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Story: Fishing industry

Fish market, Wellington

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Fish market, Wellington

Townsend & Paul’s wholesale fish market, pictured here about 1910, acted as a clearing house for the daily catch – in this case it appears to be groper. Fish retailers and hawkers would descend upon the wholesalers when the fishing boats came in. The sign on the back wall reads ‘Caution! You must not stand on the fish-trays. Smoking & spitting strictly prohibited’.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Sydney Charles Smith Collection (PA-Group-00242)

Reference: 1/2-047903; G

by Sydney Charles Smith

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Fishing industry – A cottage industry, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6276/fish-market-wellington (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.