Buyer's guides
French seafood in season in December:king scallop, oysters and holiday prices
December at the fish auction: king scallop at its highest, oysters, sea bass, warty venus clam, common prawn. Holiday prices, substitutes, January closure.
Updated 4 min readLiveCriée editorial team
Contents
In December, king scallop (coquille Saint-Jacques) reaches its biggest landings of the year, oysters, warty venus clam and common prawn are at their peak, and sea bass stays plentiful; but it is also the month when holiday demand sends the prices of turbot, European lobster, European spiny lobster (langouste rouge) and monkfish soaring. For a buyer, December is won by anticipating.
Status as of 13 October 2026, based on the monthly sales of all French fish auctions in 2023 and 2024 (FranceAgriMer). The full calendar covers 40 species over twelve months.
What arrives at auction in December?
| Species | What auction sales show | What to know when buying |
|---|---|---|
| King scallop | Biggest month of the year: about 4,600 tonnes in December 2024 | The average price still rises, pulled up by demand |
| Pacific and flat oyster | Peak sales of the year | Volumes to announce early to your suppliers; size grades and categories to agree with them |
| Warty venus clam | Peak of the year (about 220 tonnes in 2024) | |
| Common prawn | Peak of the year | Average auction price lower than in summer |
| Sea bass | High volumes (about 240 tonnes in 2024), before the January peak | Average price rising over the month, around €17/kg |
| Herring | Winter fish, from November to March, with a clear peak in November; about 400 tonnes sold per year at the Boulogne-sur-Mer fish auction | Inexpensive: €0.60 to €0.70/kg on average at Boulogne in 2024 and 2025 |
| Hake, pollack, haddock | Present, with no peak | Safe choices for dishes of the day |
| Bouchot mussel | End of season depending on the growing area | Harvest stopping between January and February |
National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.
What becomes scarce?
- Sardine almost disappears from the fish auctions (about a hundred tonnes in December 2024).
- Langoustine, European lobster and brown crab are at their lowest in volume.
- Saithe is almost absent.
- Turbot and brill are scarce, just when demand is strongest.
- Mackerel declines and reaches its highest price of the year.
Holiday prices: what the figures say
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024Average auction price, December 2024
- Turbot
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €18.50/kg (May)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €40/kg
- European lobster
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €21/kg (June)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €42/kg
- European spiny lobster
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €32/kg (June)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €68/kg
- Monkfish (anglerfish)
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €5/kg (May)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €9/kg
- Langoustine
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €10/kg (May)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €22/kg
- Brown crab
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €5/kg (June)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €9/kg
- Brill
Average auction price, cheapest month of 2024 : about €15/kg (spring)Average auction price, December 2024 : about €22/kg
Rounded reading of the FranceAgriMer monthly curves, all French fish auctions. These are first-sale prices, before processing, transport and the fish merchant's margin.
The rise mainly affects holiday species, often doubling the price, and it does not always follow supply: monkfish is as present in December as in the rest of the year, but its price jumps.
Which substitutes for the menu?
- If you had plannedTurbotIn December, think ofLarge line-caught sea bass, John DoryWhy : Sea bass plentiful; John Dory much cheaper than turbot in December
- If you had plannedEuropean lobster or European spiny lobsterIn December, think ofKing scallop, common prawn, warty venus clamWhy : Species at the peak of their season
- If you had plannedMonkfishIn December, think ofHake, pollackWhy : More stable prices
- If you had plannedLangoustineIn December, think ofRaw king scallop, oystersWhy : Langoustine scarce and at its highest price
What to anticipate
- Order early for the 24th and the 31st
The last two weeks of the year account for a very large share of sales of oysters and premium species. Discuss your volumes with your suppliers from November or early December.
- Plan for days without auctions
From early December, ask your suppliers about the days without fish auctions around Christmas and New Year's Day, and bring your orders forward accordingly.
- Cost menus with a margin
A holiday menu built on October prices can lose several points of food cost ratio. The food cost guide shows the effect of a 10% rise on a portion.
- Prepare for January
In 2024, 2025 and 2026, part of the Bay of Biscay fleet stayed in port from 22 January to 20 February to protect dolphins; for 2027, the closure lasts thirty consecutive days, chosen by each vessel owner between 15 January and 27 February 2027 and declared before 1 December 2026 (failing a declaration: from 22 January to 20 February 2027); French order of 9 September 2026. Less Dover sole, hake and sea bass from the Bay of Biscay: to plan for now. In the English Channel, commercial sea bass fishing closes in February and March.
Frequently asked questions
Which fish is in season in December?
Sea bass, herring, hake, pollack and haddock for fish; king scallop, oysters and warty venus clam for shellfish; common prawn for crustaceans.
Why is turbot so expensive in December?
Because holiday demand comes when landings are low. In 2024, its average auction price was above €40/kg in December, more than double that of May, when it is most plentiful.
Is king scallop cheaper in December?
No. It is the month of the largest volumes, but also of the strongest demand: the average auction price of whole scallops in the shell is higher in December than in October.
What to offer instead of European lobster for the holidays?
King scallop, common prawn or warty venus clam, all in full season. European lobster is still possible, but its average auction price doubles between summer and December.
Sources
- FranceAgriMer, Données de ventes déclarées en halles à marée en 2024 (sales declared at fish auctions in 2024), edition of 6 June 2025 (monthly change in quantities and average prices by species): https://www.franceagrimer.fr/sites/default/files/2025-06/BIL-MER-VENTES_HAM-A24.pdf
- Port Boulogne Calais, press kit "Bilan 2025" (2025 review), 21 January 2026 (Atlantic herring: 411 t in 2025 and 395 t in 2024 sold at the auction hall, €0.62/kg in 2025 and €0.69/kg in 2024), read on 22 October 2026: https://www.portboulognecalais.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/dp_bilan-2025_port-boulogne-calais.pdf
- French National Assembly, question to the government No 1233 (17th legislature), closure of the Bay of Biscay since 22 January 2026: https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/questions/QANR5L17QG1233
- Sud Radio, "Protection des dauphins : nouvelle période sans pêche dans le golfe de Gascogne en 2027" (dolphin protection: new period without fishing in the Bay of Biscay in 2027): https://www.sudradio.fr/societe/protection-des-dauphins-nouvelle-periode-sans-peche-dans-le-golfe-de-gascogne-en-2027
- French order of 9 September 2026 setting spatial and temporal measures to reduce bycatch of small cetaceans in the Bay of Biscay for 2027, NOR TECM2623771A, JORF No 0212 of 11 September 2026, text No 12 (vessels and gears concerned, 30 consecutive days between 15 January and 27 February 2027, declaration before 1 December 2026): https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054826534
- RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), 2026 sea bass measures: https://english.rvo.nl/topics/seabass
- FranceAgriMer, summary on the bouchot mussel sector (harvest calendar): https://www.franceagrimer.fr/content/download/67187/document/SYN-MER-moule-bouchot.pdf
Read next
- Buyer's guidesSeafood seasonality calendar40 French seafood species month by month: peak season, lows, spawning, closures. And why season, quality and price do not coincide.
- Buyer's guidesFrench seafood in season in NovemberNovember at the fish auction: sea bass, king scallop, herring, common prawn, octopus. End of sardine and summer crustaceans. Substitutes and prices.
- Buyer's guidesFish and seafood size gradesSize grades explained: minimum sizes, EU categories and price list grades for sea bass, Dover sole, turbot, monkfish, king scallop, oysters, lobster.