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Seasons Greetings! 

An update from Cornwall Good Seafood Guide - December 2020
Dear <<First Name>> thankyou for your support for Cornwall Good Seafood Guide.

Christmas is great for seafood! 

I remember as a boy this was always the time of year I would get roped into helping out an old friend of the family, Arthur (Toby) West. We would head out in his little wooden fishing boat as the night was falling and fish for prawns under the lights of Falmouth docks. It was hard work and my fingers nearly froze but I loved every moment! When we came ashore Toby would put a huge pan of fiercely salted water on to boil over a rickety old gas burner. The prawns were thrown in and just a few minutes later we were tasting them to check they were cooked properly. They are incredibly sweet and juicy, for me that is the taste of Christmas! Although I was not old enough to join in the riotous Christmas eve parties in Toby's gear store (his 'Hacienda') my dad tells me they were legendary and the prawns were a vital part of it! 

We may not be able to throw parties like that this year but we can all enjoy amazing Cornish seafood. Shellfish is at its best at this time of year, pot caught crab and lobster has had the benefit of a full seasons foraging. Their shells are full of meat and female brown crabs are carrying coral, the bright orange precursors to eggs, which make the brown meat far richer and tastier. 

Sardines are still being caught by the ring netting fleet and stocks of these tasty and sustainable fish are healthy according to latest science. When there is a weather window the netters are getting out along the south coast to set red mullet and tangle nets for monkfish, and potters are trapping crabs, lobsters and prawns. Hake netting boats and trawlers are still heading out off shore. These bigger boats are out for long trips and are crewed by some of the toughest of fishers who risk their lives to land the bulk of the seafood being traded at Newlyn market. Farmed mussels and oysters are being gathered in and purified for Christmas markets. Mackerel handliners are busy in St Ives bay and off Newlyn when the weather allows. And the oystermen (and women) are busy dredging under sail and oar in the Fal estuary for native flat oysters and queen scallops. At this time of year fishing is a particularly hard way to earn a living because there are so many days that boats cant go to sea, its a hard life and only the hardest working and most resilient and resourceful keep at it. I have a huge amount of respect for them all. 

An often overlooked but perhaps an equally tough job is that of the fisheries managers and enforcement officers who ensure that fishing is kept within sustainable levels. This complex and often thankless task is vital to the future livelihoods of our fishing communities and its importance should not be forgotten. 

Ashore there is a huge network of people who rely on the fishing industry, those and who buy and process the seafood, filleting and delivering it to the public, there are those who maintain the boats, who make the nets and the industry is important for many more people than the fishers themselves.

2020 has been full of surprises and the pandemic has put massive pressure on businesses of all kinds particularly the hotels and restaurants who are a vital part of our seafood industry. 

I fear that the year to come will also bring challenges as well as opportunities as we leave the European Union. It is important that we focus on ensuring that our waters are fished sensibly and at sustainable levels for the future of fishermen and for the benefit of a healthy marine environment and all its other wildlife. 

There are not many days to go now till Christmas but please remember to support our fishermen and buy local and look for seafood recommended by Cornwall Good Seafood Guide. 

In this newsletter we have lots to update you on and we hope you enjoy it! 

Happy Christmas to you all and thanks again for your support!

Matt Slater 
Cornwall Good Seafood Guide 

 
Visit our Lockdown list of Cornish seafood suppliers
During the second lockdown our supporters rallied together to call on the public to support Cornish sustainable fishing. This video had a massive reach and shows the huge support that Cornwall has for its fishing industry. Massive thanks to Wing of St Mawes for editing the footage and to all the brilliant contributors! 
Please click above to see the film on our instagram page. 

New Video series released 

Join Rob Phillips of Pengelly's Famous Fishmongers Looe, for some tips on choosing the freshest seafood.  Visit our How to guides page for lots more! 

Introducing the Fish Heroes programme 

We are delighted to be working closely with this guy, Simon Grey of the Food teachers association on an exciting new project. Fish in School Heroes. Simon is recruiting men and women from the seafood industry as volunteer 'Fish Heroes' to help promote Cornish seafood to secondary school cooking teachers around the UK. Using technology we are bringing fishers, fish mongers, shellfish farmers and chefs into the classroom. If you know someone who is passionate about seafood and who loves to share their skills please put them in touch with us! 
A delicious megrim dish shown to us by Simon Grey of the Food Teachers Centre

Coming soon

A series of 10 printed recipe cards featuring mouthwatering recipes provided by some of Cornwall's most inspiring chefs - featuring the best of Cornwall's sustainable seafood. 

Stuck for Christmas present ideas?

You need to visit our online shop! We stock a great range of seafood t shirts and hoodies and have just launched a new range of high quality prints of our beautiful Cornish seafood species illustrated by Cornish artist Sarah McCartney.

NOTE to get your gifts in time for Christmas you must order by the 19th December at the latest! 
Have you seen our weekly Seafood Spotlight posts on social media?  
Click on the images above to visit our instagram posts. Each week we celebrate a different sustainable Cornish species you can enjoy - sharing facts, recipes and introducing the fishermen who catch them! 

Download a full colour PDF of our recommended species list to print out and keep 

Happy Christmas and heres to a better 2021! 

Massive shout out to all our supporters around the County and further afield! We really appreciate you all. 

Many Thanks, 

Matt Slater, Ruth Williams and Abby Masterson
The Cornwall Good Seafood Guide Team


 
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Our vision - to see a future where productive fisheries co-exist with healthy seas. To achieve this we spread good news and help people make good seafood choices.  We want to help local people reconnect with the Cornish fishing industry and encourage them to eat sustainable Cornish seafood regularly.
Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is a project of Cornwall Wildlife Trusts Marine team. The project was established with the help of European Fisheries fund, the MMO and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Fisheries Local Action Group.  We are currently funded by European Maritime and Fisheries fund, by contributions from our Business Supporters scheme, St Mellion Estate and the Fishmongers' Company.

Copyright © 2020 Cornwall Good Seafood Guide, All rights reserved.


Our email address is:
seafood@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk
Phone no: 01872 302251
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Cornwall Good Seafood Guide · Cornwall Good Seafood Guide · Cornwall Wildlife Trust · Truro, Cornwall TR4 9DJ · United Kingdom

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