About Portland Fish Exchange
America's First All-Display Fresh Seafood Auction — Est. 1986
The Portland Fish Exchange is America's first and only all-display fresh seafood auction. Founded in 1986, the Exchange operates from a 22,000-square-foot refrigerated facility on Portland Fish Pier, where every lot of fish is displayed, graded, and available for inspection before bidding begins.
Monday through Thursday, buyers from across New England compete in open auction for the day's catch — haddock, cod, hake, pollock, monkfish, greysole, and more. The Exchange guarantees transparent pricing, verified grading, and rapid settlement: sellers are paid within 24 hours.
In 2026, the Exchange expanded to include Icelandic Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and Arctic char, arriving weekly via Eimskip's reefer service from Iceland. These premium species are displayed and auctioned alongside local groundfish under the same financial terms and buyer protections.
Established
1986
Facility
22,000 sq ft
Auction Days
Mon–Thu
Species
20+
·Digital Auction PlatformSeaBid provides the digital infrastructure for the Exchange's online bidding system and manages the import logistics for Icelandic species under the Sell While Sailing™ program.
seabid.app · bjarni@seabid.app
Board of Directors
The Exchange is governed by an 11-member board representing fishermen, dealers, processors, and the City of Portland.
View full board →Preserving Maine's Heritage. Capturing the Blue Economy.
The Exchange is central to Portland's blue economy strategy: keeping the working waterfront active, creating value-added processing jobs, and connecting Maine's fishing heritage with new international supply chains.