Seafood wholesalers
Seafood wholesalers in Bordeaux:MIN de Brienne, Arcachon, Royan and Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Fresh seafood in Bordeaux: MIN de Brienne, fish merchants of Arcachon, Royan, Oléron and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Where delivered fish comes from, how to get it.
Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team
Contents
In Bordeaux, professional fresh seafood comes mainly from the fish auctions (criées) of the nearby coast (Arcachon, about 65 km by road, Royan, La Rochelle, the island of Oléron, Saint-Jean-de-Luz), through fish merchants (mareyeurs) who ship and wholesalers who deliver. The Bordeaux Brienne MIN (wholesale market), on the quai de Paludate, carries little weight for fresh seafood: it is counted there in a category that accounts for only 5% of volumes.
Bordeaux has an advantage that neither Paris nor Lyon has: five fish auctions less than 210 km away by road, two of them among the most expensive in France per kilo, a sign of an inshore fishery for premium fish. The downside: small volumes, highly dependent on the weather and the season.
The MIN de Bordeaux Brienne: what you find there
- 154,000 tof products a year
- 5%of volumes for the category that includes fresh seafood
- 7%of operators in that category
Source: Régie du MIN de Bordeaux Brienne, 2024 activity report.
| Key point | Data (2024) |
|---|---|
| Operator | Régie du MIN, a public body created in 1975 by Bordeaux Métropole |
| Companies | 97, of which 77 permanently present |
| Volumes | 154,000 tonnes of products a year |
| Share of operators in the category that includes fresh seafood | 7% |
| Share of volumes in that category | 5% |
| Access | Professionals, free access card; entrance on the quai de Paludate |
Sources: 2024 activity report of the Régie du MIN, website of the MIN de Bordeaux Brienne.
The MIN remains useful for a restaurant's other purchases. But its directory has no fresh seafood section: for fresh fish, buyers in Bordeaux use other routes. The site is also engaged in a project to turn it into a food hub, led by Bordeaux Métropole.
How to source fresh seafood in Bordeaux?
- A wholesaler who delivers. They buy from several fish merchants on the coast and from imports, and deliver to restaurants. The simplest route for an establishment that wants a single contact.
- A fish merchant in Arcachon, Royan, Oléron or Saint-Jean-de-Luz. They buy at the fish auction and ship or deliver themselves. Fish sold at auction is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
- A fish merchant in Vendée or Brittany. For langoustine, king scallop or a wider range, with a lead time that depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.
- A full-service Rungis wholesaler, for species or origins absent from the Aquitaine coast.
Where does the fish delivered to Bordeaux come from?
| Port of origin | Distance from Bordeaux by road | 2024 sales | Leading species (share of value) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcachon | about 65 km | 1,074 t; €9.32/kg on average | Dover sole (40%), monkfish, sea bass, hake, gilthead sea bream, cuttlefish, turbot |
| Royan | about 140 km | 581 t; €12.69/kg, the highest average price of the French fish auctions | Dover sole (29%), meagre (26%), sea bass (23%) |
| La Rochelle | about 185 km | 1,569 t | Hake, sea bass, Dover sole, cuttlefish, squid |
| Oléron (La Cotinière) | about 185 km | 3,422 t; €25.6M | Dover sole, sea bass, wedge sole (céteau), cuttlefish, monkfish, meagre |
| Saint-Jean-de-Luz | about 205 km | 5,755 t; €26.5M | Hake (49%), albacore, ling, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Dover sole |
| Les Sables-d'Olonne | about 280 km | 4,852 t; €37.7M | Dover sole, sea bass, hake, cuttlefish |
| Sète | about 480 km | 1,577 t | Monkfish, octopus, gilthead sea bream, hake |
| Lorient and Le Guilvinec | about 500 to 580 km | 9,760 t and 9,199 t | Langoustine, monkfish, hake, albacore, megrim |
| Rungis (relay for all origins) | about 570 km | Salmon, sea bream, sea bass, king scallop |
Sales and species: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024. Distances: editorial team's calculation, rounded. Delivery: generally the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
This table shows the profile of the nearby coast: modest-sized fish auctions, but high average prices, driven by Dover sole, sea bass and meagre. In Arcachon, Dover sole alone accounts for 40% of the value sold. Saint-Jean-de-Luz, larger, is first and foremost a hake and albacore port.
Which days and at what time to order?
- Arcachon sells an inshore catch, from boats that go out for the day. Ask your fish merchant for the time of the sale and of shipping.
- Sale and delivery days vary from one fish auction and one supplier to another: ask about them before the first order, Monday included.
- The order cut-off time also varies from one supplier to another. For a coastal fish merchant who delivers themselves, ask whether they accept an order in the morning for the lunch service.
What is local or in season in Bordeaux?
- Dover sole: the leading species of Arcachon and Royan, available all year round.
- Wedge sole (céteau): a small sole, a speciality of La Cotinière, also sold in Royan; 362 tonnes sold in Oléron in 2024.
- Meagre: a quarter of the value sold in Royan; its season is detailed in the meagre profile.
- Hake and albacore from Saint-Jean-de-Luz: albacore arrives in summer and early autumn.
- Atlantic bluefin tuna, under quota, in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
- Oysters from the Arcachon basin and Marennes-Oléron, which come under shellfish farming, not the fish auction.
The seasonality calendar details the months of high landings.
How to compare several suppliers in Bordeaux?
- Compare like for like: species, size grade and presentation
A 300 g Arcachon Dover sole and a 200 g portion sole do not have the same price per kilo or the same yield. See the food cost guide.
- Work out the delivered price
An Arcachon fish merchant who delivers themselves and a Breton fish merchant who charges for transport can only be compared once delivery is counted.
- Put coastal prices in perspective
The nearby fish auctions are among the most expensive in France per kilo: that is the price of inshore fishing and premium species, not an anomaly.
- Keep two suppliers in two ports
A gale in the Bay of Biscay stops the small boats of Arcachon; a fish merchant in Saint-Jean-de-Luz or Vendée takes over.
The price list guide explains how to read and line up the price lists of several suppliers.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a wholesale fish market in Bordeaux?
Not really. The MIN de Bordeaux Brienne carries little weight for fresh seafood: the category that includes it accounts for only 5% of volumes there, and its directory has no fresh seafood section. Most fresh fish arrives through delivering wholesalers and the fish merchants of the coast.
Which fish auction is closest to Bordeaux?
Arcachon, about 65 km away by road. It sold 1,074 tonnes in 2024, 40% of the value in Dover sole.
Where to buy meagre and Dover sole near Bordeaux?
In Royan, where Dover sole, meagre and sea bass make up three quarters of the value sold, and in Arcachon for Dover sole. They are bought from the fish merchants of these ports.
Is the MIN de Bordeaux Brienne open to restaurateurs?
Yes, it is reserved for professionals, with a free access card. For fresh seafood, it counts for little: it is better to go through delivering wholesalers and the fish merchants of the coast.
Can a fish merchant in Saint-Jean-de-Luz deliver to Bordeaux?
Yes. At about 205 km by road, fish sold at auction is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
Sources
- Régie du MIN de Bordeaux Brienne, Rapport d'activité 2024 (2024 activity report: companies, volumes, breakdown by operators and by volume, management): https://www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/sites/MET-BXMETRO-DRUPAL/files/bm_actes/organismes/bordeaux-metropole/conseils/2025-09-26/110989_RA%2520MIN%25202024.pdf
- MIN de Bordeaux Brienne, official website (access, free access card, directory categories), read on 23 October 2026: https://min-bordeaux-brienne.fr/
- MIN de Bordeaux Brienne, "Horaires" (opening hours: access reserved for professionals, free card), read on 23 October 2026: https://min-bordeaux-brienne.fr/horaires/
- FranceAgriMer, Données de ventes déclarées en halles à marée en 2024 (sales declared at fish auctions in 2024), edition of 6 June 2025 (ranking of auction halls, sales by species in Arcachon, Royan, Oléron, La Rochelle, Saint-Jean-de-Luz): https://www.franceagrimer.fr/sites/default/files/2025-06/BIL-MER-VENTES_HAM-A24.pdf
- Arcachon tourist office, "Visiter la criée" (visiting the fish auction: inshore day-boat fishing, species, early-morning visits): https://www.arcachon.com/en/tourism/discovery/experience-the-bay/visit-the-fish-market/
- Royan Atlantique, "La criée de Royan" (the Royan fish auction: Dover sole, meagre, sea bass; approved buyers): https://www.royanatlantique.fr/en/explorer/patrimoine-et-culture/patrimoine-maritime/criee-de-royan/
Read next
- French fishing portsFrench fishing ports and fish auctionsBoulogne-sur-Mer, Brest, Cherbourg, Concarneau: the French fish auctions, their sale times, their species and their fish merchants.
- Buyer's guidesThe seafood price list (mercuriale)The price list (mercuriale) is a fish merchant's list of the day's prices. How to read it line by line and set those of several suppliers side by side.
- Buyer's guidesRecipe costing sheet and food cost of fishCalculating the food cost of a fish dish: fillet yield by species, step-by-step calculation with a worked example, effect of size grade and purchase price.