Ella and her mum Amanda Cuff release the bouquet of flowers during the Blessing of the Fishing Fleet memorial held on Wakefield Quay, Nelson.

Nelson fisherman Barry Wells' love of chocolate fish was remembered on Saturday when the sweet treats were thrown into the sea along with flowers.

His stepdaughter, Amanda Cuff, and his 7-year-old granddaughter, Ella Cuff, tossed them from Sunderland Marine Pier during the annual Blessing of the Fleet event. Their tribute was in memory of Wells, who went missing in 1999.

A large crowd that had gathered for the event along Wakefield Quay on the Nelson waterfront was silent for a minute to remember members of the community who had lost their lives at sea including Wells.

VIRGINIA WOOLF/STUFF Sea cadets line the pier to the Searfarers' Memorial.

Amanda Cuff said she was 14 when Wells went missing from aboard the family boat, Marina. "He was lost between here and the Marlborough Sounds."

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With tears in her eyes, Cuff outlined her gratitude for the support her family had received from the fishing community, the Seafarers' Memorial Trust and the Iona II Trust, which mounted a private search for Wells.

VIRGINIA WOOLF/STUFF Part of the crowd that gathered for the Blessing of Fleet event.

"They searched for a very long time," she said.

The Blessing of the Fleet event was a collective effort by Nelson fishing companies and the Seafarers' Memorial Trust that usually tied in with the start of the hoki season.

It had been earmarked for May this year. However, damage to the area between the Settlers' Memorial and Sunderland Marine Pier on February 1 by ex-Tropical Cyclone Fehi prompted a decision to defer the 2018 event.

Archdeacon Andy Joseph, Reverend Jeff Cotton and Father Bill Warwick led prayers for seafarers and blessed the fleet during the event on Saturday, now in its 18th year.

Sea cadets and representatives of the Royal New Zealand Navy lined the the pier. They were joined this year by Captain Christine Clarke, of the Royal Australian Navy, who has been based at the Australian High Commission in Wellington for the past seven months working as a defence adviser.

"It's a very easy place to live," Clarke said of her move across the Tasman.

The Motueka Brass Band and Nelson College for Girls choir provided music for the occasion as water craft from tugs to standup paddle boards gathered in Nelson Haven.

A range of demonstrations wowed the crowd including the use of a winch by the crew of the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter. The Rotary Club of Nelson ran the popular fish 'n chip stall it has been operating for years. There were also stalls with mussels and salmon cakes. Fresh fish was filleted and later auctioned.

The event kicked off on Friday night with a display of fireworks.

Seafarers' Memorial Trust chairman Mike Smith said its creation came in response to the loss of life at sea including 23 people in 1996.

In many cases, the bodies of people who died at sea were not recovered "so a group of us decided to build a memorial".

Smith said a few things stood out about the long-running event including the respect shown by the large crowd.

"When we ask for a minute's silence, we get a minute's silence."

Fishing was "hugely important" to the Nelson community, he said.