Chiefs at Europe’s largest whitefish port want a visitor centre to be at the heart of a £47million redevelopment of the harbour.
Peterhead Port Authority are working on a masterplan to revamp the town’s already booming fish market.
Now chief executive John Wallace has proposed including a “visitor experience” to promote the industry and educate children about where seafood comes from.
Mr Wallace said: “There will be an area where visitors can see and hear the auctions in the fish market. There will be displays of various fish caught.”
The harbour boss explained that currently there are strict health and safety protocols in place for anyone entering the busy market. Under the new scheme, visitors – including families and children – would be able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the trading floor from a safe distance.
“I think it can be a wonderful visitor experience for hte whole of Peterhead. It will let people see the sale, the fish, the movements, the landings, the auction – it will be the whole story of the fish from net to plate,” he added.
“At the moment a lot of children – bless them – think fish comes from the supermarket. Hopefully this can stimulate their imagination for a potential career in the industry.”
The multimillion-pound scheme to upgrade the fish market is designed to attract even bigger boats and create space for their hauls to be landed and sold.
It will involve dredging to create more deep water berthing and building a new auction hall to handle up to 8,000 boxes of fish.
The port authority expects to receive tenders for the work at the end of this month, and by mid-November will know if there is a proposal they can afford.
It is hoped that a grant can be secured from the European Maritime Fisheries Fund when applications open in December.
If successful in their bid for funding, work is expected to last for 18 months.