Before the fog lifts, dock workers chalk lot numbers onto shared boards that chefs check from their phones. The ritual looks old-fashioned, but the timing is new: kitchens reserve boxes while boats are still tying up.
Buyers say the system cuts waste from over-ordering and shortens the scramble that used to crowd the pier at 5 a.m. Skippers like it too — clearer demand means fewer fish left unsold when the sun hits the ice.
Not every stall joined at once. Older vendors kept cash notebooks until a rainy week proved the digital board stayed readable when paper did not. Now both methods sit side by side.
“We still taste for freshness,” says buyer Mara Ellison. “The board only tells us what is landing — the knife tells us what to cook.”
City tourism offices are watching closely. A calmer morning market is quieter for hotels, yet more predictable for restaurants that advertise “today’s boat” specials.
The next experiment is a shared cold locker so small kitchens can split a crate without owning a van. If it works, the dawn auction may become a model for inland produce co-ops as well.