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Seafood wholesalers

Seafood wholesalers in Marseille:MIN des Arnavaux, the port of Saumaty and Mediterranean fish auctions

Fresh seafood in Marseille: MIN des Arnavaux (hours, access), Saumaty fish merchants, Languedoc fish auctions. Where delivered fish comes from, how to get it.

Updated 7 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Fish auctions in the LiveCriée directory: Boulogne-sur-Mer, Port-en-Bessin, Saint-Malo, Le Guilvinec, Concarneau, Lorient, Les Sables-d'Olonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Sète, Le Grau-du-Roi, Dieppe, Cherbourg, Granville, Erquy, Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Roscoff, La Rochelle, BrestBoulogne-sur-MerPort-en-BessinSaint-MaloLe GuilvinecConcarneauLorientLes Sables-d'OlonneSaint-Jean-de-LuzSèteLe Grau-du-RoiDieppeCherbourgGranvilleErquySaint-Quay-PortrieuxRoscoffLa RochelleBrest
Fish auctions in the LiveCriée directoryport page online
Contents
  1. Arnavaux, Saumaty, Vieux-Port: who does what?
  2. The MIN des Arnavaux: hours, access, fees
  3. How to source fresh seafood in Marseille?
  4. Where does the fish delivered to Marseille come from?
  5. What is local or in season in Marseille?
  6. How to compare several suppliers in Marseille?
  7. Frequently asked questions

In Marseille, professional fresh seafood is bought from the wholesalers and fish merchants (mareyeurs) of the MIN (wholesale market), split between Les Arnavaux and the fishing port of Saumaty, or directly from the fish merchants of the nearby Languedoc fish auctions (criées), Le Grau-du-Roi and Sète first among them. Since 1 January 2024, both sites, Arnavaux and Saumaty, have been managed by the SPL MIN Marché Marseille Méditerranée, owned by the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence and the City of Marseille.

Marseille is a port city, but not a fish auction city: the fish caught by its fleet goes through the Saumaty fish merchants or through direct sales by fishermen, and a large share of the fish sold in the city comes from other coasts or from imports.

Arnavaux, Saumaty, Vieux-Port: who does what?

PlaceWhat you find thereWho can buyWho it is relevant for
MIN des Arnavaux (14th arrondissement)Food wholesalers, producers, carriers; the MIN directory, which also covers Saumaty, has a "produits marée" (fresh seafood) sectionFood professionals, with a subscriber card or single-visit entryRestaurants and fishmongers who want to buy everything in one place
Saumaty fishing port (16th arrondissement, towards L'Estaque)Fish merchants, fishermen, ice tower, fish auction hall, workshopsClosed to the public; you deal with the fish merchantsBuyers who want the local catch and a nearby fish merchant
Vieux-Port fish market (quai de la Fraternité, formerly quai des Belges)Fishermen sell their night's catch, every morning from 8 am to 1 pmOpen to allA top-up of rockfish, not a regular supply

The port of Saumaty was inaugurated in 1976. It covers eight hectares (four of basins, four of quayside land). The SPL lists fish merchanting companies and skipper-owners there, and cites among its facilities an ice tower, a fish auction hall, a fish auction and fish merchanting workshops. FranceAgriMer, however, does not count Marseille among the fish auction halls whose sales it publishes in 2024.

The MIN des Arnavaux: hours, access, fees

ActivityDaysHours
Food product wholesalersMonday to Friday3 am to 12 noon
Food product wholesalersSaturday4 am to 9 am
Producers' marketMonday to Friday; Saturday3 am to 9 am; 4 am to 9 am
Cash desk (badges)Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday4 am to 11 am
Entry (as of 1 January 2026)Light vehicleHeavy goods vehicle
Subscriber (buyer's card)€4.10 excl. VAT€7.50 excl. VAT
Single entry€7.50 excl. VAT€11.67 excl. VAT

Source: SPL MIN Marché Marseille Méditerranée, "Acheter au MIN" page. The MIN gives no specific hours for fresh seafood wholesalers: ask each wholesaler for theirs.

The MIN is reserved for professionals: restaurateurs, retail and wholesale businesses, supermarkets, caterers. The subscriber card, free of charge, is requested online in the market's professional area. You need proof of professional status (Kbis company registration extract less than three months old, CFE business tax notice or equivalent), the identity document of the manager and of each employee who enters the market, and the registration document of each vehicle. The card gives access to the lanes and spaces reserved for buyers.

How to source fresh seafood in Marseille?

  1. A MIN wholesaler. The market's directory, which covers Les Arnavaux and Saumaty, has a "produits marée" (fresh seafood) section: you buy on site or have it delivered.
  2. A Saumaty fish merchant. They handle the catch of the Marseille fleet and what they buy elsewhere. It is the shortest route to local rockfish.
  3. A fish merchant from the Languedoc fish auctions. Le Grau-du-Roi is about 130 km away by road: a direct shipment is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
  4. An Atlantic fish merchant or a Rungis wholesaler. For Dover sole, langoustine, king scallop or line-caught sea bass from Brittany, the road is long and the lead time depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.

Where does the fish delivered to Marseille come from?

OriginDistance from Marseille by roadLeading species (2024)
Local catch, via Saumaty or direct saleson siteRockfish in particular
Le Grau-du-Roiabout 130 kmOctopus, gilthead sea bream, hake, monkfish, Dover sole, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Sèteabout 190 kmMonkfish, octopus, gilthead sea bream, hake, deep-water rose shrimp
Agdeabout 220 kmOctopus, monkfish, Atlantic bluefin tuna, gilthead sea bream
Port-la-Nouvelleabout 290 kmOctopus, gilthead sea bream, anchovy, hake, red mullet
Saint-Jean-de-Luzabout 700 kmHake, albacore, ling, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Rungis (relay for all origins)about 770 kmSalmon, sea bream, sea bass, king scallop
Les Sables-d'Olonneabout 900 kmDover sole, sea bass, hake, cuttlefish
Lorient and Le Guilvinecabout 1,100 to 1,200 kmLangoustine, monkfish, hake, megrim, albacore
Imports and farmingsea or roadFarmed sea bream and sea bass, salmon

Species: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024. Distances: editorial team's calculation, rounded. Delivery: generally the next day for the nearby fish auctions, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier; from further away, the lead time also depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.

The Mediterranean fish auctions are small: Le Grau-du-Roi, the largest, sold 2,319 tonnes in 2024, Sète 1,577, Agde 1,189, Port-la-Nouvelle 1,275. Octopus comes first by value in three of the four. For volumes and for Atlantic species, Marseille depends on the road.

  • 2,319 tsold in Le Grau-du-Roi in 2024
  • 1,577 tin Sète
  • 1,275 tin Port-la-Nouvelle
  • 1,189 tin Agde

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024.

What is local or in season in Marseille?

  • Rockfish (scorpionfish or rascasse, red scorpionfish or chapon, red mullet, weever, conger eel, John Dory): the basis of bouillabaisse, caught by small-scale fishing boats. Landings follow the weather: in rough weather, the small boats stay in port.
  • Octopus: the leading species by value in most fish auctions of the Gulf of Lion.
  • Atlantic bluefin tuna: caught under quota, over short seasons; sold notably at the Agde and Le Grau-du-Roi fish auctions.
  • Small pelagics: sardine and anchovy; Port-la-Nouvelle sold 373 tonnes of anchovy in 2024.
  • Sea urchin: a winter fishery, set by prefectoral order. From 2023 to 2026, it was open in Bouches-du-Rhône only from 15 December to 28 February, for professionals and amateurs alike (order of 29 September 2023, valid for three years): check the dates of the current season.
  • Gilthead sea bream: caught in the Mediterranean, but also widely farmed; the origin is read on the label.

The seasonality calendar details the months of high landings species by species.

How to compare several suppliers in Marseille?

  1. Separate local catch, French catch and farmed fish

    A line-caught gilthead sea bream from the Gulf of Lion and a farmed sea bream cannot be compared on price alone.

  2. Work out the delivered price

    For a fish merchant in Brittany or Vendée, transport to Marseille weighs heavily; ask for the free delivery threshold and the cost per box.

  3. Compare like for like: size grade and presentation

    Rockfish is often sold in lots of mixed sizes: specify what you expect.

  4. Keep a fallback

    When the weather closes the Mediterranean, a supplier on another coast or a wholesaler who buys at Rungis takes over.

The price list guide explains how to read and line up the price lists of several suppliers; the food cost guide helps go from the price per kilo to the cost of a portion.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a fish auction in Marseille?

FranceAgriMer records no fish auction sales in Marseille in its 2024 data: fish landed at Saumaty goes through the port's fish merchants or through direct sales by fishermen. The nearest fish auctions are those of Le Grau-du-Roi and Sète.

Where to buy fish wholesale in Marseille?

From the wholesalers and fish merchants of the MIN (marché d'intérêt national), whose directory has a "produits marée" (fresh seafood) section and which extends over two sites, Les Arnavaux and the fishing port of Saumaty. Both sites are reserved for professionals.

What are the opening hours of the MIN des Arnavaux?

Food product wholesalers receive buyers from Monday to Friday from 3 am to 12 noon, and on Saturday from 4 am to 9 am, according to the SPL that manages the market. There are no published hours specific to fresh seafood: ask your wholesaler for theirs.

How to get a buyer's card at the Marseille MIN?

By creating an account in the market's professional area, with proof of professional status, the identity document of the manager and of each employee entering, and the registration document of each vehicle. The card is free; each entry is charged (€4.10 excl. VAT for a subscriber's light vehicle in 2026).

Is the Vieux-Port fish market open to professionals?

It is a direct sale by fishermen, open to all, every morning from 8 am to 1 pm. It can help out a nearby restaurant, but does not replace a regular supplier.

Sources

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