Barry Young: £60.8million - what a year for Brixham Fish Market!

There was no doubt that coming out of Covid, post Brexit, record fuel prices and the current cost of living crises meant that 2022 would always be a year that might be tough to predict, writes BARRY YOUNG, managing director of Brixham Trawler Agents.

However, it soon became clear that the value of fish sold on Brixham Fish Market would break existing records.

The record stood at £43,600,000 for 2021 and as early as June 2022, the directors of BTA knew the record was going to be beaten.

Amazingly, the final figure for 2022 was £60,800,000.

There were many reasons for the record being smashed and these included:

• high fish prices as demand remained high, especially in the EU.
• the continued success of the on-line cloud based auction.
• newly built boats fishing from Brixham.
• boats from other ports coming to land their fish in Brixham as the prices on the auction were so favourable.
• as a result of Brexit boats from the South and South East coast could no longer send fish direct into EU (without all the paperwork). The fishermen had to look elsewhere to sell their catch and a fair and competitive fish auction at Brixham was their best option.
• fishermen from Cornwall and South Wales were also choosing Brixham as their preferred auction.
• a good run of weather.
• a good cuttle fish season.
• an excellent team at Brixham Trawler Agents who worked long hours ensuring all the boats were serviced, turned around and settled immediately.

Indeed, within the record year BTA also had their first ever £2,000,000 week which was in September 2022 and coincided with the start of the cuttle fish season.

The market only works with the continued teamwork between the fishermen, BTA and all the fish buyers. All three need to work together, and buy into the industry for these record figures to be achieved.

2023 predictions are difficult but with everything being equal a similar figure should be achievable. The biggest issue facing Brixham is space.

It has been well documented that with the additional volumes of fish Brixham has outgrown the market that was built in 2011 when the values of fish landed were approaching £20,000,000.

Hopefully, Torbay Council’s application for Levelling Up Funding will be successful and another market building can be built, allowing the expansion to go ahead, and make sure safe working conditions are met for all harbour users.

Brixham Trawler Agents staff numbers have increased to cover the additional workloads. Not so long ago staff numbers were 50 but now they are 65.

The main areas of growth are the additional day shift and night shift staff that have been needed to land the boats and grade the fish overnight, ready for the morning auction.

2022 also saw us win Fishing News Port of the Year once again. This is excellent recognition for all our staff who work so hard to make Brixham the place it is.

It is also really good news that the fishing apprenticeship is soon to begin at South Devon College.

This will help many local boat owners, and hopefully entice many more young people into the industry.

For more information on this, visit the South Devon College website.

Finally, we are glad to report that the ever-popular fish market tours will continue in 2023.

Dates are yet to be announced so please keep an eye on our website www.brixhamfishmarket.co.uk and on social media.

All proceeds go to the Fishermen’s Mission.