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In England, can I buy fresh fish directly off the boat?

Fahad
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    Is this a question about legality of buying directly from a fisherman? Or the availability of such a purchase. I'm not sure about either in the UK, but in the States, those questions have varying answers depending on local laws. – AMtwo Nov 24 '20 at 05:17
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    Which part of the UK? There are 4 countries in the UK, all have different laws and regulations. – GdD Nov 24 '20 at 09:53
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    It's also going to depend on the size of the boat. I'm sure the guys in Whitby harbour would sell you one if you were persistent, but they'd far rather get on with the job of unloading several hundred ready-packed boxes in order to wheel them down to the actual fish market, 100 yards away… where it will be an entire 30 minutes less fresh ;) Whereas a bloke out on his own would probably have more time & patience. – Tetsujin Nov 24 '20 at 11:41
  • Or you could get into sea fishing... – spikey_richie Nov 24 '20 at 14:45
  • @Tetsujin you're not wrong but it looks like the auction of the catch in Whitby is closed, and you'd need to go another 100 yards to the fishmonger – Chris H Nov 24 '20 at 14:53
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    Or you could just go to the chippy & sit watching them unload the boat from in the warm ;) – Tetsujin Nov 24 '20 at 15:30

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Brixham is a traditional fishing port in Devon. Their fish market is a (mainly) wholesale operation but lists local sellers, one of which is the actual boat selling at the quayside (the link on that page is broken). Unfortunately for you, even if you're within essential travel range of Devon at the moment the boat appears to be undergoing a refit.

This does demonstrate that it's possible/legal, even if you're nowhere near Brixham.

It's rare though. There's a directory of "direct" sales (their word), some of which might be of interest (e.g. see what's been caught, have it prepared and delivered).

Chris H
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  • Hi Chris - I think this would be a better answer if it emphasised "It's rare though" more, to be honest. – Vince Bowdren Nov 25 '20 at 09:37
  • hey guys thank you for your answer it was help full ,but i am looking to open a sea food restaurant and i'm trying to get fresh fish for the place and cheap thought i could do that buy directly buying it from the fisher man (boat) – Fahad Nov 26 '20 at 19:53
  • It's a very different matter if you're trying to open a restaurant. The wholesale markets will be available to you then and if you're near a fishing port you'll have a good selection. Once established you may be able to deal directly with the boats but I doubt it would save you anything. – Chris H Nov 26 '20 at 20:00