Tag Archives: F/V Crystal Sea
Fishermen prepare for the choppy waters of a no deal Brexit
“The French will always be the ones to cause the biggest amount of trouble,” says ‘Crystal Sea’ skipper David Stevens. His family have been trawling for generations and he’s prepared for any wave that hits on January 1st. So will it be a new post Brexit dawn at sea for fishing? Seemingly relaxed about the future he accepts there is trouble on the horizon but predicts a passing storm. We are five hours out of Newlyn in Cornwall, the nets are cast and conversation turns to the weeks ahead. “It was said that fishing would be the litmus test of how far we’ve come out of the EU. I think that is true,” says David. >click to read< 16:49
Big, bold venture – the new Crystal Sea has begun fishing from Newlyn.
There’s no doubt that for the last 20 years the average age of boats brought to the port has significantly decreased as private individuals and company owners have seen fit to invest heavily in modernising the fleet. New builds ordered to fish from Newlyn have all been 15m or under; the Rowse family have had three crabbers built, Stefan Glinski, Sam Lambourn and Ocean Fish have all had various sardine ring netters built to order, all also under 15m. Lots of photo’s and video, with historical recollections >click to read< 07:35
‘We want a better deal’: talking Brexit aboard a fishing trawler
Crystal Sea is a 20-metre twin-rig stern trawler, one of the bigger boats operating out of Newlyn in Cornwall. Twin rig means she drags two nets, side by side. She catches a mix of fish, up to 30 different species, operating anywhere between six and 120 miles from home. In the four days I am on board – to get a Brexit perspective from 49° 48’N, 5° 48’W and thereabouts, as well as to get some idea of what this very tough job involves – we are mainly between 10 and 20 miles from shore. >click to read<11:12
