Tag Archives: England
900 tonnes of herring unloaded in Hull as city’s fish industry booms
The boss of a fishing company says he hopes more landings will be possible in Hull after two of the firm’s trawlers arrived in the port to discharge their catch. Between them, sister vessels Wiron 5 and Wiron 6 will unload 900 tonnes of herring over the next few days at the city’s Alexandra Dock. It’s the first time the two Hull-registered trawlers have discharged in Hull side by side and is the culmination of extensive planning by owners North Atlantic Fishing Company, which has an office in Hessle Road. >click to read< 07:50
Hartlepool fishermen fear for future after crab deaths
Mass wash-ups were first reported in October with the government saying a natural algal bloom was to blame. Campaigners and fishermen disputed that and instead cited the dumping of dredged materials from the River Tees, which was “ruled out” by officials. Fisherman Paul Widdowfield, from Hartlepool, said he had caught “nothing at all” since October. Crab fisherman Stan Rennie said his family had fished the waters off Hartlepool for hundreds of years but he feared that would be “lost” with him. “We don’t know how the eco-system can come back,” Mr Rennie said. >click to read< 9:34
Grimsby man whose house was full of model boats sells 400 of them at auction
Pete Dixon, 75, who spent 40 years of his life working on trawlers as a cook, acquired an incredible 600 model boats over the years which he kept around his rented home on Heneage Road. From floor to ceiling, Pete’s home was full of the boats – he even kept some in the bath because he ran out of space. But on Sunday, the time came for him to sell the majority of these at Prestige Auctions on Orwell Street in Grimsby – and people as far away as Australia, New Zealand and America were keen to get their hands on Pete’s boats. “Pete’s house still has boats in it, but they are going to be coming to Prestige Auctions in the coming weeks. There’s still about 100 boats that are going to be going to auction. His memorabilia collection will be coming in soon – that’s his Grimsby trawlers, paintings, life rings off the old trawlers – there’s a hell of a collection, and we need to sell all of that as well. >click to read< 14:41
Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship: Memories of working and playing hard on Arctic Corsair as restoration progresses
Two of Hull’s cherished ships have had decades-old paint and rust blasted away in the latest stage of a major restoration project which will ultimately see them displayed to the public. The Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship are being power-cleaned this week by special tools used to remove old paint, corrosion, and muck clinging to the ships’ hulls. >click to read<
Waking up to find a huge cod alongside him in his bunk was an experience young Pete Forytarz never forgot. – The third generation fisherman, 70, is one of a dwindling band with memories going back to the days when hundreds of boats, big and small, operated out of Hull. He did two trips to the White Sea on board Arctic Corsair back in 1973 for cod and haddock. and now acts as a guide on board on the sidewinder trawler, which is being restored as part of the £30m Hull Maritime project. In dry dock the vessel’s elegant lines are revealed, her slim hull and raked bow. “She is going to look beautiful,” said Pete, his face lighting up. >click to read< 10:46
Five rusty trawlers from Hull played a key role in securing victory in the Falklands War
As Hull officially commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict this weekend, attention will inevitably focus on the local military personnel who served there and the famous role played by the Hull-based passenger ferry Norland in carrying the troops who would ultimately help regain control of the islands. However, the spotlight will also shine on the other Hull vessels requisitioned by the Admiralty to join the Royal Navy Task Force. As well as the Norland, three city-based tugs and five stern trawlers also sailed to the South Atlantic. As such, Hull ended up sending more civilian vessels to the war than any other port. >click to read< 09:23
Troubled Waters – British Fishermen and Brexit
More than two years after Brexit, British fishermen are angry. They were promised more control over fishing rights in British waters, but what they’ve gotten is reduced income. Many of them voted Leave, but now they feel they’ve been let down. The fishing industry overwhelmingly supported Brexit. Darren Kenyon is a fisherman from Grimsby in North East England. He believed in the government’s Brexit promises – including more control over fishing rights in British waters — and voted Leave. But two and a half years after Brexit, he feels betrayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Kenyon’s income is lower than it used to be and there’s more red tape than ever. >click to read< 12:10
Rising diesel fuel prices see Cornish fisherman tie up their boats
A Cornish Fisherman says rocketing fuel prices are forcing some boat owners to tie up their vessels. Peter Green, who fishes out of St Mawes on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, says the rising cost of red diesel is making it uneconomic to go to sea. He said: “It means the end of the road. How can we keep going? “Fishing vessels are expensive boats to run and maintain – the costs are continuous. If you are not keeping enough back at the end of the day, you’re going to end up in trouble financially.” The effects of price rises are being felt in ports around the UK. Fish Producers Association the SWFPA has called for more action on fuel prices to support the industry. Video, >click to view and read< 16:45
Cornwall ice cream man and fisherman devastated by fuel price crisis
Record-high fuel prices are deeply affecting businesses across Cornwall. Reaching almost £2 in multiple stations, various business owners have shared the impact it has taken on their businesses. Fisherman Peter, from St Mawes, said he can no longer afford to go to sea as the price of fuel has risen from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of his daily expenditure, which has reached as high as £270 a day for diesel. He said that it is not possible for his catch to cover such a rise, forcing him to give up his livelihood and security. “I have no income, full stop,” he said. “Fear is if you’re at sea for 14 hours a day, and everyone who knows boats knows they’re expensive to run. If you have a breakdown and have to replace parts on a winch then suddenly it’s a step back before you know it. >click to read< 12:01
Colourful look back at Folkestone Trawler Race as organisers announce new date
Folkestone’s Historic Trawler Race is set to take place at the end of July with what promises to be a fun and entertaining weekend. The race is held in support of the local fishermen and to celebrate the magnitude of the towns rich fishing history. The ‘Trawler’ race is set to take place on Saturday, July 30, with a home-made raft race taking place on Sunday, July 31. The event is completely free and hopes to encourage more people to visit the quay and support their local fisherman by buying fresh fish locally. >click to read< Gallery: A look back at the historic Folkestone Trawler Race >click here< 08:12
Brixham Fish Market protesters accept offer of meeting
Campaigners from the Ocean Rebellion protest group have accepted an offer to talk to Brixham fish industry leaders about sustainability and the environment. Brixham Fish Market managing director Barry Young made the offer after a high-profile protest at the market gates in which Ocean Rebellion raised concerns about the effect of beam trawling on the seabed. Mr Young said the industry was rigorously policed for its environmental impact, and with a £43m annual turnover it supported hundreds of jobs in the local economy. He said he would welcome the chance to brief Ocean Rebellion and explain the industry’s position. >click to read< 08:49
Troubled waters: the forces behind the death of the Tees
The Tees Estuary is dying. Its demise the result of widespread contamination on the one hand, and a wilful mishandling of information on the other. There was mass crustacean die-off in September/October 2021, and there has been a resurgence of this in recent weeks. We have also received numerous reports of deaths of seal pups as well as porpoise. Those seal pups that have survived are seriously underweight. Dead crab and lobster have been washing up on beaches again. Razor clams that inhabit the shallow waters of estuary beaches are also reported to be affected. And the official response to these sobering facts currently appears to be a mixture of indifference, belligerence and denial. >click to read< 08:11
Fishing leader fires challenge to Extinction Rebellion – learn about what we do
Protest spokesman Edward Funnell said: “No-one’s ever protested against industrial fishing before in Brixham. In fact, it might be the first time this long-overdue discussion about the damage from industrial fishing has ever been held in a UK fishing port. If the effects of beam trawling, bottom trawling and dredging were visible on land they would have been banned years ago.” But the boss of the Brixham Fish Market says the protesters have got the wrong end of the stick, and he invited them to a meeting to debate the issues. Managing director Barry Young said: “It would be great if they would come and sit with us and learn about what we do. Wild photos! > click to read < 15:37
Fuel Crisis: Fuel costs ‘jeopardising’ UK fishing fleet
Soaring fuel costs have now risen to a “level that jeopardises the viability of parts of the fleet” and could affect supply from UK fishing boats over the coming months, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations has warned.The viability of the fleet was currently being supported by high fish prices, the industry body said this week. However, the sector was still in an “inherently unstable and fragile balance”, which could soon result in vessels being taken out of the water. The four fishing federations representing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that make up the NFFO recently met with fisheries minister Victoria Prentis to warn about the fuel “crisis engulfing the fishing industry”, it said. > click to read < 08:46
F/V Purbeck Isle: Family mark anniversary of Dorset fishing boat tragedy
The family of a man who died in a fishing boat accident are gathering to remember him on the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy. Robert Prowse, 20, was on the Purbeck Isle along with David McFarlane, 35, and Jack Craig, 21, when it sank off Dorset on 17 May 2012. All three men died. Mr Prowse’s body has never been found. Mr Prowse’s family, including his three daughters, have asked people to gather at a memorial bench in Weymouth Harbour to remember the three men. >click to read< 09:01
Prawn trawler Orion in Newlyn
Orion, also known as the ‘sailor’s star’ is actually a constellation and so named as it is visible the whole world over and therefore when looked at provides a constant connection between loved ones at home and a sailor wherever they may be,,, photos, >click to read< 11:00
Memorial unveiled to honour fishermen who lost their lives at sea
A memorial has been unveiled for two fisherman who lost their lives off the Sussex coast. Robert Morley, who was 38, and his crew mate, Adam Harper, died when their vessel sank in November 2020. The sculpture was unveiled today in Newhaven, on what would have been Robert’s 40th birthday. Robert’s mother Jackie Woolford said, “I couldn’t have given him a better present. “We’ve always had something to focus on.” It is also a memorial to other local fisherman who have lost their lives, including Darren Brown, who died at sea in 2016, aged 37. Videos, photos, >click to read< 09:49
Yvonne Blenkinsop, Hull Headscarf Revolutionary, dies aged 83
Yvonne Blenkinsop, the last remaining member of Hull’s famed Headscarf Revolutionaries, has died at the age of 83. Yvonne was a true hero of the city who, along with Lillian Bilocca, Mary Denness and Christine Smallbone, campaigned for safety improvements on trawlers sailing from Hull following the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968. She died on Sunday. In 1968, the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland trawlers all sank within a few weeks of each other, with the loss of 58 crew members in total. Not only did this cause grief among Hull’s fishing community, but a sense of anger and injustice. >click to read< 07:09
‘RIP CRABS’: Dead crustaceans dumped on London street in protest of deaths
Protestors have dumped piles of dead and rotting crabs on a London street demanding more action over the mass crustacean deaths along the Teesside coast. The strange occurrence was first noted six months ago when huge piles of dead and dying creatures started to wash up on the beaches at Redcar, Markse and Saltburn and north to Seaton Carew. An image was also etched into the sand at Saltburn beach on Tuesday by local people with a message that read ‘RIP crabs’. A government enquiry into the incident blamed an algal bloom for the crustacean deaths which were first noted last October. It ruled out pollution, dredging activity on the Tees and other causes,,, >click to read< 07:50
Fishermen join forces to tackle North Sea cod quota ‘mismatch’
Skippers and other industry representatives from Shetland, Scotland, Denmark, Norway and England met in Copenhagen to discuss a “quota mismatch” they are facing at sea, Shetland Fishermen’s Association said today. Vessels are encountering more cod than current official assessments, the industry group said, adding the recent talks in Copenhagen “painted a unanimous picture” of an abundant stock stretching across the whole North Sea and beyond. But quota for the species, a staple of fish suppers in many parts of the UK has been slashed by 70% in just three years. According to the SFA, this “poor science” leads to quota recommendations that bear no resemblance to the volume of fish in the sea. >click to read< 12:46
Crack Pot Alert! MSC HQ sprayed blood red a year after Seaspiracy documentary
Nearly a year after the landmark ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary sparked debate around eating fish, demonstrators from Animal Rebellion spray painted the central London headquarters of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) They held placards that read ‘MSC – Stop Certifying Destruction’ and ‘Protect the Seas – End Fishing’. The group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, are calling for all fishing to be stopped in a bid to end ‘ocean destruction’. >click to read< 14:17
Fisherman pulls boat out of water by crane to fuel it at a BP station!
Chris Attenborough, a seventh-generation fisherman from Whitstable, Kent, says after reclaiming road duty and VAT it is now cheaper to buy normal diesel than using red diesel. He said: ‘It’s cheaper for me to get my boat craned out of the water, cut the mast down, put it on a lorry and bring it to the petrol station and fill it up with white diesel. ‘It is going to put the price of fish up, which people can’t afford to buy already in this country, and it is going to have a major impact on our businesses. >click to read< 09:55
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Vagaries of the fishing industry
Well, it has been a stormy week and we probably have never seen three storms like it, all one after the other. Therefore, this has been the quietest week for many years and shows how unpredictable the fishing industry can be. This is also the time of year when many of the beam trawlers head over to the Bristol Channel to catch dover sole. Dovers are our “crown jewels” and fetch a very good price on the auction. Three directors from Maaskant ship builders in Holland paid Brixham a visit as they are keen to look at an investment in the South West. With restrictions on UK vessels going into Europe, they are looking to expand into the UK fishing sector, and also looking to build a ship yard to repair UK fishing boats, so they don’t have to steam all the way to Holland. >click to read< 19:38
Twinkle no more.
Flown at half mast, the harbour’s Cornish flag signifies that yet another Newlyn skipper and someone for whom the title, ‘character’ was totally justified, has gone to the big wheelhouse in the sky. This week we say goodbye to John Trennere, who, as an apprentice boatbuilder in Porthleven was given the nickname Twinkle by the boatyard boss. Anyone who knew him will immediately identify with how the name arose. His very presence enough to lighten the mood no matter what the circumstances, though to be fair, he must have driven said boss and the other guys half-crazy with his constant banter and antics, not that he changed much over the years as anyone who had the pleasure of sailing under him as I did aboard the Reliance for a short while will testify. photos, >click to read< 06:55
The night Russian warships mistakenly opened fire on innocent Hull fishermen
The invasion of Ukraine has triggered memories of another infamous act of Russian aggression now commemorated by a statue on one of Hull’s main roads. A memorial overlooks Hessle Road at the junction of Boulevard and features life-sized figure of a trawlerman clad in fishing gear standing on a large plinth. It’s a fitting spot in the traditional heart of the city’s former fishing community to remember the night in October 1904 when a fleet of 
trawlers from Hull came under fire from the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy – an event described by newspaper headlines of the era as The Russian Outrage. The steam-powered vessels belonged to the Hull-based Gamecock fishing fleet and, at the time, were spread over some distance roughly 200 miles off Spurn Point in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea. >click to read< 13:25
PFD’s: Fishermen get lesson in staying safe at South Shields Marine School
The maritime survival centre hosted three days of new-style instruction to emphasise to trawlermen the danger of setting sail without a life jacket. Experts highlighted how unsafe it is to set sail without wearing a life jacket. They entered the 4m-deep storm-configured pool in only their usual at-sea protective boots and waterproofs. Most of the participants lasted just under a minute before the weight of water began pulling them under, compelling them to grab life floats placed by safety lifeguards swimming close by. >click to read< 10:57
Fisherman left heartbroken after fishing boat destroyed by Storm Eunice
A fisherman from Hampshire has said his business is on the edge, after his fishing boat was destroyed during Storm Eunice. Peter Williams’ boat was moored at Emsworth Harbour when tragedy struck as the strongest storm in 30 years ripped through the south coast on Friday (18 February). Supportive locals have now set up a crowdfunding page, appealing to others in the local community to Peter them rebuild, something which shocked him. Video, >click to read< 08:03
VMS a ‘perfect storm’ of red tape for small-scale fishermen in England
Vessel monitoring systems are an essential tool towards fully documented fisheries. Across the UK, the devolved nations worked in harmony over the past 20 years to install on vessels first over 24m, then 15m and finally over 12m vessels. But now, small scale fishermen with under 12m vessels in England say the long delayed roll out of the Government’s inshore vessel monitoring system is discriminatory and unfair to their class of vessel and has a timeframe that is impossible to comply with. Felixstowe Ferry fishermen James Whyte said, It’s just another example of the Government putting pressure on us to meet an arbitrary time frame we just aren’t ready for because of their delays and their shortcomings. In our area we often have to book technicians weeks in advance because we have none locally”. >click to read< 13:54
King crabs invade UK waters threatening native species
Invasive king crabs have made their way to British shores, sparking fears that local brown crab and scallop populations could be decimated. This week, fishers in North Yorkshire found their pots heavy not with brown crab, but with the bright-red invader with long, spindly legs prized for their sweet flesh. The species, native to North America, was introduced to Russia in the 1960s by scientists who wanted to establish a new, lucrative fishery. Thriving in cold seas, the crab population exploded, and they travelled to Norway, where they caused a fishing industry boom. And now they seem to have travelled all the way to Britain. >click to read< 08:38
Dead seals turn up on North East beaches as dead crab mystery continues
It has been almost four months since reports first emerged of scores of crabs, lobsters and even octopuses being found dead on beaches stretching from Whitby to Hartlepool. Yet the investigating authorities appear to be no closer to identifying the cause despite extensive laboratory tests and studies. In recent weeks, dead seals have begun washing up on the region’s beaches though it is unclear whether this is linked to the crustacean wipeout in October. >click to read< 10:21
