Looe Fish Market changed over to the "Moby Clock" electronic fish auction system in 2003. This system was completely new to the Westcountry, but widely used in small ports around the western region of Brittany, Pays Bigouden.

Nodding or shaking of buyers' heads is now replaced by the touch of a button at Looe. As the mobile `clock' moves from lot to lot, buyers hold a remote radio linked bidding panel, while they look over the boxes of fish and watch the auction screen as they make their bids.

The now (relatively!) quiet auctioneer sits on a small, electric powered three wheeled truck with excellent turning ability that supports the flashing auction screen. The truck moves around the market floor as each `lot' of fish is sold, very similar to a traditional shout auction.

Auction company Looe Fish Selling Ltd and Looe Harbour Commissioners jointly secured the new Moby system, costing more than £150,000, from Aucxis Trading Solutions of Belgium and Delta Scales.

The system was financed with the aid of a £90,000 grant from Objective One funding, with research and development assistance from the Sea Fish Industry Authority. 

Plymouth fish market has had an electronic fish auction for some time but this is a gallery type auction, where buyers view the fish first, make notes and then move to a separate bidding room for the electronic auction, well away from the chilled market floor.

Looe is a much smaller port, selling mainly day caught fish from small trawlers, netting boats and line fishing boats, where the highest EU quality level of E (excellent) is electronically `attached' to almost every box of fish.

Heugh Symons Heads a team that chose the Moby clock system in preference to others. "In my opinion this system brings fish auctioning into the 21st century."

Buyers bid by pressing a button on a radiographic transmitter. If 2 or more buyers bid the clock will rise until only one bidder is left - this is the French auction system.

The auction is generally faster than the traditional shout auction and there are major benefits for boats and buyers after the sale as the paperwork is instantly available.

"The auctioneers, buyers, fishermen and Looe Harbour Commissioners are very serious about this port. If greater profit comes from the new auction system, than that is very good news. We are expecting more buyers to come to Looe because of the Moby clock system. But without grant aid we would never have been able to afford such a system."