Billingsgate Market

Know London

Billingsgate is the United Kingdom’s largest inland fish market. An average of 25,000 tonnes of fish and fish products are sold through its merchants each year. Approximately 40% of that tonnage comprises fish imported from abroad. The annual turnover of the Market is estimated to be in the region of £200m.

Billingsgate is served by almost every port in the United Kingdom - from Aberdeen to Penzance. Most of the fish is transported by road directly from the coast and arrives at the market in the early hours of the morning. Imported frozen fish is usually shipped in large refrigerated containers. Imported chilled fish is often airfreighted-sometimes from countries thousands of miles away - or arrives by sea via roll-on, roll-off ferries. Live imports include lobsters from Canada and eels from as far away as New Zealand.

Many processed or ‘added-value’ fish and fish products are on display such as cured and smoked fish and roe; prepared products ready for the table; fish soups; cooked shellfish and pâtés.

Farmed fish are also very much in evidence - predominantly salmon from the United Kingdom and Norway. Trout and turbot are also farmed successfully and this source of production is likely to become more important to the trade with the increasing demand for fish and the need to conserve natural resources.