Sydney Fish Market opening LIVE: New $836 million site opens at Blackwattle Bay

Dozens of registered buyers have packed the first seafood auction on the trading floor at the new Sydney Fish Market.

The silent auction is not open to the public but can be viewed through the glass walls of the new building.

Registered buyers pack the first seafood auction on the fish market’s trading floor.Credit: KATE GERAGHTY

Since 1989, the market has used a Dutch clock auction, which works in reverse of a usual auction: the auctioneer starts with a high price that drops until a buyer presses a button, freezing the price and winning the lot.

About 160 registered buyers will inspect the products on the trading floor early each weekday morning before the crab auction starts at 4am, followed by fish at 4.30am. The auctions have been brought forward by an hour at the new building to ensure trading is finished by 10am.

An estimated 20 tonnes of fresh seafood will be sold at the new market each hour, or an average of 50 to 55 tonnes per day. About 60 tonnes of produce is expected to be sold today.

Sydney Fish Market chief executive Daniel Jarosch last week said: “The trick is to get the live auction over and done as quickly as possible. On an average day, we do about 3000 crates [of seafood]. At peak, about 30 days of the year, that goes to 7000 crates.

“The challenge is then getting the product out of this facility because it has to get into the stores for customers to buy at lunchtime.”

While the new site is expected to attract 6 million visitors each year – double that of the old site – it provides the same 400 parking spaces, requiring many visitors to catch buses or light rail services while lugging their seafood home.

The old Fish Market light rail stop has been renamed Bank Street, as Wentworth Park light rail stop, about 400m away, is now closer to the market’s entrance.

Due to the additional demand, there will be 150 extra weekly services for the L1 Dulwich Hill light rail line, to run on evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Existing bus routes 389 and 501 serving Pyrmont and Ultimo will continue to provide access to the new Sydney Fish Market. These services operate along Harris Street and bus stops are about 400 metres from the new Sydney Fish Market.

A $30 million ferry wharf for services from Barangaroo, announced in last year’s budget, will not be ready until at least 2027, as plans for a pontoon wharf on the market’s eastern side are still in the design stage.

Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the grand opening of the new Sydney Fish Market at Blackwattle Bay.

I’m Cindy Yin, here with you as crowds of seafood lovers and tourists prepare to flock into the new site right across from the old Pyrmont location.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The $836 million shiny new fish market at Blackwattle Bay has been touted as the “Opera House for fish”, and is expected to be a major drawcard for tourists and Sydneysiders.
• The new site is expected to attract 6 million visitors each year – double that of the old site.
• There will be the same 400 parking spaces, with light rail stops and bus services nearby for commuters.
• The NSW government in November 2018 unveiled the final design for the fish market. At the time, it had an opening date of 2023 and an estimated $250 million price tag.
• The market was designed by Danish architects 3XN, and is twice the size of the existing site and as big as three Queen Victoria Buildings side-by-side.

Staff at the new Sydney Fish Market today.Credit: KATE GERAGHTY

It’s going to be an exciting day. Let’s get started!