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French seafood in season in September:what arrives at auction, what becomes scarce

September at the fish auction: gilthead sea bream, red mullet, mackerel, albacore, warty venus clams return. King scallop closed until the 30th. Prices.

Updated 4 min readLiveCriée editorial team

September: Gilthead sea bream, Mackerel, Red mullet, Red gurnard, Sardine, AlbacoreJFMAMJJASONDIN SEASONSeptemberGilthead sea breamMackerelRed mulletRed gurnardSardineAlbacore
Contents
  1. What arrives at auction in September?
  2. What becomes scarce?
  3. Which substitutes for the menu?
  4. Points to watch on prices
  5. Frequently asked questions

In September, the end of the summer holidays (la rentrée) shows at the fish auction: gilthead sea bream, red mullet, red gurnard, mackerel, sardine, albacore and Atlantic bluefin tuna are in full season, the warty venus clam (praire) comes back and oysters start to come out of their milky period; langoustine, spider crab and whelk are at their low, and king scallop (coquille Saint-Jacques) stays closed until 30 September, before reopening in October. This is the month when the autumn menu is prepared.

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 September?

SpeciesWhat auction sales showWhat to know when buying
Gilthead sea breamStart of the autumn peak: about 110 tonnes in September 2024, double AugustAverage auction price falling, from about €17/kg in August to €11
MackerelSecond peak of the year: about 750 tonnes in September 2024Lowest average price of the year, under €2/kg
Red mulletStart of the autumn high seasonAround €7/kg
Red gurnardFull seasonInexpensive species
SardineStill about 1,300 tonnesLess than €1/kg
AlbacoreAbout 375 tonnes, after the August peakSeason ending in October
Atlantic bluefin tunaFull season, about 135 tonnes in September 2024; it carries on into October (about 80 tonnes)Around €9 to €10/kg
Warty venus clamBack at auction: about 80 tonnes in September 2024Lowest average price of the year, around €3.70/kg
Common prawnReturn, volumes still lowStill expensive, around €26/kg
Pacific oysterComing out of the milky period, usually between late summer and autumn depending on the growing areaSales rise until the holidays
Bouchot musselFull season

National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

What becomes scarce?

  • Langoustine is at its low: about 60 tonnes in September 2024, at an average price around €19/kg.
  • Spider crab is at its lowest of the year: about 35 tonnes in September 2024, against more than 250 in May.
  • Whelk falls to its lowest volumes of the year. Conversely, squid (encornet) rises: about 520 tonnes in September 2024, before its peak from October to December.
  • Hake is at its highest price of the year (about €6/kg in September 2024, double the spring price), and so is Dover sole (around €23/kg).
  • Turbot is scarce, around €30/kg.
  • King scallop stays closed until 30 September.
  • Herring has not arrived yet.

Which substitutes for the menu?

A few ideas, to adapt to your menu and the day's catch.

  • If you had on the menuLangoustineIn September, think ofWarty venus clam, octopusWhy : Langoustine at its low; warty venus clam back
  • If you had on the menuSpider crabIn September, think ofBrown crabWhy : Spider crab at its lowest of the year
  • If you had on the menuWild sea bassIn September, think ofWild gilthead sea breamWhy : Sea bream at the start of its peak, price falling
  • If you had on the menuHakeIn September, think ofHaddock, whitingWhy : Hake at its most expensive of the year

Points to watch on prices

  1. King scallop: prepare the return, without fixing the price. Fishing reopens from 1 October, bed by bed, with days and hours set for each bed. In 2024, the average auction price of whole scallops in the shell rose from October to December. Plan the dish from September, set the selling price after two or three weeks of observation; the October guide details the reopening.
  2. Gilthead sea bream, the buy of the new season. Its average auction price goes from about €17/kg in August to €11 in September, then €9 in October, its most plentiful month.
  3. Sea bass comes down. From about €20/kg in September 2024 to €14 in October: a sea bass dish costed on summer prices has margin to gain in autumn.
  4. Kitchens get back to work. Restaurants that reopen restart their orders at the same time: it is the right moment to update recipe costing sheets and compare suppliers again.

The price list guide explains how to compare offers, and the food cost guide how to pass a fall or a rise on to the recipe costing sheet.

Frequently asked questions

Which fish is in season in September?

Gilthead sea bream, red mullet, red gurnard, mackerel, sardine, albacore and Atlantic bluefin tuna for fish; warty venus clam, oysters and bouchot mussel for shellfish; common prawn, which comes back, for crustaceans.

When does the king scallop come back?

In October. Fishing is closed from 15 May to 30 September, then reopens from 1 October with dates specific to each bed (Bay of Saint-Brieuc, Bay of the Seine, etc.).

Are oysters good again in September?

They are starting to come out of it: the milky period usually ends between late summer and autumn, depending on the growing area and the weather, and sales then rise again until the holidays. Triploid oysters, which are hardly milky, also sell in summer.

Should you buy spider crab in September?

It is its low point of the year: about 35 tonnes sold at auction in September 2024, against more than 250 in May, at a higher average price than in spring. It becomes plentiful again in spring.

Sources

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