Fish wholesalers export fish to thousands of restaurants, grocery chains and retail markets around the world. To keep up with the growing customer demand for fresh fish, businesses count on fish distributors to provide high quality fish at competitive prices.

The fish wholesaler market is highly fragmented with hundreds of firms operating as brokers, wholesalers and distributors. So how does your business know which fish companies offer the best products for the best prices? When looking for fish and seafood wholesalers, consider these tips for competitive pricing and costs of wholesalers and distributors of fresh fish:

1. What are the differences in wholesale and retail prices for fresh fish wholesalers? How much can your business save as a fish wholesale customer?

2. What fresh fish are seasonally available through seafood distributors at lower prices?

3. How much should your business plan to pay for fish distributor shipping costs?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase from fish companies that offer wholesale pricing

Not all fresh fish distributors are fish wholesalers. Select seafood wholesalers who offer wholesale prices, rather than retail prices. Most seafood distributors set up special customer accounts for their wholesale clients; taking the time to register to as a wholesale customer will add up to a substantial savings in fresh fish purchases.

I recommend: MaineLobsterWholesale.com sells Maine salmon at wholesale prices for around $5 per pound. Suisan Company offers wholesale fresh fish to restaurants, supermarkets and hotels at competitive market prices, which change daily.

Buy from fresh fish distributors with seasonal availability

For the best prices and freshest purchases, buy from fish companies who offer products based on seasonal availability. Not only will seasonally available fish taste fresher, they will cost less because they are widely available for purchase.

I recommend: Get fresh catfish fillets for around $60 for a 15-pound case at ALSeafood.com. Buy Spanish mackerel in the spring or fall for reduced prices at Raffield Fisheries.

Calculate shipping costs before purchasing from wholesale fish distributors

Seafood wholesalers may offer great discounts, but most require a minimum purchase (usually around 20 pounds) in order to be eligible for wholesale pricing. So while you may save in fish costs, you will pay a hefty price in overnight shipping to keep your fish fresh. Before finalizing a purchase with a freshwater or saltwater fish distributor, ask about shipping discounts for bulk orders.

I recommend: Calculate shipping costs and get your shipping questions answered at Walleye Direct. When your business purchases fresh fish through FreshSeafood.com, expect to pay minimum shipping fees around $45 for the first 10 pounds and about $3 for each additional pound.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before purchasing fresh fish from a fish wholesaler, make sure the company is in compliance with local, state and federal food requirements and standards. All fish distributor companies are regulated by city or state health departments. Additionally, all distributors of fresh and frozen seafood in the United States must comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).

Fish is growing in popularity. In fact, fish consumption in the U.S. increased 35% in the past 20 years. While many people purchase seafood from local fish companies for home preparation, the most popular place Americans enjoy fish is at fine dining establishments.

Fish and seafood restaurants are widespread in coastal areas, but with advances in shipping technology, even restaurants in landlocked locations now can serve quality fresh fish from seafood wholesalers.

When selecting fresh fish distributors for your restaurant:

1. Look for fresh fish selections caught locally by fish companies.
2. Check out the packaging process to ensure your fish maintain freshness.
3. Ask about shipping options that will keep fish cold and fresh.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for fish wholesalers that offer local fresh fish selections

Fish distributors can find fish from anywhere in the world for your restaurant, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is fresh fish. To ensure you purchase the freshest fish available, seek out fish wholesalers that sell local fish. You wouldn't purchase Maine lobster tails from the Gulf Coast, so don't purchase fresh fish that isn't native to a fish distributor's geographic area.

I recommend: If you are looking for fresh fish from a particular geographic region, check out fish wholesalers around the world at eFreshPortal.com. Charleston Seafood is a fish distributor that offers more than 30 fish varieties, most from Charleston’s ocean waters. For the freshest Alaskan salmon choose Norquest, a fish wholesaler that specializes in wild Pacific salmon. For Gulf Coast catches like mahi mahi and grouper, contact Islamorda Fish Company, a fish distributor based in the Florida Keys.

Look for fresh fish distributors that package seafood to maintain optimal freshness

Fresh fish packaging is important for the overall product's freshness. Most fresh fish distributors and seafood wholesalers explain their packaging process online. If they don't, contact them directly to ask how fresh fish are packaged.

I recommend: Charleston Seafood fillets your fish fresh right before shipping, and then vacuum seals the products. The distributor of fish also labels the items with a packing date, which is useful if you plan to freeze your seafood when it arrives. Islamorda Fish Company custom packs each order with reusable frozen gel packs and cooler. Cannon Fish seafood wholesalers offer three packaging options to meet your specific needs: vacuum packed, layer packed for high volume orders or bulk individually quick frozen packaging.

Look for seafood wholesalers that offer shipping options to keep fish cold and fresh

The maximum holding time for fresh fish is 5 days, so ask fish wholesalers about the fastest shipping options. Fresh fish should arrive from fish companies cold to maintain freshness.

I recommend: Great Alaska Seafood provides free shipping in the continental U.S. with orders totaling at least 8 pounds. The distributors of fresh and frozen seafood ship using FedEx Priority Overnight service. Fresh fish are shipped in insulated boxes packed with dry ice or gel ice. Islamorda Fish Company ships all orders for overnight delivery. The wholesale fish distributors company has a 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) ordering deadline for next day delivery, so place your order early in the day.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Add some variety to your seafood menu. Many seafood wholesalers offer free recipes online.

Fish wholesalers export fish to thousands of restaurants, grocery chains and retail markets around the world. To keep up with the growing customer demand for fresh fish, businesses count on fish distributors to provide high quality fish at competitive prices.

The fish wholesaler market is highly fragmented with hundreds of firms operating as brokers, wholesalers and distributors. So how does your business know which fish companies offer the best products? When looking for fish and seafood wholesalers, consider these wholesalers and distributors of fresh fish basics:

1. Does the fish distributor provide the highest quality fresh fish?

2. How quickly do the seafood distributors ship the fish to your business to ensure optimal freshness?

3. Do the fresh fish wholesalers offer competitive pricing to save your business money?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase from a fish wholesale company that provides fresh, quality products

Do business with a distributor of fish who provides the freshest catches. Before purchasing seafood products from a freshwater or saltwater fish distributor, make sure you are purchasing fresh fish caught daily in local lakes or oceans, not frozen fish from a warehouse. For freshest purchases, buy from fish companies who offer products based on seasonal availability.

I recommend: Colorado River Seafood sells wholesale, quality seafood caught daily in the Gulf of Mexico and Matagorda Bays. The Fresh Lobster Company ships fish fresh (never frozen) from Gloucester, Mass.

Buy from fresh fish distributors with overnight shipping

To get the freshest fish, work only with seafood distributors who offer overnight or next day shipping. Ask about discounts for bulk orders. Many fresh fish distributors offer free shipping on orders of more than 10 pounds.

I recommend: Always Fresh Fish ships your order for next day delivery and offers a freshness guarantee on all fish purchases. AllFreshSeafood.com ships orders received by 10 a.m. that day by FedEx Next Day Air to ensure fresh deliveries.

Benefit from discounted pricing with wholesale fish distributors

A great advantage in working with wholesale fish distributors is the cost savings. However keep in mind that most seafood wholesalers require a minimum purchase (usually around 20 pounds) in order to be eligible for wholesale pricing.

I recommend: Anova provides stable, competitive wholesale prices on fresh fish and seafood. Empire Fish Company offers wholesale prices to approved businesses and customers; just fill out the online form to register.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before purchasing fresh fish from a fish wholesaler, make sure the company is in compliance with local, state and federal food requirements and standards. All fish distributor companies are regulated by city or state health departments. Additionally, all distributors of fresh and frozen seafood in the United States must comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).

When shopping through seafood wholesalers and distributors, you'll quickly find their websites and product sheets are chock-full of terminology specific to the industry. If you're not a commercial fisherman, much of this lingo may be confusing and unfamiliar to you. The good news is such terms are designed to make it easier for you to buy exactly the seafood product you need. So take the time now to learn about these terms and save yourself time and money in the future. Here are a few common terms you may not find familiar.

Action Steps
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Belly burn

Belly burn describes a fish with its rib bones literally in its belly. This reveals that the fish was not fresh when it was processed.

I recommend: "The Smoked Foods Cookbook," as seen at Google Books, discusses belly burn and its causes.

Bleeding

Wholesalers site fish as bled when fisherman remove blood from the fish by cutting open an artery. For example, before processing, tuna is usually treated by bleeding to improve flavor.

I recommend: Outdoor U explains how fish bleeding is done.

Brine freezing

When a wholesaler or distributor describes seafood as brine frozen, it has been placed in a brine that allows the food to freeze instantly, offering superior freshness compared to traditional freezing methods.

I recommend: Island Brand Seafood Imports further explains the process of brine freezing and compares it with traditional slow methods of freezing.

Pan-dressed

When a wholesaler says a fish is pan-dressed, it is thoroughly cleaned and has its head removed. It is designed to cook in one piece, without further cutting or cleaning. (A 'dressed fish' is also cleaned but has its head still on.)

I recommend: Asian Online Recipes discusses what pan-dressed fish are.

Surimi

Surimi is Japanese for fish paste. Surimi is fish pulp (coming from one or more inexpensive fish) that's flavored and formed into a ball or other shape. Often, surimi is sold under the names 'imitation crab' or 'imitation lobster.'

I recommend: Healthy Food Media explains what surimi is and what its health benefits might be.

Tripolyphosphate

Tripolyphosphate (also called STP or Sodium Tripoly) is a sodium-based additive used in fish processing that helps control moisture levels. Often seafood treated with tripolyphosphate is described by wholesalers as 'dipped,' 'treated' or 'wet.'

I recommend: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offers an explanation about exactly what tripolyphosphate is and how it's used in processing fish.