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

Ensure your seafood import is fresh

Freshness should be utmost in your mind when buying from a seafood importer, so notice whether the seafood is stored properly at about 32 degrees Fahrenheit (either by refrigeration or with ice). The fish you buy should smell mild, not stinky or fishy, and its eyes should not be sunken, pink or cloudy. When you press down on the fish's body, it should bounce back. Also, note that seafood that's flash frozen on the ship is extremely fresh--sometimes more so than unfrozen seafood.

I recommend: WeLoveSeafood.com offers an excellent guide to recognizing fresh fish, mussels, oysters, clams, lobsters, shrimp, crab and other types of seafood. Although geared toward consumers, LifeTips offers several useful articles on choosing fresh seafood, with ideas applicable to those in the industry.

Buy your wholesale seafood at a good price

The price of seafood varies according to current fishing conditions, the weather and competition between importers and exporters. While it's always smart to shop around, it's also a good idea to test several wholesalers to see which are easiest to work with, most reliable and consistently offer the best deals. Start by researching wholesalers through their websites; after finding several who meet your needs and offer a good value for your dollar, try them out to see whether you can trust their product and pricing.

I recommend: The Fresh Lobster Company sells wholesale fish, shrimp, crabs and other shellfish at competitive wholesale prices. For seafood that's brought in fresh daily, try AlwaysFreshFish.com.

Make certain your seafood importer--and you--are environmentally responsible

Once upon a time, everyone believed the ocean was so vast and seafood so prolific humans could never over-fish. We know better now. According to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, 50 percent of the world's major fisheries are fully exploited, 15 percent are over-fished and 6 percent are depleted. That's why choosing sustainable seafood is vital to the health of the ocean and the future of fish as food.

I recommend: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation provides an excellent glossary of seafood with photographs and information about the sustainability of each creature. The Environmental Defense Fund has an easy-to-read chart of seafood that's "Eco-Best," "Eco-OK" and "Eco-Worst."

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you've made a purchase from a wholesale seafood company, keep your fish or other seafood fresh by storing it in the coldest part of the refrigerator at about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You may keep it this way for up to seven days. Keep live shellfish well-ventilated in the refrigerator.

Guide to Seafood Importers and Exporters

Buy and sell wholesale fish products

By Jamie McIntosh

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

Choose seafood importers that offer consistent quality and supply

If your end user has a discriminating palate, such as a high-end restaurant, you must deliver the finest seafood with every transaction. When you work with a client that experiences a large ebb and flow of product demand, such as a hotel, you must anticipate these volume needs.

I recommend: Sigma International, Inc. is a seafood importer that maintains excellent relationships with their seafood providers, and they only work with suppliers and packers who can guarantee high quality and availability throughout the year. Top Seafood, Inc. can meet the needs of any sized business, whether retail, distributor or wholesaler.

Patronize seafood importers and exporters that use sustainable fisheries

The global demand for high quality seafood, combined with environmental damage from oil spills and weather anomalies, means that the world's fish supply is in jeopardy. You can choose seafood importers and exporters who obtain their seafood products from fisheries and hatcheries.

I recommend: California Caviar Company, Inc. distributes salmon caviar cultivated in sustainable aquaculture facilities. Simmons Catfish, Inc. has raised catfish on their Mississippi farm since 1977.

Find fish distributors for your wholesale seafood export business

If you're a fish exporter, you must find the freshest seafood available to keep your customers satisfied. You must also give customers a savory assortment of seafood they may not find elsewhere.

I recommend: SeaFreeze, Ltd. uses selective nets to trawl for squid, mackerel, herring and butterfish. They grade and freeze the fish onboard the fishing vessels, and can ship their products anywhere in the world. International Maritime Fisheries, Inc. distributes fresh fish they catch daily from their Florida docks, including tilapia, grouper and snapper.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Implicit in your promise of quality to your fish buyers is the guarantee of wholesomeness and safety. The FDA administers a seafood regulatory program, and they inspect wholesalers, carriers and processors to ensure that all seafood products meet safety guidelines. As a U.S. exporter, you can share with your customers abroad that your fish products are unadulterated by chemical contaminants, microbial pathogens and pesticides.

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

Learn the general lingo of fish importers and exporters

As with any industry, importers and exporters of seafood have their own lingo that can be confusing for those not familiar with the field. Some of these terms include 'FOB' ('free on board,' usually with a location after it, meaning charges beyond the termination point are paid by the buyer), 'green sheet' (the National Marine Fisheries Service's Market News Reports) and 'ocean run' (selling seafood of random weight and size as a pack).

I recommend: Anthony's Seafood hosts a glossary of seafood terms difficult to find elsewhere, including many industry terms used by importers and exporters. Seafood Scotland provides a glossary of similar terms used by importers and exporters throughout the world.

Understand fish exporter and exporter quality-related terms

Importers and exporters use many special terms to describe the condition or quality of seafood. Terms related to quality include 'belly burn' (when a fish's rib bones poke into its belly, often indicating the fish wasn't fresh when processed), 'black spot' (or 'melanosis,' when a darkening may be found between a shrimp's tail and shell when it begins to rot), 'pasteurize' (heating the food enough to kill most bacteria) and 'slacked out' (seafood that's been frozen and thawed).

I recommend: Blue Marlin Seafood is a fish distributor hosting a glossary of terms that includes many words relating to the condition of seafood. Check out Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute for food industry tips on judging the freshness of seafood.

Know seafood names used in fish imports and exports

You probably already know what cod and swordfish are, but there are some less familiar types of seafood you may not be familiar with. For instance, have you heard of 'ahi' (yellowfin tuna)? What about croaker or John Dory (both from the Atlantic)? Or the many names for silver snapper (including Porgy, Bream, scup and fair maid)? Take time now to become familiar with these types of seafood and you'll save yourself embarrassment and frustration later.

I recommend: Gorton's Fresh Seafood provides a good glossary of fish types, and the seafood glossary at THE NIBBLE is well-illustrated, too.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When buying from wholesale fishing companies, sometimes fresh isn't best. Seafood that isn't properly handled and immediately sold may actually be of poorer quality than seafood that's 'flash,' or instantly, frozen on the ship.

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

Learn how the US deals with seafood import and export foreign affairs

Take a look at various ways that we work with or against other countries when it comes to the transport of aquaculture items into the US.

I recommend: Find out from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) how the US regulates fish coming in from China. As of June, 2007, they are looking to have greater control over the farm-raised catfish, basa, shrimp, dace and eel imported in from China. Take a look at how the Hong Kong & Macau Consulate issued a statement to address questions that may arise regarding the FDA's June 2007 regulation.

Find out about seafood importers and exporters accountability and inspection

Seafood importers and exporters are subject to inspection at just about any time, so finding out how the government has handled inspections in the past can help you prepare for what to look forward to in the future.

I recommend: Discover from the US Government Accountability office how newer FDA programs could bring about positive change and greater collaboration between key federal agencies to improve detection and prevention in regards to fish import and export. Learn about FDA Enhanced Aquaculture and Seafood Inspection from the US Center for Applied Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Compare US seafood importers and exporters laws and regulations

Find out how US laws regarding seafood importers and exporters varies from that in other countries. Safety is always key, but knowing how the process works will also help you if you are trying to be a seafood importer into that country as well.

I recommend: Learn about the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Report (FAIRS) from the United States Department of Agriculture. Find out about the Foreign Agriculture Service US Mission to the European Union (EU) to find out more about EU fish import and exports laws and regulations.