Almost three years since a tsunami devastated the city of Ishinomaki, Japan, life is getting back to normal.

Fishing is one of the town’s key industries, and fish market officials held the year’s first auction early Sunday morning at a temporary

headquarters.

The city is still rebuilding after the tsunami smashed into the harbor, killing thousands in March, 2011.

Around 200 people gathered to bid on cod and other fish.

First, they prayed for safety and a bountiful catch.

86,000 tons of fish went through the Ishinomaki fish market last year—that’s back to about 70% of levels before the earthquake.