More than 50 Cornish fishermen attended the recent annual meeting of the South West Handline Fishermen's Association (SWHFA) at Mevagissey Social Club.

They heard how landings for 2007 suggest the winter fishery is declining, but good landings from some ports were recorded for the same period between spring and autumn.

Import of larger Spanish mackerel to UK buyers in April last year was blamed for prices of Westcountry handline mackerel starting poorly. "But prices picked up during the remaining months and, although disrupted by poor weather, fishing for our boats from then on was steady," said SWHFA secretary David Muirhead.

"Moody Marine, on behalf of the Marine Stewardship Council, has completed its reassessment of the Cornish handline mackerel fishery. A MSC certificate was granted on February 27 and will last for five years."

Issues discussed included matters concerning other line fisheries like bass, pollack and the much-welcomed tuna fishery, of which a successful trial operation took place from Newlyn last summer.

The line-caught tagged bass fishery still basks in its high status as a UK-wide prime product, but increasing consumer demand for tagged line-caught pollack is noted - a fishery SWHFA says more of its members are turning too.

Mr Muirhead, with SWHFA joint chairmen David Bond (Looe) and Andrew Pascoe (Newlyn), said records showed that over the past 40 years the mackerel fishery appeared to have completed a full circle.

"The winter fishery started off around Eddystone Rock in the late 1960s and spread further west around Cornwall, but has sadly all disappeared," they said. "Traditional spring, summer and early autumn fisheries fortunately remain and generally reasonable prices provide a living for the handline fleet."

article copyright WESTERN MORNING NEWS 

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