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Seafood wholesalers

Seafood wholesalers in Paris and Rungis:where and how to source fresh seafood

Rungis (seafood hall hours, buyer's card), delivering wholesalers, shipments from ports: where the fish delivered to Paris comes from and how to get it.

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. Three ways to source fresh seafood in Paris
  2. The Rungis seafood hall: hours and access
  3. What is sold at the seafood hall?
  4. Where does the fish delivered to Paris come from?
  5. Which days to order, and until what time?
  6. What is in season near Paris?
  7. How to compare several suppliers in Paris?
  8. Frequently asked questions

In Paris, professional fresh seafood goes first through the seafood hall of the Rungis market (building A4), where wholesalers sell fish from all French coasts and from imports, Tuesday to Saturday, from 2 am to 7 am, only to buyers who hold a card. Two other routes exist: having it delivered by a wholesaler who buys for you, or receiving boxes directly from a fish merchant (mareyeur) based in a port.

Paris has no fish auction (criée): all fresh fish arrives by road, at night. The question for a chef or a fishmonger is therefore not "where is the port", but "who buys, who transports, and at what time do I receive it".

Three ways to source fresh seafood in Paris

RouteHow it worksFor whomWhat it bringsIts limit
Buying yourself at the seafood hallYou go to Rungis at night, buyer's card in hand, and choose on the trading floorFishmongers, chefs who want to see and touch the productThe widest choice in the Île-de-France, comparison on siteGoing at night, collecting yourself, minimums per box
Wholesaler who deliversYou order by phone or online; they prepare at Rungis and deliver to youMost restaurantsNo travel, one contact, sometimes cuttingOne more intermediary; range chosen by them
Port fish merchantThe fish merchant buys at the fish auction, prepares and ships by refrigerated carrierRestaurants and fishmongers who want a specific portThe direct link with the fish auction, knowledge of the landingsMinimum order or free delivery threshold; a single coast per supplier

Rungis itself distinguishes between wholesalers who sell "on the trading floor", face to face, and so-called "full-service" wholesalers, who sell remotely and deliver. According to the Semmaris, delivery to buyers is "gaining ground" on the market.

The Rungis seafood hall: hours and access

Place or serviceDaysHours
Building A4, seafood salesTuesday to Saturday2 am to 7 am (2025 internal rules)
Equipment suppliers of the Seafood sectorTuesday to Saturday2 am to 9 am
Ice tower (ice, flake ice, dry ice)Tuesday to Saturday2 am to 7 am
Rungis Accueil (buyer's cards)Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday; Thursday6 am to 1:30 pm; 5:30 am to 1 pm

Sources: internal rules of the Rungis market (2025) and the Semmaris Buyer's Guide.

Seafood is the first sector at Rungis to open and the first to close. Building A4 measures 270 metres by 75, with a central aisle lined with stores; the supply dock, on the "quai de Boulogne" side, has 29 loading bays. A coat and head covering are compulsory in the building (dispensers are located in the hygiene airlocks). On site: filleting, pre-ordering, storage of purchased goods, cooking of prawns, "A for B" delivery (ordered one day, delivered the next) and shipping within France and abroad.

How to get a buyer's card?

"No one may make purchases without holding a buyer's card," say the market rules. It is requested at Rungis Accueil or online in the Semmaris customer area (processed within 48 working hours, card sent by post). You need:

  • a Kbis company registration extract less than three months old (or the equivalent according to your status);
  • the identity document of the legal representative;
  • business bank details (RIB);
  • the registration document of the professional vehicle.

The card is valid for two years. It gives access to the market tolls at the professional rate, to parking reserved for buyers (green markings, windscreen sticker compulsory) and to the whole offer, on the trading floor or remotely. A card on mobile phone has existed since 2024. Wholesalers may impose minimums, often per box: Rungis remains a wholesale market.

What is sold at the seafood hall?

  • over 90,000 tof seafood handled each year
  • +7%in seafood arrivals in 2023
  • 1,198companies on the market in 2025

Source: Ministry of the Sea (2021); Semmaris, 2023 and 2025 annual reports.

According to the Ministry of the Sea (2021), more than 90,000 tonnes of seafood pass through Rungis each year. The Semmaris 2023 annual report notes seafood arrivals up 7% year on year, for the second consecutive year. Salmon alone accounts for a quarter of volumes; sea bream and sea bass are the two other best-selling fish; king scallop is the fourth product of the sector. The market had 1,198 companies in 2025, all sectors combined.

This mix says the essentials: Rungis brings together French fishing and aquaculture as well as imports. A buyer who wants a line-caught sea bass from Brittany or a Dover sole from Les Sables has to ask for it, and read the origin on the label.

Where does the fish delivered to Paris come from?

Port of originDistance from Rungis by roadLeading species of the fish auction (2024)
Dieppeabout 210 kmKing scallop (85% of value), whelk, cuttlefish
Boulogne-sur-Merabout 270 kmMackerel, king scallop, cuttlefish, saithe, red mullet, sardine
Port-en-Bessinabout 290 kmKing scallop, squid, cuttlefish, Dover sole
Saint-Quay-Portrieux and Erquyabout 470 kmKing scallop, monkfish, John Dory, cuttlefish
Les Sables-d'Olonneabout 450 kmDover sole, sea bass, hake, cuttlefish
Lorientabout 500 kmLangoustine, monkfish, hake, Dover sole
Le Guilvinecabout 600 kmMonkfish, langoustine, albacore, megrim, skate
Sète and Le Grau-du-Roiabout 750 to 780 kmOctopus, gilthead sea bream, monkfish, hake
Saint-Jean-de-Luzabout 800 kmHake, albacore, ling, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Imports (Norway, Scotland, Mediterranean, French overseas territories)lorry or airSalmon, cod, farmed sea bream and sea bass; often via Rungis

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.

The pattern is often the same: sale at the fish auction, preparation at the fish merchant's, refrigerated transport to Rungis or to you; the fish is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier. The further away the port, the more the departure time matters.

Which days to order, and until what time?

  • Tuesday to Saturday: building A4 is open, wholesalers deliver. This is the rhythm of the Paris fresh seafood trade.
  • On Monday: building A4 is closed. Ask your supplier whether they deliver that day, and with which arrivals.
  • The order cut-off time varies from one supplier to another, as does the delivery time: ask about them before the first order.

What is in season near Paris?

The ports closest to Paris are those of the Channel. King scallop dominates there in winter: its fishery is closed from 15 May to 30 September, and each scallop bed has its own opening dates; it makes Dieppe, Port-en-Bessin and Saint-Quay-Portrieux natural suppliers of Paris restaurants in winter. Boulogne-sur-Mer brings mackerel, saithe, cuttlefish and red mullet. For langoustine, monkfish or albacore, you have to look to south Brittany; for Dover sole and line-caught sea bass, to Vendée and the Bay of Biscay. The seasonality calendar details the months of high landings.

How to compare several suppliers in Paris?

A Rungis wholesaler, a Boulogne fish merchant, a Breton fish merchant: three offers on the same evening. To put them side by side:

  1. Bring everything back to the delivered price

    An ex-port price and a price delivered to Paris cannot be compared. Add transport or check the free delivery threshold.

  2. Compare like for like: size grade and presentation

    A whole 1 to 2 kg sea bass and a gutted portion sea bass have neither the same price nor the same yield. See the food cost guide.

  3. Read the origin and the fishing method

    At Rungis, the same species can come from a French fish auction, from a farm or from imports.

  4. Keep a public benchmark

    FranceAgriMer's Réseau des nouvelles des marchés (market news network) publishes daily wholesale quotations recorded at Rungis, seafood included: useful for placing a price, not for replacing it.

  5. Note the cut-off time and the delivery day

    The cheapest is not always the one who delivers when you need it.

The price list guide explains how to read and line up the price lists each supplier sends you.

Frequently asked questions

What time does the Rungis seafood hall open?

Tuesday to Saturday, from 2 am to 7 am according to the market's 2025 internal rules. It is closed on Monday and Sunday.

Can you buy fish at Rungis without a card?

No. Purchases are reserved for professionals holding a buyer's card issued by the Semmaris, on presentation of a Kbis extract, an identity document, business bank details and the vehicle registration document.

Do you have to go through Rungis to buy fish in Paris?

No. Many restaurants have it delivered by a wholesaler, who often buys at Rungis themselves, or receive boxes directly from a port fish merchant. Rungis remains the place where you see the widest choice in one place.

Can a fish merchant in Brittany deliver to a restaurant in Paris?

Yes. Fish sold at the fish auction is prepared at the fish merchant's and leaves by refrigerated carrier; it is generally delivered the next day, depending on the fish merchant and the carrier. Check the minimum order and the free delivery threshold.

Where to find the wholesale price of fish at Rungis?

FranceAgriMer, through its Réseau des nouvelles des marchés, publishes daily wholesale quotations recorded at Rungis. For a real purchase price, it is your suppliers' price lists that count.

Sources

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