After four consecutive years of increasingly sluggish trade at the Central Fish Market, in 2009 sales rose 3.8% over 2008. 84,245 tonnes of fresh and frozen fish and seafood were sold in all. This rise in sales was seen above all in the fresh produce group, particularly in species like the mussel, salmon, cultivated clam, hagfish, squid and cultivated gilthead.
However, this increase in tonnes went hand in hand with an overall drop of 9.6% in the average Market price, which fell to the same level as 2003 (€5.70). While prices declined 7% in terms of fresh produce, those of frozen fish and seafood plunged 18.6%.

At Christmas, higher volume and lower prices
The 2009 Christmas campaign ended on a par with the rest of the year. In other words, sales rose but prices dropped. A look at the data for the second fortnight of December with regard to the 35 most important fish and seafood products sold on these dates reveals that turnover was 11.3% higher than Christmas 2008. However, prices fell 11.5% with respect to the same period last year.