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Two one-day pilot training courses for existing or potential fishmongers took place at Newlyn last week.
Organised by the Cornwall Fisheries Resource Centre at Newlyn, the courses were developed by Seafish in collaboration with Billingsgate Seafood Training School, and both were delivered by "champion filleter" Duncan Lucas and wife Sue.
Five students attended the fish filleters' course starting on Monday at 7am, when Seafood Cornwall quality adviser Robert George led the group around Newlyn market, where fish from beam trawlers, stern trawlers and netters gave a good cross-section of the many species available from Westcountry fishermen.
The Lucases run London-based training business Passionate About Fish. Both are well known at Billingsgate and carry out much of the seafood training held there.
During the walk around Newlyn market, ex-skipper Mr George suggested that those in the seafood sector needed to liaise more closely with the catching sector to develop the promotion of fish as a healthy food throughout Britain, "and not just in the Westcountry".
The students saw prime hake landed from the distant water netter Girl Patricia, with Mr George giving simple practical tips on how to spot fish of such quality when it finally reaches the retail counter.
Mr Lucas said he was impressed he was with the quality of fish he saw on sale, in particular line-caught and tagged fish like bass and pollack.
He said far more people should know about such traceability via the South West Handline Fishermen's Association website, where customers can discover exactly who caught the fish.
After a two-hour theory session, there was a three-hour practical hands-on filleting session at J H Turner & Co.
Mr Lucas demonstrated some of the techniques he uses to reach such a high standard in filleting, "winning the national fish craft championships more times than I can remember", he says on the firm's website.
Robin Turner, of J H Turner & Co, said: "The courses are very important to the future not only of the Cornish seafood and fishing industries, but as regards the perception of fish in the whole of the UK.
"Fish needs promoting in a big way and as many local fish firms and organisations as possible have helped put together these two pilot courses, ones that hopefully that will develop into regular training slots."
Fish filleted on that day included mackerel, bass and pollack caught with handlines, freshly landed sardines, megrim, plaice and lemon sole.
Students from across Cornwall and the South West attended, with good representation from both the region's catching and processing sectors.
article copyright WESTERN MORNING NEWS
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