Iceberg in the dock

Home for the Easter break, the Crystal Sea......
and Brixham's, BM10 Emilia M Emiel.....both landing their fish away from Newlyn...
This sea-defense for the fishermen's memorial statue must have cost! Many people think that 'Tom' should have been given a home down on the old quay - would have saved all this work that's for sure!
The Scillonian ferry boat to the Isles of Scilly has just started her summer season's trips, though this year, with Easter being rather early, the passengers are well wrapped in winter-woolies it seems......
Plymouth's, PH330 Admiral Gordon landing to the back of a waiting lorry....
from Iceberg Ltd in Penzance Dock....
astern of her is the Hatherleigh, now out of the dry dock. The Penzance Dry Dock Company is looking for more work with no vessels currently in the dry dock.....
looks like some deck seating is under construction on the Hatherleigh's deck...
in Newlyn, PZ100, the Elizabeth N waits for the Iceberg wagon to send her fish away. Newlyn fish market currently cannot provide the flexible landing and cold storage arrangements that, say, Plymouth can, one reason to encourage boats to land away from the port.


More historic documents that chart the background to the current situation with vessels choosing to land elsewhere:

Here are more documents from the early 1980s that show how fishermen, represented by the old Newlyn & District Fishermen's Association, actively sought support from the harbour that it would address the shortcomings of the market operations and the fish auction. The first, a letter sent to the harbour commissioners cited 10 suggestions that focussed on the means to improve the quality of fish landed to the auction through improved conditions and handling procedures. Despite being acknowledged in an official response from the Commissioners, many of the suggested improvements have yet to be adopted today.

This is a transcript of the letter outlining the 10 suggested improvements - the letter also refers to a fish reporting system - this was set up with assistance of the manager at Lands End Radio which handled all ship-to-shore radio traffic at the time. In the end it was not adopted as a service by the market.
A letter to the manger at Lands End radio confirming how the fish reporting system would work after discussions with fishermen and the Fish Merchant's Association...


Minutes from the Fish Merchants Association include discussion of the 10 suggested improvements to the market... and the Commissioners response. Many of today's skippers and boat owners, especially those who choose to land away, can draw little comfort from the historic lack of responsiveness to market forces so far evident in the market operations - when was this? - 1984.
Here is the membership list of Newlyn & District Fishermen's Association in 1977. Changing circumstances in the industry, driven by the introduction of quotas, saw the association eventually superceded by the CFPO. Both, were founded by the two champions of the Cornish fishing industry at the time, George and Daphny Lawry who devoted much of their time to help fight political issues of the day which began with the negotiations around the much-hated Common Fisheries Policy and the UK's accession to Europe.

Lamorna walk day

Dave 'the torch' Rhodda trims a hull section from the JTS....
with some deft gas-axe work.......
she now resembles a fish-bone fillet on the slip......
the gas-axe is also busy aboard the Lisa Jazqueline......
Traditionally, on Good Friday, residents of Penzance and Newlyn take part in a walk to Lamorna via the cliff path. In a break from tradition, the walk today was to Logan's Rock at Treen. In the summer, the route down to the Rock passes through what a six foot high maize field.....
spotted on this occasion, the 'Beast of the Rock' - well, a wild mink it seems!
The route back to the Logan Rock Inn was via Penberth Cove, where a handful of inshore punts still work. In the background the old windlass can be seen once used to pull the boats up the slipway.

Indian rope trick

Aboard the Sapphire, passing the gas-axe up the mast in a stunt reminiscent of the old Indian rope trick..... as the pace quickens aboard the Lisa Jacqueline, new paint meets the cutting-torch...
as the chipping hammers leave a carpet of old paint and rust on the quayside...some final cuts on the Ripple's masts....

along with a lick of tar...if you don't fancy a trip to Tom's Place in Chelsea for your fish supper, how about Newlyn's one and only chippie courtesy of fifth generation, David Jewell

So keen, they're running to buy fish!

Fish of the moment, the once humble gurnard is getting plenty of national newspaper column inches these days thanks to top chefs - and not before time too, a highly underrated fish!
the Ajax put ahsore a shot of ling this morning, not so often seen these days, back in the 60s & 70s Newlyn played host to a fleet of long-lining boats that chased the ling....
also in the Ajax's catch, 95 kilos of roe - you can tell what time of year we are in from them.....
Ocean Fish sell fresh and frozen fish apparently.....
another dramatic entrance through the curtains.....




The sardine boys were out till past midnight last night, their insulated tubs wait for collection by FalFish transport....
the buyers were so keen this morning on a market full of fish that some were seen running from one end to the other just to get in on the bidding action....
a full western end of the auction hall....
and some careful work with a small knife, what is she doing?
young Sam from CEFAS has just pulled an otolith from a pristine megrim sole - check out their invaluable contribution to the fishing industry....
king of the gurnard family, one of two tub gurnards up for auction....
the JTS is now being cut into sections....
and even has a drainage hole cut by
Clive down in her engine room bilges, no sign of Pendeen's master gas-axe man Dave Rhodda, must have slept in this morning!
all that's left of the JTS in one piece, the stern section....
not the only set of bare ribs in town it seems.

Concern grows amongst local skippers as a new trawler arrives for St Ives skipper.

An image that reflects the times.....
Here, the Nellie, a local beam trawler owned and skippered by Steven Nowell, lands to the back of a waiting lorry, bound for Plymouth Fish Market. Last week in an this open letter, he was one of an increasing number of local skippers whom have expressed their concerns over the future of Newlyn's present fish market:

"Our family run a fishing vessel out of Newlyn but we, and a growing number of fishermen are choosing to have our catches auctioned on Plymouth market. As local fishermen, given the choice we would much rather be landing our fish on a competitive local market.

However, we are in business and are only doing this as we are profiting more from transporting our fish there. After meeting with the buyers from Newlyn last year, expressing our concerns we took this decision. It was not taken lightly or hastily.

Last week I visited Plymouth market, and the team at Plymouth Trawler Agents (PTA) for the first time since our fish has been auctioned there. We have been transporting our fish there from Newlyn every week since last May. After being shown around a pristine market, which was fully refrigerated, I was shown how our catch, after being graded (by grading machines that work), was automatically put through the computer system linking it with an internet auction. I was then taken to the auction room where up to 30 buyers bid electronically in person and currently 60 buyers bid online. All parties have full confidence in the quality and grading of the fish they are bidding on. PTA also provides the ability via its website to view the quantity of catch that each of the vessels they deal with has on board and give the dates they are due to land: quite simple but impressive to see working.

I question why this has not been done in Newlyn. I also question the ability of the commissioners to implement the New Harbour plans. I totally agree that a new market is a must for the fishermen in Newlyn but it should have been built yesterday! There are rumours that this cannot be afforded, I disagree.

The fishermen in Newlyn at present pay 2% to land their catch; this is one of the highest rates in the UK. But why have the harbour commissioners not looked at other income streams? For example, in many other ports they have fuel bunkering run by the harbour for profit. In Brixham it is a known fact that this pays for all the staff wages alone. Further more the HARBOUR could also run the auction, bringing it another 5% income alone! I am sure that this would make the venture profitable.

All of these ideas have been brought forward by the fishermen at the consultation stage but have been ignored by the Board of Commissioners. In my opinion, I feel that there is a conflict of interest within the Board of Commissioners that is preventing progress and common sense to prevail.

I can only hope that when the new harbour constitution is revealed that the community and harbour users get the right people to see this project through, and that the present commissioners are not involved in choosing the new harbour appointees, as this process will have been of no benefit at all. It is the role of the harbour commissioners to provide the facilities and conditions for the harbour to prosper, and I feel that this whole project has been totally mismanaged. It is of such importance to the community of Penwith, I fear that if swift action is not taken Newlyn will never gain back its status as the premier landing port in England.

Our few vessels make up almost a quarter of the total of landings into Newlyn. We are not alone in our views and I know many other fishermen feel the same way".

David Stevens, Crystal Sea; with the support of ANTHONY HOSKING, Silver Dawn; SHAUN EDWARDS, Nova Spero; STEVEN NOWELL, Nellie; MICHEAL NOWELL, Elizabeth N; MARK ROUSE, Don Bosco and Intuition and Emma Louise; GARY LEACH, Wayfarer; DAVID and COLIN WARWICK, Valhalla; ROGER NOWELL, Imogen; TOM McCLURE, Harvest Reaper.

That is a message loud and clear from a very concerned group of fishermen, all of whom have invested in the future of fishing for them, their families and others.

Today, those who signed the letter may look back ruefully to the situation in 1973 when the Commissioners of the day sought opinion from similarly young and enthusiastic skippers at an open meeting. Here is a record of that meeting held at St Peter's Church in Newlyn, including the invitation letter from the Commissioners stressing the importance of the meeting - truly ironic, given that they subsequently chose to ignore the unanimous vote of support of those present at the meeting. As history tells us, the consequences of that decision are still with us.....the plans they were voting on are in the final image, haven't we seen something like this more recently?

letter of invitation from the Commissioners

page 1
page 2
page 3

and here, somewhat reminiscent of the most recent proposals for the harbour development, are the plans for scheme A that were being voted on - they included a new quay and reclaimed land created outside the existing North Quay from the Tolcarne car park.
Harbour plan circa 1973

Here is the latest vessel to arrive in the port for skipper Stephen Leach, one of the above mentioned skippers. she receives some careful consideration from the crew of the Pride of Cornwall as they makes their way out for a night's sardine fishing.... aboard the Intuition as she lands, you can't beat fresh catch frozen bait for fresh crabs..... that Mannel Marine is busy down the quay again, as ever.... bird's-eye view of the boys on the deck of the Sapphire as they go htrough their gear.

With the fleet at sea

Ex-MFV John Martin makes a brief appearance on passage....
retired skipper and one-time owner of the Fern, Alan Goddard entertains in the mission on Saturday morning....
the digger has been busy ripping out the concrete ballast in the JTS.