May 12, 2014 — As I'm relatively new to the commercial fishing beat, my visit a couple of weeks ago to the Portland Fish Exchange, the nation's first seafood display auction, was eye-opening for me. I had never really thought much before about the mechanics of the process that takes a fish from the hands of the fisherman who caught it to my grocery counter.
I was at the Portland Fish Exchange in Portland, Maine, to shoot a video with National Fisherman Publisher Jerry Fraser about the advantages of fish as a protein option, particularly with the rising costs of beef and poultry. The video is embedded below.
The Casco Bay was shrouded in fog when we arrived at the Portland Fish Exchange at around seven in the morning to meet Bert Jongerden, general manager of the exchange. Because Jongerden has been general manager of the exchange since 2007, and also worked there from 1990-1996 as an operations manager, he has, as he said, "seen the rise and fall of our groundfish." He's seen groundfish landings go from 30 million pounds per year to about 5 million pounds per year.
As the fog burned off, we did some filming and Jerry and I chatted with the exchange employees smoking on the pier, waiting for the arrival of the fishing vessel Robert Michael. Approximately 70 fishing vessels sell their catch via the Portland Fish Exchange and what makes this market unique is that it's an all display auction. Seafood buyers don't just bid generically on fish, they can bid on a specific load of fish. So fisherman can get a higher price for fish that are in the best condition.
Read the full story and watch the video at National Fisherman