Home - Seafood Cornwall

Fishermen

It all starts at sea, where fishermen work round the clock to bring us an incredibly wide selection of seafood. From gill netters to potters, hand liners to trawls, Cornish fishermen catch around 50 different species of fish and weave diversity into the supply chain from the very beginning.

The Auctioneer

Once landed from the vessels, the catch is either taken to Newlyn Fish Market: Cornwall’s only live fish auction or sold directly to keen customers on the quayside! The market sells anything landed that day and the night before by a variety of boats, from handline-caught mackerel or tangle-netted crawfish right through to the mixed catch of pelagic fish brought in by the largest beam trawlers.

Merchants & Buyers

In order to purchase fresh fish and shellfish at the first point of sale, merchants are up bright and early for the 6am auction. Buying, dealing with, and transporting large volumes of catch from bigger boats, merchants are vital to supporting the basic infrastructure of the industry; without them, the market, ice, fuel, storage, and much more would not exist.

Processors

Catch is transformed into a valuable, consumable product for retailers by processors, whether by picking brown crab meat or smoking mackerel, filleting hake or making spider crab cakes. Processing is essential to increase the intake of Cornish seafood, as consumer behaviour in the UK suggests a preference for processed seafood products over whole fish and shellfish.

Fishmongers and retailers

Fishmongers, who often buy directly from the morning auction, offer fresh, local, and high-quality fish and shellfish straight to the public. With impressive displays and handy cooking tips from the seller, fishmongers are a great way to ensure you are both buying local and cooking excellent fish at home.

Chefs and restaurants

Finally, the catch is ready to eat – and it looks delicious! Roast monkfish, smoked haddock arancini, fresh lobster and classic fish and chips are just some of the superb seafood dishes that fill the plates of hungry consumers from across Cornwall, the country and the world.

Born in 2004, Seafood Cornwall first worked with the fishing industry to highlight areas of best practice in terms of quality, environmental sustainability and marketing and assisting in areas where there was room for improvement. Now, we’re expanding to cover a rich range of new, exciting ideas from and for our fishing communities and seafood lovers alike.

Want to find ways to better support your local fisherman, eat seasonally, and buy fresh produce on your doorstep? We’ve got a plan for that. Need quick recipe ideas and tips to feed the family in record time? Sorted. Want to learn more about the incredible cast of people involved in the fish and associated industries across the county? We’ll be bringing you their stories in film, print and podcasts.

Better yet, Seafood Cornwall – like Cornwall itself – is here to keep evolving and keep being shaped by the sea and by people. So, if there’s information you need, as a fisherman, fish-buyer, restauranteur, holiday-maker or proud Cornish local, drop us a line.

Meet our seafood-fanatic team