in the fantasy for all these years

The families of the sailors are united against this desire of the Quimper prosecutor to close the case. "And then our lawyer began to talk about dismissal, if we continued the procedure, that repelled me, explains Thierry Lemétayer. I found that this idea came very quickly. We changed lawyers and we have seriously explored the trail of a collision by a working submarine in the Bugaled fishing area, a track he will never give up.

"This door, I do not close it. There are elements which show that we have not been in the fantasy for all these years. The judge in charge of the investigation does not close any door either. He does not. he doesn't take sides, but neither does he lower his head when naval officers stamp their feet and try to apply pressure".

In the name of the father and the daughters To fight, in the name of the father. But also on behalf of his two daughters. "It's their story too, he insists. I always told myself that I was going to do what I can so that my daughters do not have to ask questions in twenty years or to resume the fight. I need to give them something from their grandfather . Thierry Lemétayer tried to preserve them from the turmoil caused by this affair. "They still understood quite young that sometimes, senior officials can behave badly and lie in the name of the interest of the nation."

He remembers the tenth and sad anniversary of the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh. That day, the families of the missing were in Brest where the wreck of the trawler was under surveillance by the national navy. The scene takes place at the Cafarelli gate, one of the entrances to the Arsenal, below the Corniche road, from where the silhouette of the trawler can be seen furtively. "We had the authorization to enter and to come and lay flowers near the boat", relates Thierry Lemétayer. One of my daughters asks: 'what happened to the boat?'. My wife. replied: 'ask the gentlemen who are there', pointing to the soldiers who accompanied us. I have never forgotten this moment .

When he goes to Brest, Thierry Lemétayer always takes the Corniche road. "I stick Bugaled Breizh stickers all over the place, he smiles. I take my little tour and take this opportunity to leave a mark. "He does not force the line, not his kind. He wants the truth. "If these people, those who are responsible, are still standing, no way I stop."

He tells, modestly, this father embarked on fishing boats at the age of 13, "to feed his family" . The tides shared with him when he was a kid. Ubiquitous work. And this retreat that the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh stole from him. "He could have stopped before the accident, he was 59 and a half years old. But what do you think he was born in a fish crate, it was hard to stop him ".

Georges was planning to start repairing fishing nets once he returned to dry land for good. "My father," confides Thierry Lemétayer, " is an example of courage for having accepted a life of work like that and so soon, a life the hard way, on the boats". The son wants to honor his promise: to get the truth, nothing but the truth.

Monday morning market in Newlyn.

Immy at dawn...

Monday morning's market saw mainly net fish from the Silver Dawn...

 with the bulk of the catch being hake

and Stelissa...

along with one of the largest blue sharks ever landed...

there were some specimen whiting too...

a late landing will see these fish ready for auction later...

a few boxes of bait for the crabbing fleet....

several boxes of cracking gurnard...

there's two sides to every megrim...

there seems to be no sign of spurdog catches lowering, all landed under licence...

while the Cadgwith boys enjoyed a good weekend on the mackerel...

the butterfly-like tail of which fish?..

name this less common gurnard...

the beautiful fish that is bass...

crabs being landed from the Nochola of Ladram...

sun up over the harbour...

which should see these guys away later...

HGVs, keeping the nation's fish on the move...

they call him the rigger...

the forecast promises showers, they look likely to be on the heavy side.