Saturday, Oct. 31, 16.30 p.m. GMT
End of another Expo
As the busy hum of visitors begins to peter out, the familiar sound of exhibitors dismantling their stands fills the exhibition hall.
All in all this has been another successful event where both exhibiting companies and visiting fishermen and vessel owners alike can declare themselves pleased with business transacted, enquiries made and recorded, quotes given – the coming weeks and months will define whether such enquiries and quotations will transpire into actual ‘deals done’.
Meanwhile, the tradition of every expo will mean that the social side of the event begins with many heading off to the nearest pub for a well-deserved pint and to debate the current state of the fishing industry.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 16.00 p.m. GMT
Electronics excitement
Gone are the days when high-tech marine electronics are restricted to larger fishing craft and smaller vessels went to sea with just a VHF and a radar. Technology in this field has advanced to the stage that even modestly small vessels can expect to be able to afford radar, GPS, sounder and a range of communication equipment.
A top provider in the UK’s fishing industry who are exhibiting at this year’s event is Mantsbrite Marine (Stand 20) -- distributors of a wide range of marine electronic and navigation equipment and systems for commercial and leisure use.
With almost 50 years’ experience in serving the marine industry, the popular Mantsbrite firm has built an enviable reputation for the quality of the products and service they deliver.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 15.00 p.m. GMT
Engine interest
Not similar to car fanatics, fishermen everywhere have a fascination for engines and power performances at sea, second only to their fascination for the boats themselves.
Therefore it is no surprise to see such a high level of interest at today’s Expo for the display from Mermaid Marine who offer a range of heat exchanger / keel cooled marine diesel propulsion and auxiliary engines to suit even the smallest craft, right up to 825hp – all of which are suitable for a variety of applications.
As well as sales of marine diesel engines, Mermaid Marine also has large stocks of parts, spares and accessories for sale and offers field servicing and repair and general overhaul of diesel engines and generators.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 14.00 p.m. GMT
Sixty years of quality
One of the most well-known firms in the UK & Ireland’s inshore fishing industry is Spencer Carter and their pot haulers are to be seen on small vessels in almost every port.
Spencer Carter was formed by Stephen Carter and Michael Spencer in 1964 as a small firm providing equipment and hydraulic services to fishing vessels.
Today the company has earned an international reputation for quality and service, and has established itself as a market leader in the UK, not just with hauler and sheave technology but with the development of winch solutions for small vessel trawlers.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 12.45 p.m. GMT
Pot manufacture technology
Although a large percentage of inshore fishermen operate potting (creeling) fisheries for lobster and brown crab, the whelk fisheries also play an important part of the season every year, and as such, requires a specialized pot for this fishery.
South Devon pot manufacturers, Mustang Engineering, have invested in a rotational moulding machine to assist them in producing a new linter-stacking plastic whelk pot.
This, says Mustang Engineering owner Rob Stuckey, ensures quality control from raw material all the way to the finished product.
“After past experience of receiving plastic drums made elsewhere, this move was the only way ahead - to invest in a machine, learn how to use it, and make the drums ourselves.” Rob commented.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 11.20 a.m. GMT
Cool runnings
With fish handling and quality now being the most important factor for fishing vessels of all sizes, recent years has seen the development of small onboard ice producing machines so suit even small day boats and not just long trip deeper water vessels.
To meet this demand from the inshore sector, renowned onboard ice solutions company Ziegra have being drawing much interest from fishermen at this year’s expo with their new single-phase ice machine.
Power management on smaller vessels has often been a problem for owners of inshore vessels who wanted ice-making systems but Zeigra’s new single-phase system has been especially designed for those operating in the smaller vessel fisheries sector and this technology is sure to play a major role in improving catch quality in this sector.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 10.30 a.m. GMT
‘Weighing up’ your options
On Stand 54 at the Expo is DEM Machines Ltd. - one of the UK and Ireland’s largest Scales Manufacturers.
As part of the ongoing reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, it is vital that fishing vessels can accurately record and report catch weights and to meet such rigorous demands, DEM have designed an EU-approved on-board marine scale specifically for weighing at sea.
The company state that in offering top quality and robust waterproof stainless steel scales in various sizes and capacities to suit all needs, the main benefit is that these scales are gravity, motion and tilt compensated -- thereby erasing the need to calibrate the scales at sea.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 10.00 a.m. GMT
Representation for the ‘Out of EU’ campaign
In what could be considered a first for any fisheries expo in the UK or Ireland, the EFDD Group in the European Parliament are available to meet with fishermen (Stand 90) at this year's Skipper Expo Int. Bournemouth.
This has drawn much interest from visitors to the event as EFDD representatives have been on constant standby to answer questions and elaborate on information concerning fishing and trade, and how they believe both will benefit from the UK leaving the EU.
-- IntraFish Media
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Saturday, Oct. 31, 9.00 a.m. GMT
New representative body for fishermen
New on the scene in the UK fishing industry, and making their first expo appearance, is the Coastal Producer Organisation (PO) which is a co-operative of the UK's Coastal fishermen.
Commenting in Bournemouth today a spokesman said that the new organisation are about making more money, for more fishermen, from more fish in the sea, forever.
“We have (at the time of writing) 209 fishermen members with 237 fishing vessels in membership, which already makes us the biggest English PO in terms of the number of fishermen in membership and most (but not all) of our members are English under 10 metre boats,” he said, adding that this u10m sector makes up almost 80% of the entire English fleet.
-- IntraFish Media
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After yesterday’s hectic day at the Skipper International Bournemouth Expo 2015, IntraFish will continue its reporting throughout Day 2 to keep you up to date with the latest news and reports regarding products and the latest industry news via our on-the-spot blog reporting live from Bournemouth.
-- IntraFish Media
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Friday, Oct. 30, 17.15 p.m. GMT
Safety first
Almost a permanent fixture at all of the fisheries expos around the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Mullion producers of lifejackets, floatation devices and other safety work gear for the fishing industry are once again drawing interest at this Skipper Expo from fishermen of all sizes of vessels.
Mullion Survival Technology Ltd, part of the SIOEN Industries Group, have over 25 years of experience of supplying floatation and thermal protective safety equipment to the maritime sector. The SIOEN group’s constant attention to R&D and ensuring their products meet demanding and increasing regulatory status in this sector means that all Mullion products offer the latest in technology in the safety-at-sea sector.
-- IntraFish Media
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Friday, Oct. 30, 5.01 p.m. GMT
Safety first
Almost a permanent fixture at all of the fisheries expos around the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Mullion producers of lifejackets, floatation devices and other safety work gear for the fishing industry are once again drawing interest at this Skipper Expo from fishermen of all sizes of vessels.
Mullion Survival Technology Ltd, part of the SIOEN Industries Group, has more than 25 years of experience of supplying floatation and thermal protective safety equipment to the maritime sector.
The SIOEN group’s constant attention to R&D and ensuring their products meet demanding and increasing regulatory status in this sector means that all Mullion products offer the latest in technology in the safety-at-sea sector.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 4.20 p.m. GMT
Power and propulsion
Enjoying a busy time at today’s expo is well known fishing industry firm Kort Propulsion (Stand 2).
In business for more than 80 years, Kort Propulsion is well known by owners of fishing vessels of all sizes and types and the company has become synonymous with the development and supply of marine propulsion packages for not just the commercial fishing industry but also for towage, inland waterway, coastal shipping, dredging, fishing, ROV, offshore and workboat applications.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 3.15 p.m. GMT
Aluminium attraction
Vessel economy, in this age of maximizing return while minimizing cost, remains a major consideration for inshore fishermen.
Finding the right boat and matching it with the right engine to meet the demanding conditions of inshore fisheries means that fishermen must consider all options of design and composition before buying.
Due to this, and despite the natural transition from wood to steel over recent decades, the lighter weight but strong in performance capabilities is keeping aluminum in the minds of many.
Exhibiting that the Bournemouth expo, with one of their crafts on display, Robust Boats design and build a range of Seafish Authority compliant aluminum workboats suitable for all commercial & non-commercial fishing applications, ranging from 14ft up to 23ft. Seafish compliant.
Commenting at the Expo, a spokesperson from the Robust Boats company said that demand for aluminum vessels remains strong.
“Aluminum has long been recognized as a premier boat building material. From Coastguard and harbor patrol boats to super ferries and workboats, aluminum has been the material of choice for decades,” he said.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 2.20 p.m. GMT
Fine tuning
One of the UK’s, if not the world’s, biggest marine electronic firms, Furuno, is present at this year’s event with Furuno UK exhibiting its products on Stand 24 to show fishermen their broad range suitable for all vessel sizes.
Products on view include their range of world renowned radars as well as the latest version of Maxsea ‘Time Zero’ chart plotter where they can show you the amazing speed of display and improved depth recording.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 1.30 p.m. GMT
Fitting out your boat
One of the leading providers of deck machinery equipment and workspace solutions, Solent Engineering, are again exhibiting at Skipper Bournemouth Int. this year, following on from their successful appearances at earlier events. Based in Chichester, West Sussex, Solent Engineering take pride in their high quality and affordable fishing solutions, all produced using immaculately polished stainless steel.
With 20 years’ engineering experience as a fabrication and welding engineer, Dave Middleton heads up Solent’s design and manufacturing facility.
“Solent Engineering Services Ltd prides itself on providing constant support for the fishing fleets in the UK, Scotland and Ireland.
“We’re delighted to be able to say that we are now the UK's No. 1 source for potting blocks, net and pot haulers and a wide range of other commercial hardware,” Dave Middleton told IntraFish, adding that SES continues to grow from strength to strength.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 12.15 p.m. GMT
Small boat demands
Any expo with fishing vessels on display is guaranteed to draw crowds as fishermen give every nut and bolt their critical appraisal and, many with a lifetime spent at sea, can immediately spot the ‘likes and dislikes’ of any craft they see.
One of the UK’s most popular boatbuilding companies is Scottish Peterhead-based Anderson Marine (Stand 79/80) who continues to expand its products and services in the fishing sector with three key brands: Cygnus, Kingfisher and Gemini all now within its portfolio.
With all Anderson Marine vessels fully certified to Seafish Authority standards, as well as providing fishermen with a choice of design and vessel size, MD Chris Anderson said he is looking forward to a busy expo with many inquiries.
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Friday, Oct. 30, 11.30 a.m. GMT
‘Potting around’
With vast numbers of inshore fishermen attending this Expo, it is likely that manufacturers of products for this sector will be of particular interest, with makers of small boats and pots high on the list for many.
Drawing much attention at the expo is Chris Martin of Cornwall Creels (Stand 92) who has designed what he calls “the toughest and most productive pots and creels made to a specification only years at sea can provide”.
To survive on the harshest and most rugged fishing grounds, Cornwall Creels has developed pots with 10mm steel, plastic coated frames completed with 5mm outside netting, high quality rope and rubber finishing – no doubt some fishermen will soon be putting these ultra-strong pots to the test in the near future!
-- IntraFish Media
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Friday, Oct. 30, 10.30 a.m. GMT
The UK’s shellfish industry
The Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) is taking the opportunity of the large gathering of UK fishermen at this event to host a specially convened meeting later today at Skipper Expo Int. Bournemouth 2015 to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the crustacean sector.
Speaking from Stand 51 at the Expo, SAGB director David Jarrad, described Skipper Expo Int. Bournemouth 2015 as the “perfect opportunity to host a crustacean meeting because there are so many people with an interest in this sector who are attending the show.”
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Friday, Oct. 30, 10.00 a.m. GMT
Dutch courage
It’s one thing to be a successful ‘local’ company in your own region, but it is testament to your belief in your product or service when you are confident enough to go abroad to promote your quality.
Such is the case with first-time Bournemouth Expo exhibitor Teus Vlot Diesel & Marine is based in The Netherlands who have made the journey from Holland to the UK to exhibit at this show (Stand 81).
This firm is designer, supplier and installer of complete driveline systems for fishing vessels, tug and workboats, dredging, inland and coastal shipping applications. Their package includes diesel engine, gearbox, thrust bearing, propeller shaft, stern gear and propeller.
-- IntraFish Media
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Friday, Oct. 30, 9.30 a.m. GMT
Industry support
Having earlier confirmed that it would once again be sponsoring the Skipper Expo Int. Bournemouth 2015, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), the UK’s leading Producer Organisation are pleased with the early showing and mounting atmosphere at this year’s event with NFFO CEO Barrie Deas telling IntraFish that support from the NFFO underlines the importance this show now holds in the fishing industry calendar.
“The NFFO exists to provide a voice for fishermen, irrespective of where on the coast they are based or the size of the vessel they operate.
“Given the scope of government to influence the conditions under which fishing vessels operate, it is vital that fishing vessels operators are able to ensure that their voice is heard and that they unite to ensure that their voice is heard clearly,” Barrie Deas said, adding that the NFFO takes pride in the diversity of its membership, reflecting the diversity of the UK fleet.
NFFO President Paul Trebilcock, added “As the show’s official sponsor we feel strongly that this show perfectly reflects the fisheries in this part of the world and we are proud to support it.”
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Friday, Oct. 30, 9.00 a.m. GMT
Feeling ‘the buzz’
Crowds of visitors lining up to enter this year’s Skipper Expo Bournemouth indicate that this event is once again set to be a busy affair, both business-wise and on the social scene.
The spacious exhibition hall at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) provides the perfect venue for boat displays, and there will be a record of seven fishing and work craft present at this year’s event.
The BIC’s superb exhibiting facilities, combined with the close proximity to several of England’s key fishing ports, will ensure that this fisheries showcase will be a well-attended event with a great opportunity for everyone in the industry to meet up and ‘talk shop’…
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