It's Newlyn Raft Race today!

 

The one day in the year when they come from far and wide to have some fun at sea - and the Newlyn Meadery Maids go all out to win, again! 

This year there will be a special trophy for the best dressed raft...

and the winner will be the proud holder of this trophy named in his honour.!

A quiet week in Newlyn until #FishyFriday!

The beam trawler Cornishman provided the bulk of fish for Friday's market...

and there are signs the inshore guys working handlines are finding a few more mackerel...

the other trip of fish came from the Dutch fly-shooter who landed a good shot of quality fish like these John Dory...

to go alongside the Cornishman's Dovers...

and inshore line caught bass...

a fine sight for the discerning, mackerel, red mullet and bass, the very best in inshore fish...

cuttles from the Imogen...

and a few big conger...

while the big fly-shooter landed plenty of red mullet...

and cuttles again...

LT1, Sue Ann, she's a little shorter and is now sporting the Rowse colours...

than when she arrived...

there's an awful lot of fish still being caught by these guys, all of them enjoying tea and cake courtesy of the Fish Mish crew!

TIME TO COME CLEAN ON WHAT’S IN THE CAN

Back in 2017, Dutch chef, Bart van Olphen visted Newlyn at the time his book, Bart's Fish Tales was published.  Bart actively promotes cooking with sustainable seafood and has done so for many years. He was presented with the title of the world s most sustainable seafood entrepreneur in 2008, and travels the world looking for the stories behind the fish. Newlyn, and some well known characters, featured in his book which singled out recipes for hake, mackerel and sardines and Bart was able to meet thr skippers of boats who supplied the fish for his recipes.

Wind the clock forward to 2026 and Bart is once again on the case for fish provenance with a report on canned fish products:

"For fresh and frozen seafood, European legislation requires information such as species, catch area and fishing method to be available to consumers.

But when it comes to canned seafood, those same requirements don’t apply.

Together with the independent Future of Food Institute, we investigated what this means in practice, looking at 202 canned seafood products in Dutch and Belgian supermarkets.

The catch? 71% were not sufficiently transparent."

During the sardine festival in Newlyn over the weekend, the CSMA had tins of sardines on their fish display - and all the cans are clearly marked indicating that what you see is what you get - Cornish sardines in a can! Not only that, if its says Cornish Sardines it also means that the fish are MSC Certified as the fishery has had that status since 2010.

So, despite what may be the case for other canned species, when you buy a can of sardines with the word Cornish on the side - you can rest assured that what is inside was caught and landed by one of the Cornish sardine boats from Newlyn or Mevagissey!

You can read Bart's full report below.

Post sardone festival party, it's a quiet start to the week landing's wise in Newlyn

It's always good to see the weather always has the final word, after a Bank Holiday weekend of 'changeable' weather the week gets off to what looks like the beginnings of a fine day here in Newlyn...

keeping the harbour topped up...

the big surprise for the day was the lack of fish, possibly the quietest post-Bank Holiday market ever, just a few boxes of craws...

a brace of bonito...

a handful of boxes of monk tails...

a smattering of red mullet...

likewise mackerel...

Roger's old boat cannot leave these alone...

two cracking reds...

ray wings...

and a 67kg bluefin, one of three this morning...

more craws...

a few bass...

one's that Cod didn't get on the butts...

all the netters are at sea as the Spring tide drops away...

inward bound, the crabber Michael Edward...

passing the Mount...

and in through the gaps...

before heading to her berth...

the visiting BA registered scalloper, Alcedo...

with her complement of 17 dredges a side...

there's heavy pots...

and lighet pots, horses for courses.

 

Cornish Sardine Festival in Pictures - Day 2!

This video offers a look back at the second and final day of the 2026 Great Cornish Sardine Festival. Held down at the harbour. Despite a yellow weather warning, Sunday saw a brilliant turnout as crowds gathered to celebrate Cornwall’s sustainable fishing heritage.    The showers were brief and the forecast proved wrong with a rain  free evening. The grills were kept incredibly busy serving up fresh catches straight from the boats, whilst historic luggers and modern ring netters lined the quaysides and pontoons.

The atmosphere around the harbour was buzzing, featuring everything from hands-on Gyotaku fish printing to a full afternoon of live music. Festival-goers enjoyed sets from The Hoodle and Will Keating, before the Budgie Smugglers took to the stage to help close out the weekend. These photo highlights capture exactly how Newlyn rounded off the August bank holiday festival.

The festival organisers, fishermen and volunteers and all tose involved can pat themselves on their collective backs for putting on such an incredible show all about the humble sardine!  Roll on next year!

The Loss of the French Trawler Maranello

The Breton trawler "Maranello" sinks off the coast of England; two fishermen are missing. The "Maranello," a deep-sea trawler registered in Saint-Brieuc, sank on Saturday, August 29, south of England due to a problem with its fishing gear. Three sailors were rescued, but two remain missing despite the extensive search and rescue operation. The search has now been suspended.

The Maranello , a French deep-sea trawler registered in Saint-Brieuc and owned by the Eouzan-Travadon shipping company, triggered a distress call on Saturday southwest of Plymouth, reporting a problem with its fishing gear, the maritime prefecture said in a statement.

Four RNLI lifeboats including the Penlee Ivan Ellen, multiple aircraft and more than 15 local vessels were involved in the huge search and rescue operation after the Maranello sank South West of Eddystone Lighthouse.

Another trawler, the Stradale , also based in Le Légué and sailing nearby, was able to rescue three of the five crew members before the Maranello sank . The other two sailors are still missing. The search was suspended for the night by the British Coastguard on Sunday evening, August 30. The search operations were coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Falmouth, with support from the Gris-Nez and Corsen Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (CROSS).

The deployment on site currently includes the French Navy's Falcon 50, as well as two rescue boats and two British aircraft , according to the maritime prefecture. Several French fishing vessels operating in the area, as well as the French Navy's Garonne , a metropolitan support and assistance vessel (BSAM) based in Brest, have taken part. They are still suspended this Monday morning, as no new information has emerged.

The weather conditions were unfavourable, with a force 7 wind and a force 5 sea state, making navigation difficult. The trawler belonging to the Eouzan-Travadon fishing company had left the port of Saint-Quay-Portrieux on Tuesday morning, August 25, with five men on board, according to Ouest-France .

The BSAM “Garonne” participated in the search operations, in support of British naval and air assets. One of the three rescued sailors, injured, was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in England. The other two sailors were brought back to Plymouth to receive care at the dock , according to the maritime prefecture. All three men have been deemed fit to return to sea and are currently returning to Saint-Quay-Portrieux aboard the Stradale .

The Maranello , 21.50 meters long and 7.50 meters wide, was built in 2016 by the Socarenam shipyard in Boulogne-sur-Mer, which had also delivered the Stradale in 2012 , for the same shipowner.

Cornish Sardine Festival 2026 in pictures - Day 1.

 

Sun, cloud, drizzle, sun, cloud, drizzle, sun and the odd gust of warm westerly wind - nothing did dampen the spirit of the festival and all those who enjoyed thousands of Cornish sardines straight from the grill - and much more besides!