Billingsgate
Wholesale change
IFIRST visited Billingsgate Fish Market in 1987. The market had moved to its current site in Poplar in east London in 1982 so by the time of my visit it was firmly established in its new home. As a wholesale market, Billingsgate was very different to the traditional retail fish markets I had previously seen.
Early in the morning, the market was a hive of activity with a variety of traders located across the market floor. It offered a wide variety of fish, including all the traditional marine species such as cod, haddock, sole and plaice, as well as live eels, crabs, scallops and prawns.
Although some fish was on display, the traders’ stalls were filled with boxes upon boxes of fish. A couple of traders were already specialising in buying farmed salmon, both from Scotland and Norway, and there was still a smattering of wild salmon available.
The market operated in a very traditional manner, with boxes of fish moved around the market by licensed porters, a role which was officially recognised by the Corporation of London in 1632. This was even before the market was formally established in 1699.
At the time, the market was located at Billingsgate Wharf, where fishing boats unloaded their catch to serve London residents.
The original market building wasn’t constructed until 1850 but this wasn’t found to be large enough, so it was rebuilt in 1872 and this survived until the market moved to the edge of Docklands.
In 2012, the role of the porters ended as a battle was fought over modernisation of the market-inevitable as the way Billingsgate operated changed.
Over many years, the supply of fish to retail has evolved. The bulk of the supply has been through the large supermarkets, which have been supplied direct.
At the same time, the number of independent fishmongers has declined.
This is both due to the competition for supermarkets but also because fish consumption has declined. Simultaneously, many restaurants have fish delivered direct, negating the need for early morning buying visits to the market.
The market risked losing its business. Certainly, the time I last visited there were significant gaps on the market floor where traders had shut up shop because they were unable to compete for a declining share of the business.
When I revisited the market this October for the first time in many years, the amount of activity and the number of people there caught me by surprise.
It was a very different market to the one I used to know, but I think that the beginnings of change were evident back when I used to be a regular visitor.
One or two new stalls began to appear, selling imported exotic species from the Middle East. These fish were being sold into specialist ethnic markets, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of a vibrant capital city.
Roll on a number of years and the market has
evolved. There are many more traders now on the market floor and what is noticeable is the diversity of both traders and customers- reflected in the species being sold.
Traditional white fish may still be consumed by
UK consumers, but these species are noticeable by their absence. Instead, there is a wide range of fish on offer, many of which are unfamiliar. The common species are sea bass and sea bream but there is everything from grouper to tilapia.
Salmon, which used to dominate the market in recent years and was available on every stall, is largely of minor interest. The big deals for salmon now take place elsewhere, away from the market floor, leaving salmon sold in the market as a bit player.
That’s not to say that salmon was invisible in Billingsgate. A couple of traders clearly rely on salmon sales but the big difference between years ago and now is that while once the traders sold boxes of salmon, now they sell them individually. I saw whole salmon being sold at £13 and £15 and big salmon for £35 each. One trader was selling salmon on multi-buy with two for £20. The way that these fish were being sold is very reminiscent of some local fish retail fish markets around the UK. Certainly, salmon is sold like this at both Bolton and Bury markets in Greater Manchester. This is the big change that I saw at Billingsgate. Rather than a wholesale market, Billingsgate is like a retail market, but one that is closed to the public. Instead, the buyers are from ethnic shops and restaurants selling or using a small amount of specialist fish. Rather than boxes of fish being transferred out of the market by porters with barrows, the buyers are carrying the fish out themselves, in carrier bags. There are still one or two of the old trading companies operating out of the market, such as J Bennetts, but even they have changed their offering to include exotic species such as snapper, jacks, barracuda, kingfish and orange grouper, as well as bass, bream and tuna. Billingsgate has found a new purpose in supplying a wide range of fish to a very diverse London population. But despite the new vibrancy, the market’s days are numbered. There is a new plan to put all the wholesale markets under one roof at a new site further down the river in Dagenham. Whether Billingsgate survives the move remains to be seen.
“The amount of activity and the number of people caught me by surprise”