It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both.
[2] They served as a public space where large numbers of people could gather and discuss current events and local politics.
Once ice or other simple cooling methods became available, some were also established in large inland cities that had good trade routes to the coast.
Since refrigeration and rapid transport became available in the 19th and 20th century, fish markets can technically be established at any place.
However, because modern trade logistics in general has shifted away from marketplaces and towards retail outlets, such as supermarkets, most seafood worldwide is now sold to consumers through these venues, like most other foodstuffs.