Granville fish auction:whelk, king scallop, the seasons and how to get fish delivered

01

The Granville fish auction in figures

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions (2024: workbook published on 2 July 2026; 2023: report of June 2025); ranks calculated by the editorial team.

In 2024, Granville sold 12% more than in 2023, but for a value down 8%: the average price lost 18%. The main cause is whelk, whose average price went from €4.88 to €2.94/kg. It is the second fish auction in Normandy, after Port-en-Bessin, and the first in the Manche.

Three fishing methods share the fish auction in 2024: the trawlers FranceAgriMer classes as "non-exclusive" (51% of volumes, 48% of value), dredgers (23% and 19%) and potters (17% and 22%) (editorial team's calculation from FranceAgriMer data). The pot is the gear for the bay's whelk (PGI specification), the dredge the gear for king scallop.

02

Which species can you find in Granville?

Source: FranceAgriMer, 2024 data; shares and ranks calculated by the editorial team on the total of French fish auctions.

King scallop, whelk and warty venus clam together make up 72% of the value sold. Granville is also, by far, the leading French fish auction for dog cockle and surf clam, two low-priced shellfish (€0.68 and €1.77/kg on average). Among crustaceans, spider crab and lobster are present, in modest volumes.

The Bulot de la Baie de Granville (PGI). Since 2019, the name "Bulot de la Baie de Granville" has been a protected geographical indication, IGP (PGI) (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/219). The specification requires:

• the species Buccinum undatum, sold whole in its shell, live or cooked (fresh, pasteurised or frozen);
• a size grade of 47 to 70 mm, measured from the apex to the siphonal canal, with at most 8% smaller and 15% larger pieces per lot;
• an area: fished west of the Cotentin, from Pointe de Goury to Pointe de Champeaux, within a 30-mile band from the landing points, and landed in the coastal municipalities of this area;
• pot fishing, with trips of 16 hours at most.

The PGI is therefore not limited to the port of Granville: it covers the whole west coast of the Manche. On a price list, the "IGP" mention and its logo distinguish this whelk from a Channel whelk without a quality mark. Our labels and claims guide explains how to check a quality mark, and the whelk profile details size grades and uses.

03

When to buy what? The calendar of the leading species

The calendar marks the months of high landings, read from the monthly sales of all French fish auctions in 2024. Granville accounts for half of the whelk and warty venus clam and most of the dog cockle sold at auction: for these species, the national curve largely reflects its own. For king scallop, fishing is closed everywhere from 15 May to 30 September inclusive (order of 12 May 2003); the opening is then set bed by bed.

Whelk is the best example of the link between volume and price. In 2024, its national average price was around €2.10 to €2.70/kg from February to July, when landings exceed 300 tonnes a month, then rose to nearly €4/kg in August and September, when they fall below 150 tonnes, and to €4.80/kg in December. Warty venus clam follows the same movement: about €3.60/kg in September, when landings resume, more than €6/kg in November and December. For king scallop, the national average price went from about €2/kg in May to €2.90/kg in December.

04

How does the sale work?

• Auctions reserved for buyers declared to the manager of the auction hall, with proof of registration, VAT number and a guarantee covering purchases (Article D932-9 of the French rural code). The sale time is not published: check with the fish auction or your fish merchant.
• A departmental port. Granville belongs to the Département de la Manche, which has entrusted its local public company, Les Ports de la Manche, with developing a network of eight ports, from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue to Granville.
• A fish auction near Saint-Malo. On the other side of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Saint-Malo fish auction mainly sells king scallop; Granville also covers whelk, warty venus clam and crustaceans.

05

The fish merchants of Granville

Around the port, fish merchanting (mareyage) companies buy at the auction hall, sort, grade, cook or pack and ship. For whelk, the question to ask is the presentation: live, freshly cooked, pasteurised or frozen do not compare at the same price, and the 47 to 70 mm size grade only applies to the PGI. For king scallop, it is the same between whole scallop and scallop meat. The price list guide explains how to read these lines, and the food cost guide helps bring each offer back to the price per usable kilo.

We do not publish a list of fish merchants. Company profiles will come with their agreement.

06

How to get fish delivered from Granville?

For an importer, the pattern is the same up to departure: the fish merchant prepares, and the freight forwarder takes over. For export, see our English section and the directory of French seafood suppliers.