“I first came to Peterhead Fish Market when I was 13 years old,” Andrew Charles tells me.
The 61-year-old has taken time out of the hectic auction going on in the background to recount his first experience here.
“My father used to drive me up on a Saturday, and that was how I used to earn my pocket money.”
The fourth-generation fish buyer is one of many with a similar story – that of being brought up in the industry which has been the backbone of the Blue Toon for centuries.
In the 300 or so years of shout auctions at Peterhead Fish Market, not much has changed.
But that will all be turned on its head come next spring, with the introduction of an electronic auction process for Europe’s biggest white fish port.
With big changes on the horizon, I took a trip to an auction to see what it’s really like, and learned:
- The stories of those who have spent their whole lives in the industry
- What buyers think of the incoming electronic auction
- And why you should “be careful what you wish for” when taking a job at the port
How does Peterhead Fish Market’s shout auction work?
Walking into the market at seven in the morning on a dark and chilly Thursday, I’m greeted by Peterhead Port Authority’s head of fishing operations, Peter Duncan.
With the auction starting in 10 minutes, we head straight to the bidding battlefield, where for the next hour, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fish will be snapped up.
Buyers are already circling the boxes of fish like sharks, eager to get the best price they can.
Before I can get my first question to Peter out, the auction gets started with a crescendo of prices being boomed out.
At any given time, four auctions are taking place in the market, with buyers huddled around the vast array of boxes which line the floor.
“It’s always bustling in here,” the Blue Toon native points out amid the organised chaos.
Within just 10 minutes, 500 boxes of fish have changed hands… and there’s still a whole lot more left to go.
Who is the brains behind Peterhead Fish Market?
With the sale now well under way, Peter finally gets a free minute to tell me more about the thriving white fish port.
All of this is in his blood, with the Duncans fishing out of Peterhead since the 1400s.
Prior to taking on the role at the market, the father-of-two was a fisherman and later took his talents onshore to teach Nautical Science at Nescol.
Showing the new generation the twists and turns of the industry is a proud period in his life, with “every fisherman in the last 10 years having got their certificate from him”.
So why did Peter decide to swap the warmth of the lecture hall to the bitterly cold chill of Peterhead Fish Market?
“Teaching was brilliant, but it got a bit repetitive,” he says.
“I was looking for a new challenge… Although I’ve learned to be careful what I wish for.
“You can please some of the people all of the time, or all of the people some of the time.”
Contentious changes on the horizon for Peterhead Fish Market
There’s a slightly bittersweet taste in the air during Thursday’s market, however.
The traditional auction process that generations have experienced will soon be gone.
Peterhead Port Authority will change over to an electronic auction next spring, following the likes of Shetland and Scrabster.
It’s a divisive topic down at the quayside, with the general consensus being that fishermen are in favour of the change, while fish merchants are less so.
As the bidding frenzy comes to a close, I return to Andrew Charles to see what he thinks of the incoming changes, given that he has been taking part since he was a young loon.
“Will I miss it?” he ponders.
“It’s change… There won’t be the same buzz or atmosphere once the electronic auction comes in, but you’ve got to embrace change.”
‘Buyers are under immense pressure’
Another veteran of Peterhead’s fish auctions is Andrew Gerrie.
The 57-year-old has been buying and selling fish in the Blue Toon since the 1980s, but he still remembers his first trips to the market like they were yesterday.
“It’s still the same atmosphere as it was all those years ago,” Andrew smiles.
“But it used to get quite heated between buyers back in those days.”
Peter quickly chips in to explain why fish auctions can sometimes become as intense as a scene from Jaws…
“They’re under immense pressure to get the highest quality for the best prices.
“If they don’t get the fish, they don’t get paid.
“I’ve seen some really poor Januarys, with boats not going out because of the weather.
“Pressure is a very real part of the job.”
Shout auctions a ‘by-product of bravado’
In the space of just one hour, 6,000 boxes of fish are sold and the auction is over.
Buyers flock from the market, ready to do it all again the next day.
I take a stroll just around the corner to Wilsea, a fish processing firm owned by harbour veteran Will Clark, and pop into his cramped office for a chat.
The 58-year-old moved to Peterhead from the north-east of England back in 1985, and the industry has been part of his life ever since.
His fishing roots go as far back as to when he was nine years old and tried his hand at filleting a fish for the first time.
Reflecting on his haul from today’s auction, he recounts: “The fish was extremely dear today. We bought £21,000 worth.
“The main factor in a shout auction is that you’ve got a room full of alpha males.
“It’s a by-product of bravado.”
On the upcoming changes to the market, Will says: “I’m not against the principle of an electronic auction.
“But Peterhead Fish Market can change direction in the drop of a hat.
“We’re not opposed to change, but it has to be suitable for Peterhead.”
What next for Peterhead Fish Market?
Just because the auction is over, doesn’t mean the work stops though…
For processors like Will, he needs to get his purchase out onto a lorry, and onto someone’s plate for supper the next day.
For those at the auction whose whole life has revolved around the Blue Toon’s staple industry, the upcoming changes can seem daunting.
Whilst skippers may get a better price for their catch, buyers may have to pay more for their fish.
Time will tell whether the financial implications will hit hard on those I spoke to today.
But one thing is for certain – Peterhead Fish Market will never be the same…
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