Public Fish Sales Float

 

As of: Monday, March 8, 2010


Today on the Public Sales Float:

  1. 1.Interceptor: salmon *

  2. 2.Pacific Searcher: salmon ***OPEN WEEKENDS***

  3. 3.Pacific Dancer: unknown *

  4. 4.Pacific Battler: ground fish


  1. *Vessels are on the sales float but are not open at this time



Note - the above information is collected every weekday, but is currently not collected on weekends. Not all vendors provide their catch information to Steveston Harbour Authority, so some vessels may be marked down but have no specific product listed. Also, vessels and vendors come and go as they 

please, so Steveston Harbour Authority cannot guarantee that the listed vessels will be there upon your arrival.

FISH


Look: Each species has characteristic markings and colours that fade as the fish loses freshness. Eyes of fin fish should appear bright, clear and often protruding. As quality decreases, the eyes often turn pink and become cloudy and sunken. The condition of the eyes is a better clue with some fish than with others. The eyes of some bottom fish collapse when they come to the surface. Assess the look of the eyes together with other aspects of the fish before making a final determination. Gills should be reddish and free from slime. Gill colour fades with time to light pink, then grey. When buying frozen fish, the flesh of the fish should be solidly frozen with no odor and no discolouration or drying (freezer burn) on the surface.


Touch: Flesh should give slightly, then spring back into shape when gently pressed. Flesh should not separate from the bones when touched (on dressed fish).


Smell: Fish should smell fresh and mild, not “fishy.” A fish just out of the water has practically no “fish” odor.


Storage: Though frozen fish can stay good for 3 - 10 months in a household freezer, it is recommended that frozen fish be used within 1 - 2 months to keep the flavour. After 2 months, the flavour and nutritional value will start to deteriorate.


Commercially frozen fish can be stored up to two years in a deep freeze, though this depends on how promptly the fish were handled and frozen on the vessel that harvested them.

 

Purchasing Tips


The Sales Float is provided for the benefit of the public and the fishers who sell their catch. Steveston Harbour Authority does not regulate prices or product quality. As all transactions are private dealings between the buyer and the seller, it is a “buyer beware” environment. However, below are a few tips to help everyone make the right choice when purchasing fresh seafood.


As a general rule, buy from a reliable vendor who keeps high standards of cleanliness and has a good knowledge of the product and how to handle it. It is also a good idea to ask the vendor where and when the product was caught. Only buy seafood that is displayed on ice and keep your purchase cold until you get home. Leaving seafood in the car on a hot day speeds up spoilage and may make it unsafe to eat.


Fresh or Frozen?


In the fishing industry, the term “fresh” generally means that the product has not been frozen since it was harvested from the ocean and delivered to the customer. The term “flash frozen at sea” or more commonly, “frozen,” means that the product was frozen within hours of it being harvested. So, which is better?


Fresh: Most people are under the impression that “fresh” fish are always better than frozen fish. While it is true that a fish that is cooked the same day as it was caught will have the best flavour and overall quality, “fresh” in this industry does not always mean “fresh.” Again, what the term “fresh” actually means in the fishing industry is that the product has never been frozen and has instead been kept in a chilled state until it is sold. This is fine if it is only for a few days, but the quality of the product will decrease with age. For this reason, it is always a good idea to ask the vendor where and, most importantly, when the fish was caught. If they are unable to answer, buy from another vendor.


Frozen: Most people are also under the mistaken impression that frozen fish is always inferior to “fresh” fish in quality and taste. Fish that are “flash frozen at sea” are frozen solid within hours of being harvested, preserving their flavour and quality. Frozen fish should be literally hard as rock and should show no signs of previous thawing. So in reality, as long as they aren’t thawed and re-frozen, fish that is “flash frozen at sea” can be just as high quality as truly fresh fish.


So really, the issue about fish being “fresh” or “frozen” isn’t as important as people think. Buyers should be far more concerned about the level of knowledge the vendor has about the product and the cleanliness of the vendor’s vessel and equipment when deciding where to buy seafood.


Keep the above information in mind, and refer to some additional tips for different species below.

For information about the history of the Public Fish Sales Float, click here.