Tag Archives: Cornwall
A day in the life of 18-year-old fisherman Mat Price
When it comes to a typical day’s crabbing, it’s the buzz of the alarm clock that quickens Mat’s pulse. “I wake up at around 6am, ready to get to John’s house for 6.30am. He lives about a minute and a half away from the boat, so I’ll jump in his van, and we’ll head down to the cove.” Cadgwith’s small New Holland tractor is in high demand by the beach-launched fleet. “The first job is to get the tractor – if it’s not already in use. We’ll then go to the cold room and load the rays and gurnards which we use for crab bait. Sometimes, if the boats are close together, we get the tractor right up to the side of the boat and can load all the bait and the other equipment up.” With everything loaded, it’s then a case of getting launched. “If someone at the cove hasn’t gone yet, they’ll push us out with the tractor. The tractor has a rubber roller on the front of it which is pushed up to the bow. The tractor then drives forward, pushing the vessel backwards out into the water until you’re floating. However, if nobody is there to push the boat out, then I’ll have to put my waders on…”Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:32
Four men charged after tonne of cocaine found on fishing boat
Four men have been charged with drug offences after officers from the National Crime Agency discovered a tonne of class A drugs on board a fishing vessel off the Cornish coast The boat, named Lily Lola, was stopped at sea by Border Force officers on Friday afternoon (September 13). On it, they found approximately a tonne of cocaine which was being brought into the country. A Jon Paul William spokesperson for the NCA said Michael Kelly, aged 45, of Portway, Manchester; Jon Paul Williams, aged 46 of St Thomas, Swansea; Patrick Godfrey, aged 30, of Danygraig Road in Port Tennant, Swansea and Jake Marchant, aged 26 and of no fixed address, were all charged with importation of a controlled Class A drug. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Gen Z fishing and farming communities form alliance
Gen Z food producers in Cornwall have formed an alliance to encourage people to buy local. The young producers are encouraging people to support the fishing and farming industries by choosing Cornish-caught and grown food. Cornwall’s Young Farmers and the Young Fishermen Network said they had come together in August to host an event teaching people how to butcher and fillet produce. The Gen Z producers, born between 1997 and 2012, hoped the partnership would “foster a stronger connection between the two sectors”. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:12
Positive signs for fishing industry
New figures have revealed around 40 million protein portions are landed into Cornwall’s fishing ports every year. It’s been calculated by the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) based on the most recently complete landings data captured by Seafish. It follows the publication of research earlier this year, which discovered Cornwall’s seafood sector brings in £174 million pounds to the county’s economy and employs around 8,000 people. A number of signs aimed at educating visitors on the value of Cornwall’s seafood sector are going to be placed in harbours across the county. The first has been unveiled in Mevagissey by the new MP for St Austell and Newquay. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:33
Gloomy in Looe as fishermen reflect on Labour coup
Richard Chapman mends his nets in a gloomy Looe harbour and considers whether his new MP will bring Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s promised “sunlight of hope”. South East Cornwall’s long-standing Conservative MP Sheryll Murray has been ousted by Labour’s Anna Gelderd – a constituency first. The clouds break but Mr Chapman barely glances up from his task as he reflects on an industry he believes has been overlooked. “I voted Conservative, it seemed the lesser of two evils. I’ve no clue what Labour’s policy is on fishing but every government so far has been a letdown,” he says. “You look around the port, it’s dying,” Mr Chapman adds. “When I started from school there were 50 boats – crabbing netters, handline mackerel boats, trawlers. “There are just six trawlers left. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:38
Cornwall Community funds new boat for 12-year-old fisherman
A boy who lost his fishing boat to a storm has bought a new one with the help of his community in Cornwall. Antony, 12, is a known entrepreneur in Cawsand who sells his catch of fish, crabs and lobsters on the beach. At the beginning of 2023, his boat was washed away during a storm – returning to the shore shattered. “He was really distressed that it was gone; really upset, really angry that it was broken and that was it,” his mum Michal said. The new boat was christened and named the Ocean Harvester 1. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:22
Cornwall launches UK’s first network for young fishermen
Young fishermen in Cornwall have set up a new network to support the next generation – the first of its kind in the UK. The Young Fisherman Network aims to encourage new entrants into the industry and champion career progression for existing commercial fishermen under the age of 40. Around 60 people attended the network’s inaugural event at a net loft in Porthleven Harbour this month. The event took place at a net loft in Porthleven earlier this month. Network coordinator, Matilda Phillips, aged 21, said: “The event was an incredible way to kick start the network and it was fantastic to see such enthusiasm in the room. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
Cornwall planning: Statue honouring hundreds of Cornish fishermen is a step nearer
A planning application has been submitted to place an 8ft bronze statue in St Ives to honour the hundreds of fishing folk who have lived and worked in the town. The Mariners’ Memorial, designed by renowned local sculptor Tom Leaper, will overlook St Ives Bay if approved. In 1844 a total of 400 pilchard fishing boats operated from the port of St Ives employing 735 fishermen, with a further 100 engaged in other types of fishing. In order to accommodate this huge fishing fleet, a series of earlier improvements to the harbour were made including the construction of Smeaton’s Pier in 1770. It is now hoped the memorial will be placed on the terrace known as The Castle at the end of Smeaton’s Pier, becoming a landmark destination in the town. more, >>CLITCH TO READ<< 14:18
The last Cornish fishing lugger of its kind sets sail for repairs around the British Isles
An historic Cornish lugger has sailed out of Newlyn for the start of a 1,000-mile journey to the Scottish Highlands. Barnabas is the only surviving fishing vessel of her kind in the world and is on a six week round trip to fit out new masts at Ullapool. 30 volunteer sailors from the Cornwall Maritime Trust are taking it in turns to crew Barnabas during different legs of the journey across the Celtic nations of the British Isles. Toby Floyer the Chair of the Trustee is the first to be the ship’s skipper. He says sailors will get to experience what it would have been like for generations of people who “got their living from the sea”. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:43
A New Chapter In Newlyn’s Fishing Legacy: Formalising The Fish Auction Agreement
In a significant development for the Port of Newlyn, the Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners (NP&HC) and W Stevenson & Sons Limited (WS&S) have finalised a landmark agreement, poised to redefine the UK’s leading quality fish auction from 1st April 2024. This formalization solidifies a longstanding and productive relationship, setting the stage for a modernised partnership aimed at bolstering the facilities and services for the Cornish fleet and the wider UK fishing industry. With the agreement set to activate on the 1st of April, WS&S will assume exclusive auctioneering rights at Newlyn Fish Market for a duration of seven years. more, >>click to read<< 10:31
Heartbreak for young fisherman after lad’s boat found dashed on rocks
Tragedy struck for a young Cornish fisherman after his boat was found dashed to pieces on rocks after drifting away on high tide. Antony Newcombe, 13 and from Cawsand, began selling fresh fish and crabs he had caught “with no carbon foot print on Cawsand beach”. The young fisherman had hoped to sell enough to upgrade to a bigger vessel this year. At high tide a few days ago, Anthony’s boat, along with another vessel, reportedly floated off during high-tide, according to a digital fundraiser. “After a search for a few days his boat was finally found; sadly smashed into many pieces on the local rocks. Of course, this didn’t just leave Antony’s boat devastated but him too,” the GoFundMe page reads. more, >>click to read<< 11:38
Uncharted Waters: The Hunkin Family’s Fight for Their Ancestral Fishing Trade
For 14 generations, the Hunkin family has braved the unpredictable waters off the Cornish coast, weaving their lives into the rhythm of the sea. But now, a sudden shift in government regulations has forced this storied fishing family to abandon their ancestral trade. As of January 1, 2024, the pollack catch quota has been set to zero, save for a minuscule by-catch allowance, leaving the Hunkins – and many like them – grappling with an uncertain future. Daniel Hunkin, the latest in a long line of seafarers, laments the lack of notice and communication from the government. “We relied on pollack for more than half our annual income,” he says, “We’ve had to sell our boats and face an uncertain future.” more, >>click to read<< 07:07
Cornwall family put boat up for sale after 300 years at sea
A family that has been fishing off the coast of Cornwall for 14 generations said they have quit the industry due to new government regulations. The Hunkin family, from Mevagissey, have been fishing for about 300 years, since the reign of King George I. However, on 1 January 2024 the pollack catch quota was set to zero, apart from a small by-catch allowance, in order to preserve stocks. Daniel Hunkin said he and others had since put their boats up for sale. More, He said the crew relied on pollack for more than half their annual income and he was worried for the industry as a whole. more, >>click to read<< 08:06
Cornwall revealed as UK’s flagship for seafood economy
New figures have revealed Cornwall is home to more seafood restaurants than anywhere else in the country outside of London. According to an independent research report titled the True Value of Seafood to Cornwall, 16% of Cornwall’s table-service restaurants, not including fish and chip shops, specialise in seafood, which is the highest concentration in the UK outside the capital. Around 8,000 people in Cornwall work in seafood, according to the report, which means for every Cornish fisherman at sea there are 15 more jobs on shore, five of those are also linked to tourism. more, >>click to read<< 07:33
Fishing vessel left to rot in Cornwall harbour at centre of debate
A fishing boat that has used a Cornish harbour for more than 20 years and been left to rot was at the centre of a debate around abandoned vessels. Cornwall Council said it was seeking to remove “live-aboard” vessel Karina Olsen from Penzance Harbour. It said the vessel was among a number of abandoned boats which need to be sold or demolished in Cornish ports. Maritime manager Chris Jones disputed one councillor’s claim they were “powerless” to pursue boat owners. more, >>click to read<< 09:22
Bomb found on Looe trawler moved and blown up safely
The alarm was raised in a Cornish harbour on Thursday after a suspected bomb was found on a fishing trawler, the Coastguard said. The Coastguard, police and the Royal Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal team were all called to Looe Harbour at about 12:45 GMT. It was taken out to sea to a location south of the Plymouth Breakwater. The navy said it was then made safe in a controlled underwater explosion. A team of Royal Navy divers from HMNB Devonport carried out the explosion on Friday afternoon. more, >>click to read<< 12:38
Boat engineer, 20, died after toxic spray release
A dense white cloud of spray was released from the fire-extinguishing system
A 20-year-old apprentice engineer died after inhaling toxic fire extinguisher spray in the engine room of a fishing boat in Cornwall, an investigation has found. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said Conor Moseley was on board as the fire-extinguishing system was being installed on the Resurgam, a scallop dredger, in Newlyn Harbour. The FirePro system was designed to suppress fire, but it also generated a spray which was hazardous to health when inhaled in significant quantities, a MAIB report said. The system was accidentally activated in the engine room as it was being installed. FirePro said it welcomed the MAIB report. more, >>click to read<< 08:36
Cornish fishing industry’s fears for the future over ‘zero catch’ limit
Fishing industry leaders in Cornwall say government plans to effectively ban them from catching certain species would be ‘devastating’.The quota for pollack for the next 12 months could be set at zero – presenting a major challenge for fishers in our coastal communities. Chris Ranford, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Association, said: “We have a really unique situation this year, the pollack stock in the South West has been advised as a zero catch for next year. Video, >>click to read<< 06:25
New tech designed with Cornish fishermen to transform bycatch monitoring
An innovative new tool being developed with fishermen in Cornwall aims to radically transform how by-catch is documented on board fishing vessels and, ultimately, prevent it happening. In a UK-first, Insight360 combines voice recognition and video information to deliver real-time insight and create a 360-degree view of what’s happening at sea during a by-catch event, that continuously improves over time. Refined with fishermen, the technology removes the need to manually review and add notes to footage, offering instead a way for skippers and crews to train a monitoring system to automatically recognise and record bycatch events as they happen. >>click to read<< 08:19
Cornish fishermen lead on national policy change
Two years ago, the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation went above national regulation and pioneered a voluntary measure to protect crawfish stocks. Since then, Cornish fishermen have been calling for the government to bring in a higher minimum size for catching crawfish as national policy. Earlier this week, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) revealed their decision to introduce the measure. Aiden Mcclary, 23-year-old fisherman from St Ives, doesn’t mind taking the economic hit if it sustains the stock of Crawfish He said: “We don’t want history repeating itself. Years ago, back when my dad was fishing, there was a massive crawfish stock but it was wiped out because of a lack of management in place. >>click to read<< 09:55
Cornish Gem vessel master ‘disregarded the law’ while fishing scallops illegally
The master and owner of a vessel has been fined for illegal scallop fishing in Cornish waters. The actions of Mark Manning and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd “disregarded the law in the interests of their short term gain”, said Cornwall Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (IFCA). On November 2, at Truro Magistrates’ Court, Cornwall IFCA successfully prosecuted Mark Manning, 59, from Plymouth and Sarah-Jane Fishing Ltd, the respective master and owner of the fishing vessel Cornish Gem PH 819, which appears to be based out of Falmouth. Manning had previously entered guilty pleas to the court in respect of three counts of using a dredge to remove scallops from the Cornwall IFCA district at a prohibited time of day in December 2022 and in February 2023. >>click to read<< 10:11
Consultation amid low crab and lobster numbers
Members of the fishing industry are being asked for their views to inform a plan to ensure crab and lobster are caught sustainably. It comes amid concerns crab and lobster populations could be “vulnerable” to over-fishing. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is running a public consultation on the issue. The consultation is part of the post-Brexit management of sustainable fishing stocks. Padstow inshore fisherman Johnny Murt said he was concerned about the impact of industrial fishing. He said he welcomed more regulation around lobster and crab fishing in Cornwall. Mr. Murt said inshore fishermen in Padstow had been forced to increase their gear in recent years to catch “an increasingly lower number of lobster and crab”. >>click to read<< 14:50
Illegal Cornwall clam fishermen put public health and honest fishermen’s livelihood at risk for greed
A group of fishermen who illegally fished for high value razor clams by electrocuting them have put the livelihood of honest fishermen at risk, damaged the environment and endangered consumers’ health for greed, a judge said. Luke Anderson, 44, of St. Margarets–at-Cliffe in Kent, Steven Corcoran, 46, from Motherwell in Scotland, Marc Drew, 50, from Mousehole, Graeme Etheridge, 61, of Paul in Cornwall, Jake Richardson, 26, of Bedminster in Dorset, David Thomasson, 52, from Bodmin, Ross Waters, 47, of St Buryan, and Simon Tester, 52, from Canterbury in Kent, were all employed by boat owner David Turner (from Kent) – who is to be sentenced for illegal fishing offences in September. >click to read< 14:40
Cornwall fishing father and son illegally caught pregnant lobsters
Officials said Andrew, 30, and 54-year-old Leslie Burt may have even scrubbed the shellfish to remove their eggs so it was not apparent they had been carrying them. Pleading guilty to seven charges relating to catching lobsters and poor record keeping, the pair were sentenced at Truro Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for also retaining and landing lobsters with mutilated tails in their boat Isabelle. On December 19, 2022, the fishing vessel Isabelle PW64 returned to the port of Padstow after a six-day fishing trip both inside and outside the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) district. Cornwall IFCA officers conducted a routine inspection of the catch of crabs and lobsters and discovered 28 berried female lobsters and two lobsters with damage to their tails. >click to read< 08:40
Teenage fisherman from Looe livid after crab pot thefts
Will Jaycock has his own 10-metre Fowey-registered fishing boat which he uses in Looe Bay to catch crab and lobsters. However, the 18-year-old discovered that some of his pots had been cut and raided for their content, annihilating days of work and hard toil in the process. He said it was impossible to prove who had done it but insisted it was unlikely to be other fishermen in the town. “It seems opportunistic perhaps from people on day boats or in their own little pleasure boats or kayaks or divers out spearfishing. It’s not other fishermen. It’s people with recreational boats.” >click to read< 10:10
‘A’ is for Algrie, end of a fishing era.
A piece of fishing history left through the gaps this week on her way to be scrapped in Ghent, Belgium – the Algrie was the very first trawler purchased by the Stevenson family fishing firm to enter the harbour in 1976 and start was to become the the largest privately owned beam trawl fishing fleet in Europe. In 1982, the 70ft Algrie found her beam trawls attached to the nuclear attack sub HMS Spartan in the waters off Land’s End in 1982 and towed her for quite some time before the sub surfaced. Legend has it that, at first, the Navy via the coastguard, denied there was a submarine in the area! Video, Lots of photos, >click to read< 12:48
Three in one week.
They say a week is a long time in politics, or if you wait ages for a bus, three come along at once – in just one week Newlyn has just seen the loss of three members of its fishing community. First to make his way to the deck of the big fishing boat in the sky was Mr PCCM himself, son of a coastguard, Dick Harvey. Dick epitomised ‘old school’. Talking of HMRC and tax, fish buyer Geoff Davies, seen here with early-days mobile phone hitched to is belt, was a tax inspector in a previous life – that was before he came to fish from Newlyn and then, subsequently went ashore and worked for leading fish merchant Nick Howell when his premises were behind Waghorns. Fishing runs deep in the Stevens family, generations have fished from the port of St Ives. Ernest Stevens, David Stevens father had the second and much larger Rose of Sharon built in 1969 by Forbes of Sandhaven, the first built them back in 1964. Lots of photos, >click to read< 09:45
The hard life of a fisherman who wouldn’t change it for the world
Mark Ainsworth travels over 200 miles from Staffordshire to Plymouth’s Fish Quay, when he’s needed, to fish off the coast of Devon and Cornwall with experienced local skipper, Steven Walker. “Going to sea is a hard life, there are no ifs and buts,” said experienced long-term skipper, Steven Walker. Steve is used to early starts and is often accompanied by relatively new fisherman, Mark Ainsworth – helping him settle into the fishing life. Mark took up fishing just six months ago and he travels over 200 miles from Staffordshire to Plymouth’s Fish Quay, when he’s needed, to fish off the coast of Devon and Cornwall. Mark completed a Seafish course and joined Steven’s fishing boat just two months ago. >click to read< 08:18
Not for the pot: how ‘V-notching’ lobsters may help save them
Cornishman Ned Bailey has caught and returned ‘notched’ lobsters for years as part of a broader effort to preserve stocks. But many fishers do not. He tosses out stray crabs, several starfish and a squirming conger eel. Every so often he pulls out a lobster: if the carapace is over 90mm (3.5in) long, he keeps it; if not, it’s thrown back into the sea, in line with regulations. But today, one lobster, the underside of its tail bursting with clusters of inky-black eggs, is kept aside. This is a berried hen, a pregnant female, carrying about 20,000 eggs. Bailey cuts a small “V” into its dappled royal-blue and yellow tail before gently laying the lobster back in the water. Now she is marked as illegal for others to land – and with any luck her reproductive potential is secured for a few more years. >click to read< 09:39
Valentine’s Day drama at sea as trawler sinks off coast of Cornwall
A Royal Navy helicopter on a training flight stood ready to act as a trawler crew abandoned their sinking boat off the coast of Cornwall yesterday evening. Sennen Cove Lifeboat ultimately rescued the crew-of-four as their Belgian fishing boat rapidly sank beneath the waves south of Land’s End. The alarm was raised at around 6pm by the trawler’s skipper. Sennen’s RNLI volunteer were scrambled by Falmouth Coastguard following a mayday call from the 24-metre fishing vessel taking on water approximately two miles south of Porthgwarra. >click to read< 13:20
