Fulton Fish Market

The Market's Interior

The Fulton Fish Market is a fish market in New York, United States. It was originally a wing of the Fulton Market, established in 1822 to sell a variety of foodstuffs and produce. In November of 2005, the Fish Market relocated to a new facility in Hunts Point from its historic location near the Brooklyn Bridge along the East River waterfront at and above Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

During much of its 188-year tenure at the original site, the Fulton Fish Market was the most important wholesale East Coast fish market in the United States of America. Opening in 1822, it was the destination of fishing boats from across the Atlantic Ocean. By the 1950s, most of the Market's fish were trucked in rather than offloaded from the docks. The wholesalers at the Market then sold it to restaurateurs and retailers who purchased fresh fish of every imaginable variety. It was possible for fish to be rushed from fishing ports in New England to wholesale buyers at the Fulton Fish Market, who might then resell it to retail markets and restaurants in the very same towns where the catch originated.

Prices at the Fulton Fish Market were tracked and reported by the U.S. Government. In its original location, it was one of the last, and most significant, of the great wholesale food markets of New York. It survived major fires in 1835, 1845, 1918, and 1995, and the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

The new Bronx facility

On November 14, 2005, nearly 4 years after the $85 million structure was completed, the Market opened at its Bronx location. The move had been delayed due to legal problems.[1] The last-minute dispute was between a company which had had a ten-year monopoly on delivering fish from trucks to individual sellers' stall, versus the cooperative of sellers who wanted to do the task themselves in the new building. When the feuding parties agreed to continue as they had been for another three years, the last obstacle to the move was removed and packing began.[2]

This move brought 650 original workers from the market's former location into the area [3], with an additional 5500 diesel truck trips through Hunts Point per week (according to the NY Metropolitan Transportation Council [4] - see page 6 of this pdf) - bringing the weekly total to 60,000, helping ensure that the area's asthma rates remain the highest in the nation for decades to come [5]. The facility could generate an estimated $1 billion in yearly revenue, as it will allow seafood distributors to store their goods in temperature controlled warehouses with easier transportation access due to its proximity to the Bruckner Expressway. Many of the design aspects of this facility were already out of date in terms of energy efficiency when it was completed, and will only grow more costly as the price of energy increases in the years to come.The 400,000-square-foot facility does have better access to major highways in Hunts Point[6] in the South Bronx; however, it makes no use of its waterfront location to take advantage of barge access to the LaGuardia Marine/Air terminal or other water borne transport potential.

The move from the historic Manhattan site was due to a number of factors:

• cramped location
• lack of modern amenities, such as climate control
• increasing real estate value of Manhattan site for retail and residential use
• redevelopment pressure due to desirable proximity to the South Street Seaport and the Fulton/East River area

Other wholesale food markets

Of the various wholesale food markets once common in Manhattan, as of 2006, only the Meat Market on the West Side around 14th Street remains. The huge, rambling and historic Washington Market wholesale produce market below Chambers Street, also on the West Side, was displaced to the Bronx both for modern facilities and for construction of the World Trade Center.

Nineteenth-century fish markets in New York City

The Fulton Fish Market was one of New York's earliest open-air fish markets. From a New York newspaper dated 1831:

In New York, there are a number of Markets. Those called Fulton and Washington Markets are the largest. Fulton Market is at the East end of Fulton Street near the East River, and the Washington Market is on the West end, near the North River. The first was formerly situated in Maiden Lane on the East River side, and was called Fly Market. The latter was also in Maiden Lane, near Broadway, and went by the name Bear Market. These are the two principal markets. The next in size is Catherine Market, on Catherine Street, East River. There is also Franklin Market, in Old Slip; Centre Market, in Grand, near Orange Street; Linton Market, North River, foot of Canal Street; Essex Market, Essex Street; Grand Street Market, at the Williamsburgh Ferry; and the Tomkins Market, at the junction of the Third Avenue and the Bowery.

See also

• Rungis international market
• Up at Lou's Fish, 2005 documentary with limited distribution, following the lives of the Fish Market community as they prepared for their relocation to Hunt's Point in the Bronx. Directed by Corinna Mantlo and Alex Brook Lynn.

References

• Barry, Dan. "A Last Whiff of Fulton's Fish, Bringing a Tear", New York Times, July 10, 2005. 

• Davisson, John. "Fulton Fish Market Moving to Bronx", Columbia Spectator, May 2, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-06-10. 

• Jacobs, Andrew. "On Fish Market's Last Day, Tough Guys and Moist Eyes", New York Times, November 11, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-09-13. 

• Katz, Neil Samson. The Last Days of the Fulton Fish Market. Work magazine. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.

• The ever-present Fultonness. Forgotten NY. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.

• "First day of business at new Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx", Newsday, 2005-11-14. 

• Gonzalez, Lauren. "The Last Days of the Old Fulton Fish Market", The Reading Room, June 21, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-21. 

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