Wholesale Fish Market

The wholesale fish market's history is linked to the Florencio Valdés y Cía. company, which was founded by local shipowners and traders and became one of the main franchisees in the old port in 1871. Among the company's assets, there was a building destined for customs, which began to be used for fish auctions in 1904. This was the first operational fish market at the Gijón seaport.

Various entities have been responsible for running the wholesale fish market throughout its history: from the Euskeria charity society to the Virgen de la Soledad fishermen's guild, including the Sánchez de León y Cía. society, the El Germinar fishermen's guild and, most notably, the Unión de Armadores de Buques Pesqueros (Fishing Ships Owners' Union), which was in charge of the fish market for decades.

In 1920, an ice factory was opened in one of the sheds of the building. This was the start of a golden age, linked to the boom in the local fishing industry and the modernisation of the canning industry. Partially destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, the wholesale fish market was partly rebuilt after the end of the war.

In the 1980s, the decision to concentrate the fishing activity in El Musel Port was taken and new facilities were built for the wholesale fish market and the ice factory, and were inaugurated in 1987. After the closure of the old wholesale fish market, it was refurbished. The central block was occupied by the marina's administrative offices, one of the sheds was converted into an exhibition hall and the other one was used for hotel services.

Natalia Tielve García