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Seafood wholesalers

Seafood wholesalers in Toulouse:MIN, fish auctions of Languedoc and the Basque coast

Fresh seafood in Toulouse: the Grand Marché MIN, Languedoc fish auctions about 175 km away, Arcachon and Saint-Jean-de-Luz about 310 km away.

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

In Toulouse, about 175 km by road from the nearest fishing port, professional fresh seafood arrives by three routes: wholesalers who deliver, based at the Grand Marché MIN (wholesale market) Toulouse Occitanie or in the conurbation, fish merchants (mareyeurs) of the Languedoc fish auctions (criées), about 175 to 290 km away, and those of the Atlantic coast, from Arcachon to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, about 310 to 320 km away.

Toulouse has a rare position: it is roughly equidistant from two coasts. To the east, four small Mediterranean fish auctions; to the west, two Atlantic fish auctions. In 2024, they sold almost the same value of fish: €38 million for the four Languedoc fish auctions, €36.5 million for Arcachon and Saint-Jean-de-Luz (editorial team's calculation from FranceAgriMer figures). Two seas, two ranges: the choice of supplier depends on the menu.

  • €38Msold in 2024 by the four Languedoc fish auctions
  • €36.5Msold in 2024 by Arcachon and Saint-Jean-de-Luz

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

The Grand Marché MIN de Toulouse: what place for fresh seafood?

The Toulouse MIN (marché d'intérêt national) is located at 146-200 avenue des États-Unis. Renamed the Grand Marché, it keeps its MIN status. Its operator presents it as organised into several sectors, including seafood products.

Key pointData
StatusMarché d'intérêt national, managed by the LUMIN Toulouse consortium
Companies223 companies, 237 producers, 4,372 buyers (end of 2023)
Turnover€481 million generated by the companies (2023)
SectorsSeveral food and horticultural sectors, including seafood products
Fresh seafoodA "seafood products" sector; the number of wholesalers is not published
HoursNo published hours specific to seafood wholesalers; check with each one
AccessProfessionals; buyer's card giving preferential entry fees

Sources: presentation of the Grand Marché (January 2025), website of the Grand Marché (read on 23 October 2026), 2026 prefectoral order on fees.

Fresh seafood therefore has its sector at the Toulouse MIN, but its operator does not say how many wholesalers make it up. For a restaurant, the MIN can group part of its purchases; fish can also be ordered directly from fish merchants on both coasts.

How to source fresh seafood in Toulouse?

  1. A Toulouse wholesaler who delivers, based at the MIN or in the conurbation. They buy from fish merchants on both coasts and from imports, prepare and deliver, generally the day after the order, depending on the wholesaler and the carrier. The most common route.
  2. A Languedoc fish merchant, direct. Port-la-Nouvelle, Agde, Sète and Le Grau-du-Roi are about 175 to 290 km away by road: octopus, gilthead sea bream, red mullet, Atlantic bluefin tuna.
  3. A fish merchant on the southern Atlantic coast. Arcachon for Dover sole, Saint-Jean-de-Luz for hake and albacore, about 310 to 320 km away by road.
  4. A Breton fish merchant or a Rungis wholesaler for langoustine, king scallop or species absent from the south, with a lead time that depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.

Where does the fish delivered to Toulouse come from?

Port of originDistance from Toulouse by road2024 salesLeading species (share of value)
Port-la-Nouvelleabout 175 km1,275 t; €5.6MOctopus (18%), gilthead sea bream, red mullet, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Agdeabout 210 km1,189 t; €8.2M; €6.93/kgOctopus (21%), Atlantic bluefin tuna, gilthead sea bream, red mullet
Sèteabout 235 km1,577 t; €9.5MMonkfish, octopus, gilthead sea bream, hake
Le Grau-du-Roiabout 290 km2,319 t; €14.8MOctopus (14%), gilthead sea bream, hake, monkfish, Atlantic bluefin tuna
Arcachonabout 310 km1,074 t; €10.0M; €9.32/kgDover sole (40%), monkfish, hake, gilthead sea bream, turbot
Saint-Jean-de-Luzabout 320 km5,755 t; €26.5MHake (49%), albacore, ling, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Dover sole
Les Sables-d'Olonneabout 530 km4,852 t; €37.7MDover sole, sea bass, hake, cuttlefish
Rungis (relay for all origins)about 680 kmSalmon, sea bream, sea bass, king scallop
Lorient and Le Guilvinecabout 750 to 830 km9,760 t and 9,199 tLangoustine, monkfish, hake, albacore

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.

This table shows the two ranges. The Mediterranean brings octopus (the leading item by value in Agde, Port-la-Nouvelle and Le Grau-du-Roi), gilthead sea bream and, under quota, Atlantic bluefin tuna, but in small volumes: none of these fish auctions exceeded 2,400 tonnes in 2024. The southern Atlantic brings Arcachon Dover sole and Saint-Jean-de-Luz hake, in larger volumes. Beyond that, the road is long and the lead time depends on the fish merchant and the carrier.

Which days and at what time to order?

  • Sale times vary from one fish auction to another. In Sète, the boats return in the afternoon and the sale follows (port of Sète). Ask your fish merchant what time they buy and what time they load.
  • The order cut-off time depends on each supplier. More than 170 km from any port, 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 Atlantic Dover sole and hake for one month: the Mediterranean takes over.

What is in season for Toulouse?

Toulouse has no local fishing, but it has two seasons to follow. The months below follow the national rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer monthly curves, 2024), not that of each port.

  • On the Mediterranean side: octopus, with a trough in July and August and a peak in October; gilthead sea bream, at its highest in October; Atlantic bluefin tuna, under quota, mainly from July to September; red mullet, in May then in October.
  • On the Atlantic side: Dover sole, all year round, with a peak in March; hake, with a peak from March to May; albacore, from July to October.

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

How to compare several suppliers in Toulouse?

  1. Bring everything back to the price delivered to Toulouse

    Far from the sea, transport weighs heavily: ask for the free delivery threshold, the cost per box and the minimum order. A fish merchant who is cheap at departure can become expensive once delivered.

  2. Compare like for like: size grade, presentation and origin

    A Mediterranean wild-caught gilthead sea bream and a farmed sea bream have neither the same price nor the same use. See the size grades guide and the labels guide.

  3. Take the delivery time into account

    Fish that arrives at 6 am or at 11 am does not suit the same service.

  4. Keep a supplier on each coast

    A gale in the Mediterranean or a storm in the Bay of Biscay empties the fish auctions for several days; the other sea secures the menu.

The price list guide explains how to read and line up price lists; the food cost guide shows how to go from the price per kilo bought to the price per usable kilo.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a wholesale fish market in Toulouse?

The Grand Marché MIN Toulouse Occitanie has a seafood products sector; its operator does not publish the number of wholesalers that make it up. A restaurant can also have fish delivered by a wholesaler in the conurbation or by fish merchants from the fish auctions.

Which fishing port is closest to Toulouse?

Port-la-Nouvelle, in the Aude, about 175 km away by road. Its fish auction sold 1,275 tonnes in 2024, mainly octopus, gilthead sea bream and red mullet.

Is it better to buy on the Mediterranean or on the Atlantic?

Both are about 175 to 320 km away by road. The Mediterranean for octopus, gilthead sea bream and Atlantic bluefin tuna; the Atlantic for Dover sole, hake and albacore, in larger volumes. Keeping a supplier on each coast secures the menu.

What are the opening hours of the Toulouse MIN?

The Grand Marché does not publish hours specific to seafood wholesalers. Check with each one.

How to buy at the Toulouse MIN?

The market is reserved for professionals. A buyer's card gives access to preferential entry fees; it is requested from the Grand Marché.

Sources

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