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PROMISING START TO LINE FISHING FOR TUNA - PHIL LOCKLEY
Cornish line-caught albacore tuna fishing is "off to a good start",
says Seafood Cornwall, one of many organisations celebrating the first
landing last week of 838 fish from Newlyn-based vessel Nova Spero.
"Yes
we are delighted with the catch - it's a lot of fish, but don't let
that hide how this whole project is a team effort. We are just
fishermen and there's a lot more behind getting this product from the
hook to the market," said Quentin Knights, a key player in bringing
Spanish line fishing techniques to the Westcountry.
Nova Spero
has already left for her second tuna trip of 2008, closely followed by
Charisma, a 60ft vessel skippered by John Walsh.
Nova Spero skipper Shaun Edwards said: "Don't think that turning from
traditional South West fishing to line-fishing for tuna is a
rags-to-riches move - the expenses out there are very high and if we
hadn't had the backing of so many organisations and people, we wouldn't
be fishing for tuna."
He
referred to several years when a few Cornish skippers tried emulating
the traditional Spanish technique of towing lures, one called
pole-fishing, only to have their hopes dashed when their fish made low
returns at Westcountry fish markets.
But this year, major fish business M
& J Seafood buys every fish caught (at a set price) by the teams aboard Nova Spero and Charisma.
Mr
Edwards said: "Many may think we are earning high wages but that's not
so. Yes, we are making a wage but nothing more. This project is on a
fine line, and with the present fuel crisis, even though it's a passive
line fishery, our fuel bill accounts for half of our grossing - we have
to travel a long way to find tuna.
"The list of those who helped
us get the Cornish albacore tuna project off the ground is as long as
your arm - bodies like Defra, which last year gave us financial support
to buy the equipment, CEFAS, the UK fishery science body, and the
Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO).
"Everybody involved
is heading in the same direction, to promote a sort of high-quality
'organic' fishery. It's a seasonal fishery, very sustainable - a factor
more and more consumers demand, But the bottom line is always the price
the consumer is willing to pay."
The line-caught tuna fishery is controlled not only by EU regulations and quotas, but by nature itself, says Mr Knights.
"If
the fish are not feeding, the trip can quickly become non-profitable,"
he said. "It isn't as easy as some may think - some days we can see the
fish but end up pulling our hair out, as they just will not feed.
"There
are a lot of tuna pole-boats out there but the UK quota isn't that
large and only a handful of licences are dished out to Britain (by the
EU) each year. But it's an exciting fishery which presents a controlled
option, a team effort. Anyone who screws up on the project may put a
full stop to it, so we are all working very hard to see it remain
viable."
A lighthearted daily blog spells out what goes on aboard the Nova Spero and is pasted on the Cornish tuna website
www.cornishtuna.com
On
Friday, as Nova Spero headed south with French shores just 20 nautical
miles off the port side, Mr Knights wrote: "Weather is good, the wind
is coming from the south-west and is force 5 to 6. Not too bad at all;
and my comfy memory mattress for my bunk is even better, I was away
quite happily last night.
"We have made contact with Gervasio (a
Spanish pole-boat skipper) and he said there was no fish where we left
off from last trip and that they are catching OK down near Spain, so
that's where we're going. I can see us going into Spain soon.
"We
are hoping for a bit of feedback from the chefs who bought the last
trip's fish. We should be fishing by first thing on Saturday."
CFPO
leader Paul Trebilcock said: "This is an exciting and at times
challenging project but we are definitely going in the right direction.
Working with Spanish fishermen has been fruitful and we have learnt a
lot from their experiences. Obviously, the support of M &J Seafood
on the marketing side has been excellent.
"Finally,
it has to be said that the hard work and top-drawer skills and
enthusiasm from John Walsh, Shaun Edwards, Quentin Knights and the
crews of both the Charisma and Novo Spero has been amazing."
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