Newlyn, and the sun has yet to rise over this proud working port. The town, far to the south west, is still and shrouded in darkness. To the casual observer it would appear as if its residents are yet to rouse from their slumber.
But the deathly quiet is deceptive.
For quayside work has not ceased through the black heart of night.
Cutting through the gentle undulating waters in the gloom of this May morning, the vessels return to the harbour to land their catch.
Stay one step ahead of the weather
Even at the ungodly hour of 5.30am, it is too late to see the boats come in. You have to be up very, very early for that.
An hour earlier the large hangar-like building had been thriving, a buzz of activity. But now there are just a handful of people around.
The others, their work finished, have drifted off to bed or returned to sea.
Much else is yet to take place before even the dawn chorus finds its voice.
Indeed, those remaining fishermen and women (it is no longer a male preserve) are continuing to sort through their larger hauls.
The ice that the fish have been packed in during the five days at sea is discarded, thrown through a hole in the wet concrete floor and into the briny waters below.
Each of the plastic fish crates is weighed, a few adjustments made to even them out, readied for the auction due in an hour's time.
The catch – and on this morning there are some 20 to 25 varieties – is gleaming under the harsh white lights.
Their eyes are bright, only a hint of cloud would give a clue that they are not alive.
And for all the many, many tonnes landed there is only the faintest aroma of the fish themselves in the nostrils.
Some 170 boats use the harbour from the smallest under 9m (30ft) to the larger 14m (46ft) plus. Cornwall's unique place means that around 50 species can be brought in.
Robin Turner, whose family have been fishing in the area since at least 1760, is owner of the recently returned Golden Harvest which has just brought in three tonnes of hake.
He is my guide around the market this morning and indeed this is something he offers to interested groups costing around £15 a head for a two and a half hour tour.
"Fish is very much like wine", he explains, "it is a growing market. People are becoming more discerning in their tastes, just like wine."
However, the industry has changed dramatically over the years and the fleet has been much reduced here, as with everywhere else.
The fault, he says, lies with government policy.
First in postwar Britain encouraging the fleets to expand with large subsidies and then to cut them loose – its effect was devastating.
Outside the sun slowly pulls itself above the horizon, brightening the cloudy grey sky.
But behind the thick plastic strip curtains, it is impossible to tell. There are no clocks to show the passing of the morning.
The sale gets under way, the auctioneer throwing out a price as they gather around a 50-kilo stack.
Around him nine or ten men make a judgement. If there are no takers, the price is lowered – everything is going to be sold today.
There is no other option. Across the hangar, another sale is taking place.
The sale gets under way as he calls out the price per kilo: "270 – 280, 280 – 290, 290 – 300...."
It is fast and furious but surprisingly clear.
The men stand around with their pocketbooks, signalling their interest with an audible yes or a nod until finally only one remains.
They pull out printed strips, throwing three or four of them into their crates to signal the purchaser, Trelawney, Smarts Prime Fish, Iceberg Limited, South Coast Fisheries and so on.
The huddle moves on to the next batch and the process repeats itself.
An unlucky buyer may find themselves having paid over the odds as the next crates sell much cheaper.
Throw into this, too, the results from other markets both in the UK and the Continent coming over mobile phones, and it's easy to see how prices can tumble or rocket.
Mr Turner explains: "This is the fastest trading in the world, faster even than the stock market.
"And while the stockbrokers are still in bed they will be paid out and sent off."
Sales, however, are strictly trade. Both sellers and buyers must be licensed.
By 7.15am the fish is already being loaded up where it will go off across the South West to be prepared. From there it will then be sold on and land on the plates of diners from all over the UK and Europe.
And so it goes on for 160 trading days a year – roughly 4,000 tonnes annually passing through the port.
All of this is celebrated in the late August Bank Holiday at the Newlyn Fish Festival (this year August 29).
It is an ideal day out for those who might struggle to make the early hours of the market.
It is a one-day spectacular geared up for the visitors and showing off the very best of what the industry has to offer with displays, demonstrations, cooking and a charity fish auction, with proceeds going to the Fishermen's Mission.
Last year it attracted perhaps Cornwall's second biggest export, Rick Stein.
To organise a tour of Newlyn fish market you can contact Robin Turner via e-mail at robin@turnerjh.force9.co.uk . Parties will need to be between 10 and 12 people.
To check out more details on the Newlyn Fish Festival go to http://www.newlynfishfestival.org.uk/.
And for the even more adventurous there is another option: hire a boat to bring in your own catch.
There are plenty to hire all around the coast, and pollack, cod, conger and bream are the most common hauls.
article copyiright THE CORNISHMAN