Inside Out - asks, what next?

Dave Pessel explains the computer auction system at Plymouth Trawler Agents (courtesy of BBC's Inside Out - South West)

Last night, BBC1's regional current affairs programme Inside Out investigated a situation that has developed over plans for a new fish market in Newlyn. Currently, the harbour commissioners, chaired by Billy Stevenson from the local family fishing firm, have put out and accepted a tender for a proposed new fish market building and auction operator. This has cost around £1 million in consultancy and other fees over a period of nine years during which time all the interested parties have had their chance to be involved.

By the end of the programme viewers may have sensed that the problems are intractable and left wondering where Newlyn is headed next. The next move will be down to the harbour commissioners when they initiate the new Harbour Revision Order and do what is best for the future of the port.

In the meantime, skippers like Phil Mitchell on the netter Carol H continue to use the computerised auction systems and services at Plymouth citing better prices, more efficient and hygienic fish handling in line with current working regulations as the main reasons why they land their fish away from Newlyn. Proposals to install a remote computer auction system were first made fifteen years ago and not acted on; at the time this would have seen Newlyn ahead of the competition with the first such system installed in any UK port.

More comments have been added to the Newlyn.info web site on the same subject.

If you missed the programme you can watch it again (or download it for 30 days)by using BBC's iPlayer.