[5] The population grew quickly in the 19th century and by the 1860s Cellardyke was a thriving town, with more than fifty boat owners and skippers year round, and one hundred other captains joining in for the annual herring fishing drive or Lammas drave which took place around the Lammas festival on 1 August.

On 30 December 1814, a boat carrying a crew of three was lost en route to Burntisland; all three of the passengers died.

In addition, on 1 July 1837 a boat from Cellardyke carrying people on an excursion to the Isle of May as part of a celebration for the start of the herring fishing foundered.

Around 200 fishing boats were once based here but much of the fleet was destroyed by a storm in 1898, with most of those left intact relocating a short way down the coast to Anstruther.

A dead swan was found floating in Cellardyke harbour on 29 March 2006, and was subsequently collected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) began testing blood samples from the wild swan on 3 April 2006.

[9] The incident brought unprecedented attention to Cellardyke, with worldwide media coverage of the events being broadcast from the small harbour.