Buccas Four herald in the lights!

The Geordie boys get to land under heavy showers down the end of the new quay.....
while at the fish market, fishermen's grandchildren are wrapped up well with Santa hats and scarves.....
and the tea urns do a busy trade before the lights go on.....
with all hands retired to the cover of the Fish Market the silver band provides more Christmas cheer.....
aglow with their own Christmas lights two cousins, mirror images of Mum and Dad, wait in anticipation of the big switch on....
the anchor lights up the end of the market......
as does the Christmas tree on the iceworks......
down the end of the new quay, David Stevens and crew admire the giant lobster that has suddenly appeared above the Crystal Sea II.

A short video of the firework display at this year's Newlyn Harbour lights switch on. Turn up the volume to hear the voices of the Buccas Four in the fish market.

Ministers soon to sit round the table for the annual fish stock carve-up in Belgium

It's that time of year when a select group of fishing 'representatives' - the Council of Fisheries Ministers - will spend three days in Belgium next week, often working through the night, to hammer out the quota allocations in European waters for the coming year. The annual agony sees all hands wait and pray that cuts will not be applied to their particular fishery - especially when, in the past, these cuts may have been introduced without the backing of scientific evidence. In particular, the South West (ICES Area VII) beamer fleet, along with a few specialist trawlers will be waiting for news of the sole quota. Likewise the gill-netting fleet will be checking for news from Brussels of any cuts in quotas for hake, pollack and cod - seems every year there's even more reason to treat sprouts with distaste - " Look, I don't like them, your mother isn't too keen either but go on, Brussels is good for you!".

Cuttles continue to leave their mark

Outside the market dozens of boxes wait to be washed....inside the market their is evidence of cuttle ink everywhere, from the scales......
to the plastic temperature controlling curtains......
to the market floor.

Back in

As the sun bgins to crack across the Bay the Billy Rowney's gear gets the once over....
yesterday's wet looking sun foretold a damp day today......
though there is hardly a breath as the Trevessa IV slips in through the gaps.....

with what looks like a days work on the gear ahead of the crew.

Sampson gets the slip

There are not too many swing bucket dredgers around these days....
the WSSampson is safely up on the slip after she was discovered to be suffering from an ingress of water on the day she was due to sail after her recently completed refit.....
off in the gloom heads the Dom Bosco.......
the cuttles are still making their presence felt on the market this week.....

back up on the hard is the sardine chasing Lyonesse.

Sing Christmas Carols and see Newlyn Christmas lights switched on this Friday

Whatever the weather, catch a sleigh ride down Paul Hill to Newlyn this Friday at 7pm for an evening of good cheer with mulled wine and singing to accompany switching on the Christmas lights. All hands will assemble in front of the harbour offices where Newlyn Male Voice choir and a silver band will render an evening of Christmas Carols - and if the heaven's open there is always the fishmarket to shelter inside.

If all goes well the harbour will be ablaze with lights courtesy of the firework display at 7.30pm and then the big swith on - don't miss it!

On Saturday, if you want to join in the fun a mile down the road you can sing along with the world-famous Mousehole Male Voice Choir and see the harbour lights switched on at the same time - a real night treat for all the family. If you've planned ahead you might have booked a meal at No2 Fore Street restaurant - enjoy!

Sharks are now off the menu - official!

The last porbeagle shark to come ashore from the Charisma this year as the quota runs out....
at 150kg, the biggest shark of the trip, gets a helping hand from Edwin from Samways Fish before it makes the long journey to Holland. The year's quota for Porbeagle is 13 tons - all of which has now gone. It is likely that next year there will be a nil quota - more lunacy built into our so called 'conservation' driven quota systema as the quota is in fact a by-catch quota and designed to allow for just that eventuality - whatever the quota, it will, in itelf, not prevent boats catching these big sharks - that's why there's a by-catch quota in the first place! Oh well.

Its a picky sort of day

Must be the smallest set of mid-water doors seen in the port - it takes a cat to catch a mackerel?......
Mr Morley heads back to hos pontoon berth......
as Grimmy makes waves of a different kins headed for Penzance Dock and a small tugging job as the dry-dock's latest job needs to come out through the Ross Bridge.....
much leaning on the throttle to get the Twilight to come round before she can get through the gaps.....
careful handling of the mornings catch from Barry on the Boy Brax...
another punt heads back to tier as the Twilight makes her bid for freedom.....
run deep according to the old proverb........
here's what the nets were shot for, a fine fat mackerel.....
under the watchful eye of the local herring gull population - the herring are being watched....
as they are deftly picked out of the fine meshed net.....
Cap'n Hooper steers his command back home......
and another herring joins the box, hopefully they will make more then 40p a kilo on tomorrow's market - though all hands are not holding their breath.....
today sees the tree in place outside the Mission.....
while the good ship Inspiration bobs in her berth......
biggest boat currently working from the port makes her way in through the gaps......
wrapped for the winter, the Ripple won't see much action till the Spring next year.
Plugger makes some fine adjustments to the footrope of the Shiralee's trawl.