Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
Sunday 7 August 2022
Crawfish recovery - en francais!
Thursday 4 August 2022
Salty Cove - Mevagissey
Every page of Salty Cove is filled with a superb snapshot of a community every much with fishing at its heart - a community story told in words and pictures - a real treat!
Our volunteer photographers Matt and Sally, along with writers Barbara and Jill, have spent many long days, come rain or shine, taking images and recording stories to create this unique coffee table book, bringing to life the fishing community of Mevagissey.
“This wonderful book will tell the story of the second largest harbour in Cornwall; it holds dear for one and all the many generations of fishing families in this close community. The personal social histories of families past and present will come to life off the pages, both written and photographically. It holds time still, speaking of what Cornwall prides itself on in being a welcome port in a storm to sailors and visitors alike and why it’s held worthy of preserving, just as it is, for the future. Kernow bys vyken!” (Cornwall for ever!)
Everyone has volunteered hundreds of hours to make this project a success. We are delighted to say Salty Cove will be printed in Cornwall and is a practical fundraiser for those we support as the charity, the Fishermen’s Mission.
Salty Cove is a creative fundraiser in aid of The Fishermen’s Mission. Julian Waring, Fundraising Manager for the charity says: “This book is three years in the making and reflects the energy of our dedicated volunteers in Mevagissey who have kept this project alive during the hard times of restrictions. It all started with a conversation with volunteer Lauren Brokenshire, a resident from Mevagissey.”
Our volunteer photographers Matt and Sally, along with writers Barbara and Jill, have spent many long days, come rain or shine, taking photographs and recording stories to create this unique coffee table book, bringing to life the fishing community of Mevagissey. Another volunteer, Mark has been working hard behind the scenes proof reading.
Everyone has volunteered hundreds of hours to make this project a success. We are delighted to say Salty Cove will be printed in Cornwall. The successful crowd fundraiser in March 2022 reached its target so the book could be printed.
If you are overseas and wish to purchase a copy, email our team on – SupporterCare@fishermensmission.org.uk and they will be able to provide postage cost relevant to your area.
All aboard for the future: new seafood sustainability projects receive government funding
The UK Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) has awarded a further £1.29 million to 28 new projects in its most recent round of funding. The fund, which has supported a total of 94 projects since its inception, supports innovative proposals designed to advance resilience and sustainability in the UK seafood sector.
The UK seafood sector is set to see an exciting influx of innovation, with a third round of projects funded by the UK Seafood Innovation Fund now underway. More than £1.29 million was awarded in the latest round of funding from the UK government programme, split across 28 feasibility studies. Each of these projects have been awarded between £13,600 and £50,000 to support cutting-edge ideas designed to improve the sustainability and resilience of the UK fishing, aquaculture, and seafood sectors.
“SIF has enabled all sorts of innovations from right across Great Britain, looking to boost the UK’s blue foods, from prawns to trout, seaweed to salmon” said SIF Steering Group member Heather Jones. “The fund supports sustainable food production, with projects ranging from proving novel feed ingredients for farmed fish, to repurposing waste from shellfish production, to using renewable energy to run fish farms. I am excited to see what benefits are realised from the feasibility projects we have funded.”
The successful projects address diverse issues across the UK industry, with five focusing on sustainability, eight on aquaculture, and seven on seafood processing and the supply chain. The remaining projects are exploring innovative approaches to topics such as humane slaughter, challenges in the underdeveloped seaweed market, and improvements in vessel stability.
“We were really pleased to receive such high quality applications to our third funding call. It is great to be able to support a range of innovative projects through this Fund, aiming to improve the sustainability and future resilience of the UK fishing, aquaculture and seafood sectors” said Fiona Lettice, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, University of East Anglia (UEA) and Chair of the SIF Steering Group.
One of the recently funded projects, Recycling Ocean Resources, aims to use chitin - a substance extracted from the shells of certain shellfish - to create carbon for battery storage technology. Another, The Cornish Seaweed Company, is developing a land-based cultivation system which could enable the expansion of the sustainable seaweed market, while a project led by Mimica Lab is adapting existing technology used to reduce waste in the meat industry for the seafood sector.
“The SIF funding we have received has allowed us to further develop our Humane Stunner Universal (A-HSUTM) technology,” said Katie Patullo, Product Coordinator at Ace Aquatec. With support from SIF, the company is now developing a compact humane stunner for small-scale aquaculture set-ups. She added: “the impact that this new product will have on welfare in smaller scale farms is immeasurable, and is the right step for a future of sustaining and growing aquaculture humanely and ethically.”
Collectively, the SIF-funded projects will explore the potential to use new and emerging technology to improve the sustainability, profitability, and efficiency of the UK’s £987 million fishing industry.
Visit the UK Seafood Innovation Fund Website to learn more about these exciting projects: www.seafoodinnovation.fund/
Tuesday 2 August 2022
Can you help create a Council for Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul?
· Be separate from Penzance Town Council
· Better serve the interests of residents in Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul
· Give more priority and resources to Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul
Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul is currently a ward of Penzance Council.
The Ward’s fishing industry brings in £30m annually, has a vibrant art and craft community, small businesses, and a growing leisure and tourism economy within a residential community of approximately 3,500 voters. It contributes an estimated £400k annually to Penzance Town Council’s precept of £1.75m but sees an estimated less than 10% of that spent on itself.
This spend is for grants for Christmas lights, plus costs for one public toilet and weedkilling. The Ward has 5 councillors who sit on Penzance Council which has a total of 20 councillors, so they are often outvoted when decisions affecting the Ward are being made.
What is proposed: - A new Parish Council to be set up for Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul separate from Penzance Council. It would have its own councillors, employ a clerk, decide its own budget, set its own precept, have decision making power and recognised status to speak on behalf of its own constituents. It would have an annual budget of approximately £400,000, be able to apply for loans and funding, make grants, have its own planning committee to make recommendations on applications within the Ward direct to Cornwall Council, have its own Neighbourhood Plan and plenty more that Parish Councils can do.
The argument for: - Change is needed to allow the communities of Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul to have self-government.
A new council would provide the organisation, status, money and resources to do this.
Anyone interested to find out more and wishing to show support will be able to do so at an Information Day to be held at The Newlyn Centre, Chywoone Hill
Wednesday 3 August
10am to 7pm - drop in anytime
If you want a council, show your support here or sign up at the Information Day.
Monday 1 August 2022
Muggy Monday morning in Newlyn.
Steph of Ladram in collision south of the Scillys - all OK.
Sunday 31 July 2022
Great news! Cornish fishing benefits from newly trained crew.
The graduates spent 15 days training on the Introduction to Commercial Fishing course, delivered by Seafood Cornwall Training in Newlyn. The course was first created 12 years ago, and learning has been overhauled and updated by Seafish. New units joined the existing delivery and included financial management for self- employed fishermen, chilling and stowage of the catch on board, as well as net making and mending.
In addition, the trainees have achieved their qualifications in the four mandatory sea safety training in Sea Survival, First Aid, Fire Fighting and Health & Safety which allows them to take a berth and work on board fishing vessels. The ICF course is currently fully funded for participants, thanks to grants secured by Seafish from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Take a look at the training programme and talk to us about funding opportunities to support a wide range of training courses.
https://www.seafoodcornwalltraining.co.uk/course-dates/