Are the seafood categories on this page available now?

They are request categories, not live stock. Our team checks each request and approaches suppliers that appear to fit; availability is never guaranteed.

How do I compare king crab wholesale offers?

Compare only offers with the same species, form, size grade, glaze and net-weight basis, freezing method and Incoterms® rule. Otherwise the prices describe different products.

What extra checks apply to caviar wholesale?

Sturgeon species are listed under CITES, so permits and labelling apply in international trade. Confirm requirements for the exact species, origin and destination.

Do you call suppliers verified?

Only where a specific supplier's evidence has been reviewed and shown. Otherwise we describe them as screened introductions after review.

Is there a fee for buyers?

No. Buyer requests and tools are free. Assisted sourcing applies to programmes of USD 250,000 or more per year or season.

Premium & specialty sourcing · 10 min read

How Commercial Buyers Specify High-Value Seafood: Species, Form, Size, Freezing, Origin and Terms

Glazed king crab legs, whole lobsters and large striped shrimp on crushed ice in white insulated boxes in a cold-store processing room

The outcome comes first. Procurement follows.

Plan the production or project → define the output and market → structure a reviewed RFQ → our team approaches suitable counterparties → compare offers. Equipment and production-line procurement remains a separate path: plan an equipment RFQ.

Why high-value seafood needs a tighter specification

In premium seafood the price difference between two offers often comes from details that a short request leaves out: glaze percentage, count per kilogram, whether a crab is sold as whole cooked, clusters or legs, or whether a fish is fresh, superchilled or frozen at sea. The higher the unit value, the more each of those details matters to your margin.

This guide covers the questions buyers of king crab, lobster, large shrimp, caviar and premium whole fish or fillets typically need to answer before approaching wholesale fish suppliers. Global B2B Group reviews such requests on the buyer side and approaches suppliers that appear to fit; we do not hold stock and do not guarantee supply, quality or price.

Species and origin: name the product precisely

Trade names vary between markets and some are used for several species. Give the common and scientific name, wild-caught or farmed, and any catch area, country of origin or farming system your customers require. For wild species, ask which fishery the product comes from and what catch documentation travels with it.

Common and scientific name (for example red king crab — Paralithodes camtschaticus)
Wild or farmed; catch area or origin if required
Fishery or farm documentation the supplier can provide

Product form, size and count

State the form and the grading scale. Crab may be live, whole cooked, sections/clusters or legs and claws; lobster live, whole frozen, tails or meat; shrimp head-on shell-on, headless, peeled and deveined, tail-on or tail-off. Size is usually expressed as weight per piece or as count per kilogram or pound — write the unit so that offers can be compared.

Form (live, whole, sections, tails, fillets, portions, meat)
Size: weight per piece, or count per kg/lb, with allowed tolerance
Cooked or raw; trimming and cut specification for fish

Processing, freezing, glaze and net weight

For frozen products specify the freezing method (for example individually quick frozen or block), whether the product was frozen at sea or on land, the glaze you will accept and that price and invoicing refer to net weight after glaze. Ask for storage temperature requirements and the shelf life the supplier will confirm.

For fresh or live product, state the maximum time from harvest or landing to arrival and the temperature or holding conditions you require. The Codex Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products is a useful reference for handling expectations; specific limits are set by destination rules and your contract.

Caviar and other regulated species

All sturgeon and paddlefish species are listed under CITES, so international trade in caviar requires CITES permits and, under CITES resolutions, specific container labelling. Before a caviar wholesale request moves forward, confirm the CITES documents for the exact origin and destination, the species and source code, and any national rules that add to them.

Other premium species can also be subject to quotas, seasons, catch-certificate schemes or import monitoring programmes. Treat these as items to verify for each origin–destination pair, not as a fixed list.

Certifications, traceability and delivery terms

List certifications as buyer requirements — the ones your destination or customers ask for — rather than assuming any supplier holds them. Ask the supplier to evidence each one. Add traceability needs such as lot coding, catch or harvest date and vessel or farm identification.

Required certificates (health certificate, catch certificate, CITES where applicable, customer-required schemes)
Lot coding and traceability data on cartons
Packing: carton net weight, inner packing, labelling language
Incoterms® rule and named place, currency (USD by default), payment terms
Inspection point and claims procedure

Submitting a high-value seafood request

Open the output sourcing request, choose fish or shrimp, and complete the species, form, size, frozen or fresh, volumes, delivery window, destination and documents. Blank fields are recorded as unknown. Buyer requests are free; assisted sourcing applies to programmes of at least USD 250,000 total per year or season. Our team reviews every request before any supplier is approached, and introductions happen only after review and your approval.

Questions about building or upgrading a seafood farm, hatchery or processing plant belong with FishMatch; cold-store and refrigerated logistics projects with ColdMatch.

Buyer & seller checklist

Editorial suggestions for a complete request — not legal requirements.

Species: Common and scientific name; wild or farmed
Origin: Catch area, country or farming system if required
Form: Live, whole, sections, tails, fillets, peeled and so on
Size: Weight per piece or count per kg/lb with tolerance
Freezing: IQF or block, at sea or on land, glaze, net weight
Regulated species: CITES or catch documentation where applicable
Certificates: Only those your destination or customers require
Terms: Incoterms® rule, named place, currency, payment
Programme value: Total per year or season; assisted sourcing from USD 250,000

Planning the production side? FishMatch

Our specialist platform for seafood and aquaculture: farms, hatcheries, RAS, processing plants and the deeper sector questions behind supply.

Go to FishMatch

Optional next step

This guide is free to use. If you have a programme of USD 250,000 or more per year or season, you can send a request for review. A request is not a guarantee of supply, quality, price or a sale.

Request a reviewed supply programme

Frequently asked questions

Are the seafood categories on this page available now?: They are request categories, not live stock. Our team checks each request and approaches suppliers that appear to fit; availability is never guaranteed.
How do I compare king crab wholesale offers?: Compare only offers with the same species, form, size grade, glaze and net-weight basis, freezing method and Incoterms® rule. Otherwise the prices describe different products.
What extra checks apply to caviar wholesale?: Sturgeon species are listed under CITES, so permits and labelling apply in international trade. Confirm requirements for the exact species, origin and destination.
Do you call suppliers verified?: Only where a specific supplier's evidence has been reviewed and shown. Otherwise we describe them as screened introductions after review.
Is there a fee for buyers?: No. Buyer requests and tools are free. Assisted sourcing applies to programmes of USD 250,000 or more per year or season.

Sources and editorial note

Written by the Global B2B Group project team. Published and last reviewed 2026-10-19. Regulatory references are examples and change over time; confirm current requirements for your product and destination with the competent authority. This guide is not legal advice.