A share of the catch.

 

It’s a long-held truth that fishing is unpredictable—it’s called 'fishing,' not 'catching' for a reason. This unpredictability was keenly felt by the Newlyn fleet throughout October, which saw near-zero tons landed across the entire month. The start of November continued this difficult trend.

In recent days, however, there had been minor but noticeable improvements in the catches and the quality of the fish. This subtle shift culminated unexpectedly when the vessel Inter-Nos ringed an extraordinary haul: over 100 tons in a single net.

Given the tough period the fleet had just endured, Inter-nos skipper Will was then able to share his significant catch. With several other boats nearby, this single shot was enough to successfully fill the fish holds of three additional vessels. This exceptional moment has provided a much-needed lift for the community after a challenging period on the grounds.

After the deluge, comes the light.

 

For centuries, the spectacular light and dramatic coastline of West Cornwall have been a magnet for artists. By the late 1800s, a group of painters, refining their techniques in places like Brittany, arrived to found the famous Newlyn School. Their mission was to capture the authentic working life of the fishing community, often painting plein air right here in the harbour, allowing the remarkable coastal light to shape their every canvas.

Watch as the very same ‘amazing light’ that defined their masterpieces plays across the active quays of Newlyn today, honouring their vision of this enduring working harbour.

Heather Anne - a TV drama written by an ex-Newlyn fisherman!

If you can get Youtube on your TV at home - sit back and enjoy a bit of Newlyn drama courtesy of the Heather Anne, written by ex-fisherman John Oakden and filmed on location in and around Newlyn!

Back in the 1980s when Cornwall's very own Susan Penhaligan who starred in a Bouquet of Barbed Wire spent a month in Newlyn while filming the TV drama, Heather Anne. The story of of an out of luck skipper who, instead of a bumper haul of fish which hopes to solve all his financial woes, he goes and trawls up a torpedo instead. The drama also starred Jack Watson, Maurice Roeves (Danger UXB) and Judi Spiers (newsreader) amongst others. The writer went on to become one of the original scriptwriters for the Ch4 soap, Brookside.

The boat in the starring role belonged to Basil Hendy from Porthleven, the Les Deux Marcel and was unusual in that it worked a single beam trawl towed off the stern. Aside from all the drama at sea and to-do with the financial and love-life woes of the main protagonists there are plenty of scenes in which to spot locals in walk-on roles who just happened to be in the background of shots inside the fictitious pubs and around the Old Quay. 

Maximum points of you can identify BOTH pubs which were used and the cottage that was Susan Penhaligan's TV home, her fictitious matrimonial home sporting a figurehead in the front garden was at that time home to a certain Pirates rugby player and local driving instructor.! Bonus points if you can name the blue and gold macaw that appears briefly in one of the pub interior scenes - it's home was normally in the foyer of the Smugglers Hotel where most of the cast and crew stayed while filming was underway. Apart from its cameo role, the macaw has another claim to fame in that it is probably the only such bird ever to have been killed by a hit-and-run driver - hotel owner Dave Reeves accidentally left the door of the hotel open while cleaning out its cage when the bird spotted its chance for freedom and made good an escape out of the foyer door, on to the road and straight into the path of a passing car - by the time Dave realised that the bird was missing all that was visible were dozens of blue and gold feathers blowing up and down the road!

Who knows what dramas will unfold in the future in Newlyn?!

Never a dull moment in Newlyn!

Early Thursday morning and SAR are out after a swimmer got into difficulties off Longrock beach - luckily for the swimmer, they were rescued by a walker who managed to keep her afloat until the RNLI's IRB arrived - all's well that ends well...

yet another start to the day with gorgeous light...

filling the harbour...

and changing by the minute...

Newlyn has been ahead of the recycling game for some time now - all old gill nets go this way...

it's paint-up time for the Francesca...

Johnny doing his bit in the harbour punt to see that the Billy Rowney gets alongside the fish market safely...

under the watchful eyes of skipper Moseley...

living proof - according to the Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation's recent report, for every one fisherman's job at sea there are 15 ashore...

early Thursday evening and Richard has just landed the day's catch from the Still Waters...

as Dan 'the sardine man' Downing gets to break the spell and the 5 weeks long drought of sardine landings sees the first of his 35 tons put ashore along with landings from the rest of the fleet, those who had not opted to head east to Falmouth and beyond looking for fish - that's fishing all over...

always good to see the next generation of fishermen down the harbour helping out...

with Mr Pascoe tagging every one of is line caught bass...

after a very long day with the lines working in a huge ground sea off Cape Cornwall...

beam trawl squid...

and monk livers ready for the Friday's market...

which saw yet another spectacular light show...

fill the harbour...

and change almost by the minute...

with that mix of contrasting hues...

of colours on opposing sides of the colour wheel...

though, as the sun loses face, the colour temperature cools to blue hues...

as reflected in those Falfish tubs of sardines from the fleets previous night's efforts...

young Tom, having made it back from a trip away to the eastward, managed to get back in the Bay and fill the tanks just before daybreak was now in to land...

the boys on the Mayflower were lucky (and happy) enough to pick up a £3000 bluefin in their ring net, that's more than their catch of sardines was worth in total...

FishyFriday's market was another good mix of fish like these inshore lobsters...

that special mix of flats and monk from the big beam trawler...

and even a few greater weavers...

in the spreading drizzle and uncomfortable seas, the Inter-Nos heads for the gaps

hats off to the man with titanium legs and cahoonas of steel, for being the only small boat out at dawn this morning in this weather...

as the Charlotte Clare fills and ices her tubs of sardines...

they don't come more frsh than this, the octopus bloom is still only too apparent, good noews in the short term for the crabbing fleet but serious concern for next year as shellfish catches crash in many areas..

out with the pressure washer to clean off below the waterline...

the famous Star Inn is getting a makeover.

 

Changeable days in Newlyn - the weather wins again.

 

Enjoy a glimpse of life in England's top fishing port, the ever-changing weather, the ever-changing light.

Changes to Public Access in Newlyn

This was never going to be an easy decision for the Harbour. The simple fact is the harbour is a working port and, inline with every other industry that relies on vehicles and equipment to move and handle fishing gear, it is no longer a space in which the public should feel they can wander at will just because they always have.

It is not that many years ago when it was just the odd forklift and small lorry that was involved in servicing the needs of the boats. Today, the quay is home to bigger boats working bigger and heavier fosing gear. There are more forklifts, net over-ending machines have replaced crew hand-balling miles of gill nets on and off boats, twin-rig trawls have footropes too heavy lift by hand and the bigger crabbers cycle thousands of pots on and off the quay.

Things aren't what they used to be....

As of today, the harbour is putting into place measure to ensure the continued safety ofall harbour users.

Newlyn Harbourmaster announces Changes to Public Access to Newlyn harbour.

Newlyn Harbour is one of England’s largest and most historic fishing ports — a vibrant centre of our community and a vital part of the Cornish economy.

As the fishing industry continues to modernise, the harbour has become busier, with more vehicles, vessels, and people moving around the site. To protect everyone who works in or visits Newlyn Harbour, we’re introducing new measures to improve safety and manage access more effectively.

What’s Changing

Over the coming weeks, new signage and access controls will be introduced across the harbour. These updates are designed to make it clear which areas are open to the public and which are restricted to those working within the port.

Public Areas (Green)

• Old Quay, public car park, and most of the North Quay remain open to visitors as usual. 
• The North Quay may be temporarily closed from time to time while beam trawl vessels load warps for safety reasons.

Restricted Areas — No Public Access (Yellow)

• Net sheds, lorry park, seaward side of the fish market, and the end of the North Quay. 
• These areas are reserved for vessel owners, crew, and those directly involved in commercial operations.

Restricted Areas with Controlled Access (Red)

• Mary Williams Pier, pontoons, and slipway are designated as no public access zones.
• The pontoons and slipway already have gates, and similar measures may be added to the Mary Williams Pier in future.

Access Definition

For clarity, the public refers to anyone who is not a vessel owner, crew member, or someone directly involved in servicing a vessel on the quay or pontoon where they are located.

New Access Controls

Vehicle barriers at the entrances to North Quay and Mary Williams Pier will soon operate via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). Access will be granted automatically — or manually by harbour staff — to authorised users only.

Route Advisory

Please note that access to the public car park currently passes through a restricted zone. Until further changes can be made, visitors are encouraged to take the most direct route to the pavement on the opposite side of the main road.

Working Together for a Safer Harbour

We understand these changes may feel significant for some users, but they are an important step in ensuring the harbour remains a safe and efficient place to work and visit. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we make Newlyn Harbour safer for everyone. For more information, please contact the Harbour Office.

Jonathan Poynter,

Harbour Master

Impressions and light - Why the artists came to Newlyn.

At this time of year, often between bouts of bad weather, Newlyn hosts an ever-changing display of lighting conditions which is what drew the founders of what became known as the Newlyn School, a band of artists who embraced painting en plein air (painting the subject in the open not in a studio) that combined the styles of the flourishing French impressionistic movement with a degree of naturalism...

speaking of light, the hardy team from Newlyn Harbour Lights are hard at it every weekend getting the displays ready for the Xmas break...

1100hp to the left, 12 arm power to the right...

It's now Monday morning and a brace of crabbers in to land...

as another early morning light show floods the harbour...

and a market stacked out with plenty of fish...

in Bay 1 mainly hake form the Britannia V...

Silver Dawn...

Ajax

Stelissa

and the fly-shooter, Acciona...

Bay 2 was mainly full of quality flats and monk tails from the beam trawlers that landed over the weekend...

and some cracking plaice...

with spurdogs not plaguing all the netters this tide...

auctioneer Ryan is only too happy to be back sorting cuttles by hand after a busy week away sampling the delights of Sicilian cuisine...

ling, a good substitute for cod if your monger has it...

bonito tuna...

bream...

bass...

lobster, octopus and squid more than enough to make your average buyer happy...

and, yet more hake from the netter Ajax...

as the light changes again...

those cheeky little turnstones, always on the lookout for a few crumbs...

Wexford registered, Shauna Leon up on the hard...

they've got this landing thing sorted at South West Shellfish...

making life much easier for the big crabbers...

advertising your wars? - no need to go to all the expense of hiring models for a photoshoot when home-grown will do just as well...

loos like she's more than a few sea-miles under her belt...

the visiting Salcombe crabber,  Emma Jane about to land...

as the waiting transport turns up to take their fish...

looks like a good day's work to change over nets on the Fish Direct team.