Newlyn Daily Landings and Prices for the week.

 

Monday (June 22nd) 

• Landings: The auction saw a volume of 23.4t provided by one beamer and the inshore fleet. The primary contributor was Mediterranean Octopus with 12t. Other key landings included 2.6t of Megrim sole, 2.1t of Pollack, 0.9t of Dover sole, and 0.8t of Monkfish.

• Prices: Top prices from the morning included 2-3 Bass at £25.99/kg, N2 Monkfish at £17.91/kg, and LM Mackerel at £7.85/kg.

Tuesday (June 23rd) 

• Landings: One stern trawler and the inshore fleet brought in a total volume of 19.2t. The highest volume species were 10.7t of Mediterranean Octopus, 1.3t of John Dory, 1.2t of Megrim sole, 0.8t of Lemon sole, and 0.5t each of Monkfish, Pollack, and Whiting.

Wednesday (June 24th)

• Landings: The inshore fleet supplied a volume of 12.2t. Notable volumes were 6.8t of Mediterranean Octopus, 2t of Pollock, 0.6t of Megrim sole, 0.4t of Bass, 0.4t of John Dory, and 0.3t of Lemon sole.

• Prices: Standout high prices for the day were N1 Monkfish at £20.71/kg, N1 John Dory at £19.56/kg, and N1 Lemon sole at £17.94/kg.

Thursday (June 25th)

• Landings: The market saw 27.8t landed by two beamers and the inshore fleet. Top volumes were massive hauls of 13.5t of Mediterranean Octopus and 4.3t of Megrim sole. Additional key species included 1.6t of Monkfish, 1.4t of Dover Sole, 1t of Pollack, and 0.6t of Lemon sole.

Weekly Summary & Overview

Summary of the Week Altogether: Across the four reported days, the market processed a total volume of 82.6 tonnes of fish. The daily volumes fluctuated from a low of 12.2t on Wednesday to a peak of 27.8t at the end of the week. Prices remained strong throughout, with premium species like Monkfish, John Dory, and Bass consistently fetching high market values (frequently ranging between £17.00/kg and £25.99/kg for top grades).

Discover 'Awen': The 2026 Penwith College Art & Design Summer Show at Penzance School of Art

Summer in Penzance brings more than just longer days and seaside strolls—it brings a fresh wave of local creativity and there is no better place to witness the future of that community than at the 2026 Penwith College Art & Design Summer Show.

Starting today, the historic Penzance School of Art is opening its doors to showcase the hard work, imagination, and diverse talents of Penwith College's emerging artists.

It is worth noting that the college is due to put this historic School of Art on the open market this summer - there are leaflets available at the door which explain how you can become involved and help save the building for the community and future artists as it was designed to do so when built back in 1880.

The Spirit of 'Awen'

For those unfamiliar with the term, Awen is the Cornish word for inspiration, imagination, and the muse. Deeply rooted in Celtic tradition, it represents the continuous, dynamic flow of artistic energy that takes a spark of an idea and breathes life into it.

Walking through the exhibition, you will see exactly how that creative energy has manifested. The students have spent the year channeling their own Awen, experimenting with new mediums, pushing boundaries, and developing their unique voices. Whether your passion lies in fine art, graphic design, textiles, or mixed media, the sheer variety and passion on display are guaranteed to leave you feeling inspired yourself.

Spotlight: The Reality of the Catch

While wandering through the exhibition, one student’s work immediately catches the eye by tackling a very topical subject to produce an excellent narrative piece. Mailli Carter, a student finishing her Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Art, Design and Communication, turned her creative focus toward her home.

For her final major project, Mailli chose to base her work on her native fishing village of Cadgwith. Coming from a fishing family herself, her artist statement explains that her art is a deeply personal endeavour meant to raise awareness about the harsh realities of the industry. She tackles complex local issues including climate change, social deprivation, the sheer expense of coastal living, and the hard work and tragedies associated with life at sea. 

Her main piece, a particularly striking and topical painting in her collection. 

The artwork vividly depicts a fisher viewed from behind, clad in traditional bright yellow oilskins and heavy-duty blue gloves. They are holding up a large, highly detailed octopus by the head against the backdrop of a stone harbour wall and fishing bins. It is a powerful, narrative-driven piece that perfectly captures the hands-on reality of the Cornish fishing trade while highlighting species like the octopus that are becoming an increasingly common topic of conversation regarding changing local waters.

The ocean and its shifting narratives are a clear inspiration for many students this year. Looking around the wider exhibition space (as seen in 20260623-DSC09318.jpg), you can spot a diverse range of responses to marine themes, including a striking green sculptural relief of a face emerging from twisting tentacles.

Other students have taken a different approach to coastal life by blending it with contemporary youth culture. For example, the vibrant mixed-media collage in above brilliantly contrasts a photograph of a fishing boat heading for the gaps along with black-and-white photos of skatepark action. The artist has tied these coastal and urban elements together using bright neon tape, torn edges, and vivid orange stitched and drawn embellishments.

It is very encouraging to see these young artists using their 'Awen' to document, question, and celebrate the world immediately around them. Don't miss the chance to see these powerful narratives in person!

Support the Next Generation

Exhibiting work to the public is a massive milestone for any young creative. By stepping into the gallery, you aren't just viewing fantastic local art; you are supporting and validating the next generation of creative talent in Cornwall.

Grab a coffee, take a wander up Morrab Road, and immerse yourself in the creative flow.

📅 Exhibition Details at a Glance

Wednesday, 24th June – Sunday, 28th June

10:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily

Where: Penzance School of Art, Morrab Road, Penzance

See you there!

A bright Monday morning in Newlyn as the nights draw in.

All is quiet and calm this morning with the promise of a scorching day ahead...

insdie the fish market the landings are buried in ice like these John Dory from the one beam trawler to land over the weekend...

traditionally, June is the slackest month for fishing with trawlers...

all four shellfish commonly landed in Newlyn on show...

a nice bass jumped aboard young Roger's Martha Mae...

along with fish from the other inshore boats...

while Dovers...

megrims...

and monk tails made up most of the Trevessa IVth's trip...

mackerel are still a rarity...

with the landings from the inshore boats whose fish is held in the fridge to keep it at all at around +2˚C

like this good haul of line caught pollack from Mr Smith and the Maverick...

and yes, octopus landings are still considerable...

shore staff wait for the next bongo of shellfish...

to come up from the vivier of the Isabella.

The Brexit catch Britain's fishermen became the folk heroes of Brexit • In Brixham, they were promised a brighter future • Did it ever arrive?

In the summer of 2019, Boris Johnson arrived in Brixham bearing ice creams and promises.

Fisherman Tom Parker, 37, lives in Brixham (Daniel Dayment)

By then, Britain's fishermen had become the unlikely folk heroes of Brexit, their boats and harbours freighted with all the emotionally charged language of taking back control. Johnson toured the fish market, posed for photographs with local figures, and emerged from the Rockfish restaurant clutching hake and chips, grinning like a chimpanzee.

He declared to the assembled crowd that Britain would once again become an independent coastal state. British boats would land British fish in British ports. It would mean a rebirth for coastal communities which, for decades, had seen their fleets diminish and their sons leave. The south Devon port, which voted to leave the EU in 2016, responded with a hearty applause.

A decade on from the referendum, the question hanging over Brixham is not whether its harbour survived Brexit. It is whether the promised revolution ever really arrived.

Brixham’s harbour is as picturesque as anywhere in England. A confection of pastel-painted cottages tumble down steep hillsides towards the water, their fishermen's lofts and net stores long since transformed into holiday lets with names like Lobster Pot Cottage and Captain's View. In summer, paddleboards and pleasure boats bob beside the marina. Tourists sit scoffing ice creams on the quayside where trawlermen once repaired their nets.

Fishing built Brixham. It was Brixham men who pioneered deep-sea trawling in the nineteenth century, taking their distinctive sailing trawlers around the coast and helping establish fleets elsewhere in Britain. In 1866, an easterly gale destroyed almost the entire fleet and killed scores of men, yet the town rebuilt itself. It remained one of Britain's great fishing ports through much of the twentieth century, reaching its peak, as so many commercial fleets did, during the decades following the war.

To read the rest of this article, head over to Dispatch and register for free.

Fish landings in Newlyn this week.

 

Day-by-Day Landings Breakdown

🗓️ Monday, June 15th

 Weight Landed: 118,697.91 kg

Market Value: £661,264.26

Monday kicked off the week with massive volume, representing the single largest landing day by both weight and value. The undisputed star of the day was Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught, bringing in a staggering 87,304.50 kg and yielding an incredible £407,712.03 in market value. Whitefish grounds also yielded solid returns, led heavily by MSC Hake (8,797.98 kg valued at £83,679.63) and Monk Or Anglers (7,236.33 kg valued at £96,432.09). High-value prime species like Turbot (£11,787.09) and Blonde Ray (£8,823.93) added excellent value to the morning's tallies.

Tuesday, June 16th

Weight Landed: 84,192.99 kg

Market Value: £472,342.08

As the initial early-week rush leveled out, volumes dropped slightly but prices held firm. Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught again anchored the market with 33,061.53 kg landed (£153,596.85). We saw a significant surge in prime species on Tuesday; Monk Or Anglers held strong at 5,847.60 kg (£69,380.37), while Dover Sole surged to £62,929.50 in value. A beautiful run of John Dory also commanded premium bidding, netting £55,087.29, alongside a hefty landing of Megrim (10,659.15 kg valued at £35,028.66).

Wednesday, June 17th

Weight Landed: 49,752.39 kg

Market Value: £304,216.35

With rougher Force 6 to 7 winds creeping into the shipping forecasts, Wednesday's landings were noticeably leaner as smaller vessels stayed tied up. Despite lower overall numbers, Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught held its ground with 30,764.64 kg (£143,366.34). Netters and beamers working the deep water brought in 3,438.78 kg of Monk Or Anglers (£40,572.39) and 3,915.87 kg of Megrim (£10,950.96). High-end restaurant favorites saw intense bidding due to shorter supply, pushing Turbot value to £33,453.42 and Dover Sole to £28,234.08.

Thursday, June 18th

Weight Landed: 30,653.28 kg

Market Value: £147,494.67

By Thursday, the lingering heavy sea states left a clear mark on the quayside, causing landing volumes to drop to their lowest point of the week. Potting vessels dominated nearly the entire market file; Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught made up almost the entirety of the day's weight with 29,371.44 kg, securing £135,043.77. Mixed catches were few and far between, with small batches of line-caught Mackerel (364.98 kg / £3,062.16), Monk Or Anglers (210.24 kg / £2,821.86), and Tagged Bass (116.46 kg / £1,776.36) rounding out the quiet close to the week's tracked logs.

The Overall Weekly Picture

When we step back and look at the cumulative data across all four logging periods, this week stands out as an exceptionally high-value period despite the late-week weather intervention.

Total Weight Landed: 283,296.57 kg

Total Market Gross: £1,585,317.36

🏆 Top 5 Species By Volume (Weight)

Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught: 180,502.11 kg

Monk Or Anglers: 16,732.95 kg

Megrim: 15,155.97 kg

MSC Hake: 8,826.24 kg

Spurdog: 7,384.83 kg

💎 Top 5 Species By Market Value

Mediterranean Octopus Pot Caught: £839,718.99

Monk Or Anglers: £209,206.71

Dover Sole: £92,426.46

MSC Hake: £83,869.14

John Dory: £69,102.33

Market Takeaway

The story of the week has undoubtedly been the phenomenal success of the potting fleet targeting Mediterranean Octopus, which accounted for 63.7% of the total landed weight and 52.9% of the week's total financial returns. When the shipping forecast took a turn for the worse mid-week, it was these potting operations and the beam trawlers catching Monkfish and Sole that kept the market thriving.

Never a dull moment in and around Newlyn!

The Harbour Cafe, which back in the day helped make up for the closing of the Mission, has been closed ever since lockdown...

but is now, after new owners Laura and Henry found themselves with an unexpectedly monumental building job on their hands, due to open very shortly with a brand new identity, Favorita and distinctly European menu to suit, the big question is, will the guys across the road on the fish market now be able to get a bacon sarnie at 7am?!...

sure signs we are weeks away from the start of this year's sardine season - the tubs are back in town!...

and yet another sardine boat has gone up on the hard for a bottom scrub...

moving slowly away from the fish market after landing her trip...

FV Enterprise skipper, George Stevens keeps an eye on things astern...

Karl drags boxes of bait for his pots into the fridge - with his lobster landings down by 90% as a result of the octopus invasion worrying times are ahead - the same goes for every shell fisherman in the South West - with very few inshore men making any sense of recent moves to ban certain boats from fishing with pots in certain areas; fishing, as ever proving such a difficult industry to manage well!......

that's the Enterprise's fish all set to be sorted and graded...

restoration work on the Old Quay is all but finished, and if you perchance fall in there's a life ring now attached to the wall of the old Fishermen's Rest, now home to Cornwall Maritime Trust...

there's plenty of passing yachts willing to spend the night in Newlyn...

a rare spot, the IFCA boat, St Piran heads in from a patrol of the inshore waters...

closely followed by the Mermaid pleasure boat loaded with salty sea-going tourists...

just arrived in Penzance dock...

after steaming some 13,341 miles from Vietnam where she was built,...

the Menawethan will take over as the Scillies supply ship, hard to imagine Britain was once the biggest ship-building nation in the world!..

tarmac, where Penzance Meadery once stood...

back in Newlyn, everything in its place and a place for everything...

Friday's market was every bit as misty inside the building as it was outside...

with some cracking haddock...

beautiful brill...

top tub gurnard...

ridiculously red red mullet...

monster monk tails...

luscious lemons...

magnificent megs...

now, where is the filleter?...

not the Dad by the way...

there were also plenty of delightful Dovers...

pristine pollack...

tons of Mediterranean octopus...

lively lobsters...

and even some magnificent mackerel - acclaimed piano playing hairy host of The Kitchen Cabinet, and food writer for the Financial Times, Jay Rayner would be full of angst confronted by such over the top and awful alliteration! Enjoy Jay!

PS, Jay's response was, "Blimey, I actually scrolled all the way to the bottom for that and it was truly terrible", fair play Jay!