Newlyn's new fish market - the debate continues

News of the delayed funding bid posted on the Newlyn.info web site has provoked a number of interesting responses from a few harbour users - not least that of John Lambourn, the man behind the Ripple project.

What provokes such strong criticism from him and other harbour users?


Many fishermen, and public alike, may be unaware as to the workings of a trust port. Unlike commercial ports, trust ports like Newlyn are run for the benefit of all the users and not for financial gain by any controlling interests. As elsewhere, Newlyn is governed by a board of commissioners while various salaried posts see to the day-to-day running of the harbour and fish market. Many years ago these posts included a berthing master and market superintendent - posts long since abandoned. The harbour largely derives its revenue from a 2.5% levy of all the fish landed at the port - for this it relies on information provided by third parties as it has no staff involved in the fish auction process.

A trust port's position in the community is clearly defined here:

“A trust port can be compared to an heirloom. It is a
valuable asset presently safeguarded by the existing board.
They have a duty to hand it on in the same or better
condition to succeeding generations. Boards have an
obligation to transact port business in the interest of the
whole community of stakeholders openly, accountably and
with commercial prudence”

Modernising Trust Ports: A Guide to Good Governance revised 2006-7

In context, the current board of Newlyn commissioners oversee the running of a multi-million pound business. This year the port is expected to exceed last year's turnover of £18.5 million. In their recent finding, the MFA has sanctioned the business plan for the new market but has questioned the current management of the port. Despite this unsettling background, great gains have been made with regard to marketing existing fishing methods by some very pro-active elements within the industry who now have well deserved recognition for their efforts - line caught bass, line caught pollack, MSC approved handline mackerel, and many responsible fishing vessels are soon to be joined by Cornish Sardines. These, and all the other boats landing at Newlyn, need the very best platform and service possible from which to operate.

Despite consistently being the biggest English port by turnover for nearly 20 years and living through an unprecedented round of major European funding initiatives - Objective 5b, then Objective 1 and now Convergence) Newlyn still does not boast a chilled and well equipped fish market for handling the most highly valued species landed in the UK - in excess of 80% is sold to European markets where quality is king. The local fishing industry is affected by a volatile global market - even more so given the considerable challenges of a global recession and the effect that a downturn in some key European economies has had on prime species like hake and megrim sole.

New marketing strategies and the fact that home buyers are increasingly minded to pay more for Cornish fish (see a previous post on Dover soles) is something all sectors can draw inspiration from. Local fishermen have made great gains in creating new markets for their catches - now they need the support of the harbour more than ever to compete with an increasingly quality-conscious marketplace.