PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2022
The future course of the Portland Fish Exchange is deeply uncertain, but will likely be set this fall. The exchange, which was opened by the city in 1986, has provided nearly daily auctions of fish on the Portland Fish Pier. It was seen as a solid market-based alternative to the long-standing system that saw many fishermen turn their catch over to pier owners, who then trucked the fish out of state and tried to get a good price. The exchange also was intended to help the struggling groundfishing industry as it dealt with worries about overfishing and heightened federal regulations on where and when fish could be caught. Last year, it hit rock bottom. Some daily auctions were canceled because there simply wasn’t enough cod, haddock, flounder and halibut to attract commercial buyers. There’s a consensus in the industry and on the board that oversees the auction that things are going to have to change.