“It's really interesting to be able to visit such a secret environment”: eight years later, the Sète fish market reopens its doors to visitors

Les visiteurs ont accès aux informations détaillées sur chaque produit, comme les acheteurs. Midi Libre – Valentine GRAFF

Après huit années de fermeture au public, la criée est de nouveau accessible aux touristes via une visite trois jours par semaine.

The cries of the gulls, carefully examining the day's catch, resonate in the Sète fish market. The trawlers unload their goods. Since the beginning of summer, access to the auction has been reopened to the public. For an hour, Sophie Yates, tour guide, shows visitors how it works.

A fish market reserved for professionals

More than twenty of us entered a refrigerated room at the back of the building. "Be careful where you step!", Sophie recalls. In front of us, a conveyor belt where crates containing seafood products put up for sale by trawlers and small crafts (small boats) pass by at a sustained speed. They each stop for a moment in front of a man called “the crier”. “His role is to set the price of the goods, that is to say, the starting price for the auction, explains the guide. It is based on the visual appearance of the product and its quality. Historically, the crier announced the price of the products directly to buyers and organized the sale. Today, everything is computerized, but its role remains key."

"It's a fish market reserved for professionals", continues the speaker. Restaurateurs, fishmongers and wholesalers are gathered for the auction. A beep sounds, the sale of a crate of shrimp begins. "Normally, during an auction, the price increases. Here, it is the opposite, it is decreasing” , indicates Sophie, to speak of the sale “by the clock”. As soon as the amount suits one of the professionals, he presses a remote control and the sale ends. The purchased crate gives way to a new one. For more than two hours, the products will parade in front of the professionals.

Visitors curious to learn more

“I didn't know anything about how an auction works,confides Camille Yhuel, who came to spend her holidays on the Singular Island with her husband and two children.We come from Concarneau, where there is also a port that operates in a different way. In our country, it is sardines. Seeing the effectiveness of this system raises questions about the evolution of the operation of our port, which is gradually dying. It is extremely interesting to be able to visit such a closed and secret environment as the sale of fish. Fishing is a field that we don't know, I know more about it now."

The most requested visit in Sète this summer

"It's one of the visits, if not the most requested visit by tourists in Sète since the beginning of the summer, assures Sophie Yates. People don't know about this building located in the heart of the city. Many wonder about its usefulness and come out of curiosity, without knowing the field of fishing. At least they ask questions and are genuinely interested.”

“The public is at the heart of the action”

“It's a good thing, judges Raphaël Scannapieco, the major industrial tribunal, of the Prud’homie Patrons Pêcheurs Sète Môle. Our profession is often misunderstood. Fishing is part of the soul of Sète. It is important that our work is highlighted to tourists. The advantage is that they are right in the heart of the action. I hope that, regarding safety, everything will be done to ensure that there are no accidents."

The guided tour costs € 10 per person (€ 6 for children between 6 and 12 and free for children under 6), every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until August 30. For more information, visit the Sète tourist office website (www.tourisme-sete.com ).

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