Weekend and Monday morning in pictures

End of the trip and it's time to empty the fishroom, all smiles from young Ryan...

as skipper Tristan swings the last of their hake ashore from the Silver Dawn...

the recent heavy ground sea and storm have further eroded the coast path at Sandy Cove revealing the underground utility supplies...

hake by the ton on Monday's market...

with good trips from the Silver Dawn...

Ajax...

Ocean Pride...

and Stelissa...

the year's first thresher shark...

it seems pollack is still abundant judging by recent landings...

red gurnard...

bream...

and mullet, all top quality fish...

while the beam trawler St Georges put ashore good supplies of quality flats like these lemons...

plaice...

and megrim sole...

inshore fish included these ray..

and some cracking brill...

while there is still no let up in the landings of octopus...

man on a mission...

there's a few cuttles being landed too but nothing like in previous years...

also high on the menu for octopus are scallops, another fishery that could be in real danger from the eight-legged marauders, time will tell later this year when the scallop season proper starts......

the inshore fridge was packed with fish but mostly overspill from trip boats...

there's always one on the lookout for an easy breakfast...

another fender nears completion, the heady aroma of creosote is thick in the air...

another visitor from afar, the Ullapool registered crabber, Amberlisa...

seen here with the lorry that delivered a fresh supply of pots...

she's bigger than most pot boats in the south west...

two very different cats in the harbour, the Mermaid runs wildlife tours, angling and bespoke trips from Newlyn.

 

#FishyFriday February morning market

Steely grey skies greet the harbour and the final market for the week...

though there is plenty of fish including...

a bumper trip of hake from the Ajax...

and Stelissai...

ad Silver Dawn...

 the other trawl trip to be landed came from the Crystal Sea, breaking her regular Monday-to-Monday landing cycle...

plenty of quality here...

ready-wrapped to go...

all shades of red this morning, tubs...

rouge mullet...

and red bream to finish off another week of top quality fish from Newlyn...

keeping the nation supplied with the very best MSC certified fish!

Newlyn Auction Strength Sustained by Heavy Hake Volume and Premium Prime

 

The February market at Newlyn continues to show resilience despite the seasonal volatility of the Western Approaches. This week’s trading (Feb 9–12) saw a steady flow of tonnage across the quay, with the auction floor bolstered by consistent Hake landings and high demand for top-tier prime whitefish.

Hake Dominates Market Throughput

The week was defined by the sheer volume of Hake, which accounted for approximately 60% of the total market volume. Totaling 22,238kg, the species realized a total value of £75,502. While volume remained high, prices held firm with an average of £3.40/kg, providing a solid foundation for the week’s turnover.

Prime Market and Luxury Species

Demand for high-end "table" fish remains sharp, as evidenced by the premium prices paid for Turbot. Despite lower landing weights, Turbot commanded the week’s top average price of £18.43/kg, generating nearly £19,000 from just over a tonne of fish.

Monkfish also saw a strong showing, securing its position as the second most valuable species of the week. With 3,744kg landed, it brought in £31,014, averaging £8.28/kg. Other high-performing prime species included:

Megrim: 2,130kg landed, realizing £14,643 (£6.87/kg avg).

Dover Sole: Sustained high demand for larger grades, contributing to the overall strength of the prime auction.

Non-Quota and Cephalopod Trends

The trend for Cuttlefish continues, with 1,848kg crossing the scales this week for a total value of £8,555. Combined with consistent landings of Pollack and Plaice, the diversity of the catch ensured that buyers from both the domestic and export sectors remained active on the market.

Meteorological & Tidal Outlook for the Coming Week

The fleet should prepare for a tightening window of operation as we move into the weekend of February 14th.

Weather: A shift from light wintry showers to a more traditional Atlantic "wet and windy" pattern is forecast. Expect consistent rain from Sunday through Tuesday, with westerly winds gusting to 21 mph (Force 5), which may restrict the smaller inshore fleet.

Tides: We are entering a Spring Tide cycle. Port operations should note significant increases in tidal range at Newlyn, with high waters building toward a peak of 5.67m (18.6 ft) by next Friday.

Top Species (by Value)Weight (kg)Total ValueAvg Price (£/kg)

Misty morn!

A spring tide means the ports 450 ton Enterprise can come up and land directly to the fish market despite her draft of nearly 5 metres...

it's all hands to the pallet truck...

and team effort from the Stevensons shore crew...

while the ship's crew get on with repairing the starboard beam trawl...

and take on fresh supplies...

meanwhile, the sardine boat Lyonesse tries to squeeze into a berth to land while work gets underway to add a protective rubbing strip along the full length of the market.

Octopus bloom - Latest landings data Infographic

As part of the ongoing monitoring of the octopus bloom and it’s effects on other species, the MMO's south west RFG regularly updates infographics based on MMO’s landings data. These are also on the SW RFG webpage, which as a reminder, is the place to find all the Octopus Bloom updates.

 

Poor weather denies Newlyn of fish this Monday mornimg as another gale sweeps acroos the bay

No more thn a couple of dozen boxes of fish were auctioned on this morning's market. In the meantime the Crystal Sea took advantage the big tide which provided enough water for her to come alongside the market to land her trip. She was followed by the recently arrived Cornishman who put ashore over 200 boxes of prime beam trawl fish for Tuesday's market. 

There was plenty going on in the bay with the workboat Tean leaving Newlyn and rolling her way to Penzance dock while the Danmark stood by the tug Christine which was valiantly holding the barge being used to transport stone from Newyn to the Scillys on the end of a tow line.

Quiet end to the week in Newlyn

 

The St Georges, brings home the fish again...

as one of the bigger tides of the year fills the harbour...

watched over by this year's resident flock of turnstones and a hungry looking gull still on the lookout for an easy breakfast from the now quiet market.