Did you know you can visit the wholesale fish market? That’s right, thanks to Le Belvédère de la Criée du Grau d’Agde.
A facility has been created specially to enable you to see and learn everything about the local fishing industry.
There’s nothing fishy about this – we recommend it!
The fish market behind the scenes
The Belvédère organises tours that take you behind the scenes at the fish market to see the fishing boats, the installations and the site’s operation… You’ll follow the guide through this 150 m² facility featuring information panels and a video about fishing in the Mediterranean. You’ll also get an inside view of how business is conducted at the fish market, thanks to the picture windows overlooking the auction area, and see with your own eyes what happens to the fish between the catch and the purchase.
At the Belvédère, your hosts are specialists of this little-known sector, who will accompany you on tours suitable for all age groups, including families. There are even activities for children aged 3 to 6 years.
What happens at the fish market?
This fish and seafood trading facility is intended for wholesalers, fishmongers, restaurant owners and other professionals.
The different species of fish that arrive from the daily catch are auctioned as lots. In the Mediterranean region, sales are held in the afternoon, when the auction house seats are occupied by buyers from both France and abroad.
Nowadays, the bidding isn’t done vocally or by raising hands any more. Instead, the seller has a display screen and each purchaser has a purchase button. The profession of auctioneer still exists, and the aim is to sell the fish at the highest possible price.
It’s a curious thing to watch and very impressive, because it all happens so fast, with packs of fish moving along the conveyor belt amid agitated buyers who must have a keen eye and be very quick in order to get what they want during the descending-bid auction!
Freshness and quality guaranteed
Over 1,500 tonnes of fish are sold every year from about a dozen trawlers and a hundred or so small-scale operators (boats of 7 to 18 metres). By knowing the fishermen and the boats, the fish market professionals can guarantee that the products on sale are of optimum quality. These products will be served at restaurants or put on sale by the region’s many fishmongers, supermarkets and other outlets.
For foodies
Visitors looking to treat themselves or take home a souvenir will find the local Agde-style fish soup and other seafood products at the auction house shop.
Join the panel!
To find out more about the fishing industry and the species found off our coast, consult the eight information panels installed in the fishing port, along the cycle path.
Go for a walk or bike ride to find a mine of information on the fishing industry and its techniques, from the particularities of the marine habitat around Agde to the fish retailers, not forgetting the natural resources that make up our environment.
Nice idea!
Clin d’oeil
The “Terre & Mer” occupational integration organisation transforms and markets fish and seafood. A great initiative that promotes and supports the local fishing industry and local distribution channels.
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