Seafood Importers and Exporters

Pt Daya Guna Samudera Tbk

Guide to Seafood Importers and Exporters

Buy and sell wholesale fish products
By Jamie McIntosh

Whether you operate a seafood import business or you wish to become a fish exporter or fish distributor, you know that the seafood industry balances on a delicate fulcrum that yields to the weather, environmental vagaries and supply and demand concerns.

When you import seafood or distribute it to other fish buyers, you're dealing with a highly perishable product that can vary widely in quality. You must develop relationships with seafood importers and exporters who can fulfill your expectations in three key areas:

1. Your fish importers must deliver the best quality for each order, no matter how large or small.

2. Your seafood importer should have connections with sustainable fisheries to minimize instabilities in the market due to weather and environmental concerns.

3. Your fish distributor must provide the seafood varieties overseas markets demand.

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.

Tips & Tactics

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.