Huw Irranca-Davies, the Minister Responsible for the Marine and Natural Environment, Wildlife and Rural Affairs, has officially opened Appledore’s new fish dock which provides for vessels not only to unload their catches for processing on site, but also to take on ice, diesel and water and has a net loft, where repairs can be undertaken. The dock ensures the fish processing business has a workspace that complies with the increasingly rigid regulations surrounding these operations.
The dock has installed a traceability system using the latest touch screen technology which enables data to be accessed from further along the supply chain, ensuring that the operations at Appledore enable catch quality to be maintained and add value to the product. The area of the dock is 1,064 square metre building which includes a large ground floor processing area, with a public viewing window. There are separate fridges for landed fish and processed fish awaiting collection, plus an ice storage area, freezer, blast freezer, loading area and a separate box store and box washing area.
The new fish stock has a state of art ice making facility. It is told that the fish landing facilities have also been improved, with the quay wall structurally re-faced and more space provided on the quayside to enable greater levels of operation. The project has been funded by the South West England Regional Development Agency, the Marine Fisheries Agency, the European Regional Development Fund, Torridge District Council and Bideford Trawlerman’s Co-operative.
Irranca-Davies explained that working together is the only way we can achieve our common goal – fishermen and their communities making a living from the sea while protecting stocks to ensure that there are enough fish to sustain the industry for generations to come. I congratulate everyone involved in what has been a very productive partnership.
