Pefa.com, Europe''s largest real-time electronic fish auction company, has netted another big one. Cuxhaven in Northern Germany is the twelfth port to join the Pefa.com network, bringing on-line sales to one of Germany''s major fishing centres.
The Cuxhaven auction is scheduled to start up early in February.
Already on-line with Pefa.com are the Dutch ports of Stellendam, Colijnsplaat and Scheveningen along with Zeebrugge in Belgium, Halster Fish Sales in Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie; Troon, Lowestoft, Lochinver and Milford Haven in Britain and, most recently, Thyboron in Denmark. Other major fishing centres throughout Europe have signed letters of intent to join the Pefa.com network in the near future.
Thyboron auction has reported an upsurge in Spanish remote buyers since their clock went online in 2001 and the average price for whole prawns in Ardglass during the last twelve months showed an increase of 30 --40 % over the year 2000. Another highlight of 2001 was the installation of the first Pefa clock in
France at the pelagic auction of La Turballe. This system replaced an older system as the emerging trend is for auctions to replace older local based clocks with a Pefa.com Internet based package.
