Buoyant market prices at Brixham
13th June 2017
Strong levels of demand across all species from buyers on Brixham fishmarket continues to generate almost unprecedented optimism at England’s leading port, which is preparing for the 2017 Trawler Race this weekend, when thousands of pounds will again be raised for charities.
Above: The Brixham scalloper Girl Rona TH117 returning to harbour after a day’s work. Scalloping by such typical day-boats from Brixham and nearby ports forms a considerable part of the port’s annual income, alongside that of the larger beamers.
In a record-breaking 2016, when the annual catch value at Brixham exceeded £30m for the first time, the average price per tonne for demersal species increased by 10% to £2,803, compared to the 2015 figure of £2,546.
By going from £1,926 to £2,495, the rise in the average price per tonne for shellfish was an impressive 30% (£569t).
Strong buying power on Brixham market continues to fuel optimism ahead of the traditional Brixham Trawler Race this weekend.
The main contributory reason for the marked increase in average shellfish prices was cuttlefish, which went from £1,823 to £2,900 per tonne, an increase of 59% (£1,077).
This remarkable upward trend continued in the first quarter of this year, when cuttlefish averaged £3,619 per tonne. This represents an increase of 25% on the annual 2016 value, and is 63% higher than the value for the comparable average price per tonne of cuttlefish for first three months of last year.
Read more from Fishing News here.
