Landing Fish

Landing-Fish-direct-from-Brixham-Fish-Quay

Landing the Catch

Communication is Key

Many of the skippers are members of a WhatsApp group where they share information such as date of return, their catch, the area they have fished and how many days they’ve been at sea. This is also shared with BTA who keep the information up to date.

This information is useful in helping the skippers decide on the best day to return to port to land their catch as quieter days can have a positive impact on the price of fish. It also helps BTA to plan staffing levels to cope with the large amounts landed which on busy nights can be up to 80 tons of fish!

Communication-is-key-to-landing-great-fish-brixham

Fresh from the Start

Each skipper heads towards the designated landing areas on the North side for the beamers and the inner harbour for the day boats. BTA landing staff will assist and BTA forklift drivers will collect the landed fish and take it to the refrigerated areas.

Fresh-Brixham-Crabs-on-the-quayside

Sorted and Graded

The catch is then sorted and graded by species and weight, loaded into 40kg boxes and lightly iced to keep the temperature constant at around +2 degrees Celsius, prior to the auction.

Sorting-grading-fish-Brixham-Fish-Quay

Expertly Documented

Each box is then labeled with details including actual weight, the name of the boat the catch was landed from, and the day it was landed. The boxes of fish are then taken to the auction floor to be sold.

expertly-documented-box-fish-organised

"In order to complete my degree in Ocean Science and Marine Conservation I am studying Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), an under studied species landed in high quantities in Brixham. My work experience at BTA has been invaluable towards my research. I would like to give huge appreciation to all the guys on the market and the staff at BTA for their support."

– Amelia Newman
Quality-fish-Brixham-box-washing