The Port of Barcelona will invest €8M in a new fish market open to the general public

The Port of Barcelona will invest nearly €8 million to build the future fish market, facilities that will be open to the public. The project for the new building and urbanisation of the surrounding area will make visible and publicise fishing activity that takes place in Barcelona, while opening up this area of the Port Vell to the public.

Today the project for the future fish market was presented at Fisherman's wharf. The event was attended by Damià Calvet, President of the Port of Barcelona; José Alberto Carbonell, General Manager; Ramon Griell, Deputy General Manager of Infrastructure and Conservation; and José Manuel Juárez, President of the Barcelona Fishermen's Guild.

In November the Management Board agreed to initiate the bidding process for the future fish market, a project that includes construction of a 3,233-m2 building and development of the surrounding 24,103 m2. Construction is scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2022.

The project, which has a duration of 17 months, will structure the future fish market in three blocks to make the services required by the various types of fishing in Barcelona involving blue and white fish –purse-seine fishing and trawling– more efficient. This separation by fish type will streamline auctions and fish preparation, packaging and invoicing processes.

The future fish market will house the offices of the Barcelona Fishermen's Guild, meeting and training rooms and all the necessary services, and the project also incorporates the new ice factory, which came into service in late 2016.

Remodel of the fishing area

The new fish market is part of a comprehensive remodel of Barcelona's fishing facilities with a twofold objective: to ensure the future sustainable and competitive development of fishing in Barcelona and open this area of the Port Vell to the public. For this reason, the project incorporates a walkway that will start next to the Torre del Rellotge and run the entire length of the building, with large windows so that visitors can see fish market activity, particularly fish auctions.

"Fishing in Barcelona is as old as the Port. Barcelona's fishermen are very important for all the people who make up the Barcelona Port Community and for citizens at large", said President Calvet, who added, "The port administration has a duty to make sure that our fishermen have the infrastructure required to carry out their activity in the best conditions".

In the same vein, Calvet added, "The new fish market is a 'transparent' project that will allow visitors to see the activity that takes place inside. We want to bring fishing and maritime culture closer to people".

José Manuel Juárez, President of the Barcelona Fishermen's Guild, emphasised that "with these new facilities we will be pioneers and exemplary disseminators of fishermen's and nautical culture".

The Port of Barcelona's first energy community

The future fish market will house the Port of Barcelona's first energy community. Energy communities are systems capable of producing energy from renewable sources that is managed and consumed in proprietary facilities.

The Fisherman's wharf Energy Community will make use of the existing and future roof surfaces (warehouses, parking lots and fish market) to instal a system of solar panels to power the various wharf facilities (ice factory, fish market, etc.). The photovoltaic and warehousing installation on the roof of the fish market will have 359 solar panels generating nominal power of 100 kW and a warehousing capacity of 70 kWh. This solar energy installation will make it possible to save 54 tonnes of CO2.

https://www.portdebarcelona.cat/web/port-del-ciudada/nova-llotja-pescadors