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Seafood wholesalers

Seafood wholesalers in Nantes:MIN de Rezé, fish auctions of Loire-Atlantique and Vendée

Fresh seafood in Nantes: the MIN at Rezé and five fish auctions about 100 km away (La Turballe, Le Croisic, Noirmoutier, Saint-Gilles, Les Sables).

Updated 8 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. The Nantes MIN at Rezé: what place for fresh seafood?
  2. How to source fresh seafood in Nantes?
  3. Where does the fish delivered to Nantes come from?
  4. Which days and at what time to order?
  5. What is local or in season in Nantes?
  6. How to compare several suppliers in Nantes?
  7. Frequently asked questions

In Nantes, professional fresh seafood comes first from the five fish auctions (criées) located about 100 km from the city (La Turballe, Le Croisic, Noirmoutier, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and Les Sables-d'Olonne), through fish merchants (mareyeurs) who ship and wholesalers who deliver. The Nantes Métropole MIN (wholesale market), located in Rezé since February 2019, also hosts a few seafood operators, in a wholesale market where fresh seafood is only one sector among others.

Few large French cities have so many fish auctions within reach of a van. Together, these five fish auction halls sold about 13,300 tonnes of fish in 2024, for about €90 million: by value, almost twice Boulogne-sur-Mer, the leading fish auction in France (editorial team's calculation from FranceAgriMer figures). Buyers in Nantes therefore have a choice of port, species and supplier.

  • 13,300 tsold in 2024 by the five nearby fish auctions
  • €90Min sales, almost twice Boulogne-sur-Mer
  • €9.65/kgaverage price in Noirmoutier

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024 (totals: editorial team's calculation).

The Nantes MIN at Rezé: what place for fresh seafood?

The MIN left the île de Nantes for Rezé in February 2019; some of the fresh seafood operators moved on the weekend of 9 and 10 February, according to the timetable published by the MIN. The site, of nearly 20 hectares, is part of a 54.5-hectare agri-food hub.

Key pointData
OperatorMIN Nantes Métropole, 71 boulevard Alfred Nobel, Rezé
Wholesalers105
Operators classed as "seafood products"5, of which 2 general distributors
OpeningMonday to Saturday, 4:30 am to 8 pm (general hours, no specific hours for fresh seafood)
AccessFood and horticulture professionals; badge provided free by the operator
Without a badgeAccess fee paid on exit: €8 (light or utility vehicle), €12 (heavy goods vehicle)

Sources: website of the MIN de Nantes Métropole (home, access conditions, operators, transfer of the MIN), consulted on 13 October 2026 and read again on 23 October 2026.

The MIN is therefore useful for grouping a restaurant's purchases, and a buyer can find fresh seafood there. But with five operators listed, two of which are not specialists, it is not a seafood hall as at Rungis. The MIN highlights seafood from French fish auctions, with a preference for regional fresh products.

How to source fresh seafood in Nantes?

  1. A wholesaler who delivers. They buy from several fish merchants and from imports, and deliver in the morning. A single contact, a wide range; they choose the ports.
  2. A coastal fish merchant, direct. They buy in the auction hall of La Turballe, Le Croisic, Noirmoutier, Saint-Gilles or Les Sables, prepare and deliver or ship. The fish is generally delivered the day after the sale, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.
  3. A fish merchant in south Brittany. Lorient and Le Guilvinec, about 170 and 270 km away by road, bring langoustine in volume, monkfish and hake.
  4. An operator at the Rezé MIN, to group fresh seafood with the rest of the purchases.

Where does the fish delivered to Nantes come from?

Port of originDistance from Nantes by road2024 salesLeading species (share of value)
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vieabout 80 km1,672 t; €7.6MDover sole (21%), hake, sea bass, sardine, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Noirmoutierabout 80 km1,478 t; €14.3M; €9.65/kgDover sole (31%), sea bass (23%), pollack, European lobster
La Turballeabout 85 km3,476 t; €16.1MSquid (18%), cuttlefish, sea bass, Dover sole, monkfish, sardine
Le Croisicabout 90 km1,830 t; €14.6M; €7.96/kgLangoustine (19%), common prawn, Dover sole, sea bass, monkfish
Les Sables-d'Olonneabout 100 km4,852 t; €37.7MDover sole (29%), sea bass, hake, cuttlefish, squid
La Rochelleabout 140 km1,569 t; €10.6MHake, sea bass, Dover sole, cuttlefish, squid
Lorientabout 170 km9,760 t; €44.5MLangoustine (16%), monkfish, hake, blue ling
Le Guilvinecabout 270 km9,199 t; €44.5MMonkfish (36%), langoustine, albacore, hake
Rungis (relay for all origins)about 390 kmSalmon, sea bream, sea bass, king scallop

Sales and species: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions in 2024 (Rungis: Semmaris 2023 annual report). Distances: editorial team's calculation, rounded. Delivery: generally the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier.

Three readings of this table. The five nearby fish auctions are auctions of premium fish: Dover sole, sea bass, langoustine; three of them post average prices among the highest in France (nearly €10/kg in Noirmoutier, about €8/kg in Le Croisic and Les Sables). Each has its speciality: Dover sole in Les Sables and Noirmoutier, langoustine and common prawn in Le Croisic, squid and cuttlefish in La Turballe, sardine in Saint-Gilles. For volume, south Brittany takes over, a little further away.

Which days and at what time to order?

  • Sale times vary from one fish auction to another. Ask your fish merchant what time they buy and what time they load. If they deliver themselves, ask whether they accept an order placed after the sale for the evening service.
  • The order cut-off time depends on each supplier: ask each one, along with the time the fish arrives at your premises.
  • The winter closure of the Bay of Biscay: from 2024 to 2026, some of the vessels of the Bay stayed in port from 22 January to 20 February to protect small cetaceans. In 2027, vessels of 8 metres and over working with gillnets or trammel nets, pelagic or pair trawls, or pelagic seines stop for thirty consecutive days, chosen by each shipowner between 15 January and 27 February (failing a declaration: from 22 January to 20 February 2027); order of 9 September 2026. Less Dover sole and sea bass from Vendée for one month.

What is local or in season in Nantes?

The months below follow the national rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer monthly curves, 2024), not that of each port.

  • Dover sole: the leading species by value in Les Sables-d'Olonne, Noirmoutier and Saint-Gilles. Peak in March, lower landings from April to September, and less Dover sole during the Bay of Biscay closure.
  • Sea bass, line-caught and net-caught, in Noirmoutier, Les Sables and La Turballe; more plentiful from autumn to the end of winter, with a peak in January.
  • Le Croisic langoustine: 193 tonnes in 2024, mainly from April to July, with a peak in May.
  • Common prawn from Le Croisic and Saint-Gilles, in autumn and winter.
  • Squid and cuttlefish from La Turballe: cuttlefish peaks in October, squid from October to December.
  • Sardine from Saint-Gilles and La Turballe, in summer and autumn.
  • Atlantic bluefin tuna, under quota, in Les Sables-d'Olonne (117 tonnes in 2024).

The seasonality calendar details the months of high landings; see also seafood in season in October.

How to compare several suppliers in Nantes?

  1. Compare like for like: species, size grade and presentation

    A 400 g Dover sole from Les Sables and a 250 g portion sole have neither the same price per kilo nor the same yield. See the size grades guide and the food cost guide.

  2. Look at the port and the landing date

    With five nearby fish auctions, two price lists may offer the same species from two different ports, at different prices. The label must state it: see the traceability guide.

  3. Work out the delivered price

    A coastal fish merchant who delivers themselves and a Breton fish merchant who charges for transport can only be compared once delivery is counted.

  4. Keep a supplier in another port

    A gale stops the small boats of Noirmoutier or Le Croisic; a Lorient fish merchant, who works with offshore trawlers, secures the menu.

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 Nantes?

The MIN de Nantes Métropole, in Rezé, hosts a few seafood operators (five according to its website, two of them general distributors). Fresh seafood is one sector among others there. Most fresh seafood arrives through the fish merchants of the nearby fish auctions and through delivering wholesalers.

Where is the Nantes MIN and what are its opening hours?

At 71 boulevard Alfred Nobel, in Rezé, since February 2019. It is open Monday to Saturday, from 4:30 am to 8 pm, to food and horticulture professionals only.

Which fish auction is closest to Nantes?

Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and Noirmoutier, about 80 km away by road, then La Turballe and Le Croisic, less than 90 km away. Les Sables-d'Olonne, about 100 km away, is the largest of the five: 4,852 tonnes sold in 2024.

Can a restaurant buy directly at the fish auction?

Yes, in law. Any professional registered in the trade and companies register or the register of food trades can declare themselves as a buyer to the fish auction operator, with their VAT number and a guarantee covering their purchases (Article D932-9 of the French rural code). Otherwise, a fish merchant buys for you and delivers.

Where to find langoustine near Nantes?

In Le Croisic, where it is the leading species by value, and in Lorient, the leading fish auction for langoustine by volume. It is bought from the fish merchants of these ports.

Sources

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