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Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers

NAICS 424460 · Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods · SBA size standard: 100 employees

Fish and seafood merchant wholesalers buy fresh, frozen and live product from boats, farms and processors then sell and deliver to restaurants, grocers, processors and institutions. Specialists turn inbound catch and price lists into purchase decisions, inventory into sales offers, orders into pick-and-pack instructions, and loads into temperature-controlled delivery routes. Temperature logs, species labeling, country-of-origin and seafood-safety records stay with the owner.

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What makes this business different

  • Highly perishable product with short shelf life that must stay at proper temperatures from receipt through delivery
  • Daily or multiple-times-per-week purchases from multiple boats, processors and importers with fluctuating species, sizes and prices
  • Live product that requires separate tanks, oxygenation and holding protocols
  • Strict temperature, species identification, country-of-origin and traceability paperwork required at every transfer
  • Sales to restaurants and grocers that need cut sheets, portion pricing and advance order cutoffs
  • Seasonal gluts and shortages that drive rapid price changes and inventory rotation
  • Mixed loads of fresh, frozen, live and value-added items that must be segregated in coolers and trucks
  • Return and credit handling for product that arrives below grade or spoils in transit

Specialist bots

  • a worker in rubber apron and boots standing on a dock beside stacked totes of iced fish inspecting a just-unloaded box of whole salmon

    Seafood Buyer

    Turn daily supplier offers and boat arrivals into approved purchase decisions matched to current inventory and sales demand.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Sheets, Email Buckets · Workflows: Purchase intake and receiving, Market pricing and replenishment planning

    Automates

    • Reads incoming price lists and harvest reports
    • Compares prices and quality to market and on-hand stock
    • Drafts purchase orders with required certificates
    • Creates receiving inspection tasks
    • Suggests daily buy quantities and target prices

    Stops for a person

    • The owner approves every purchase commitment and spend
    • Quality rejections and substitutions are decided by a person
  • a worker scanning barcodes on cases of frozen shrimp inside a walk-in freezer while checking against a tablet inventory list

    Inventory Controller

    Maintain accurate stock levels, rotation and location records across temperature zones for live, fresh and frozen seafood.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Inventory tracking and rotation

    Automates

    • Updates quantities after every receipt and sale
    • Flags items nearing end of shelf life
    • Generates daily inventory reports by zone
    • Tracks live tank counts and packaging supplies

    Stops for a person

    • Physical cycle counts are performed and verified by people
    • Decisions to discount or discard aging product are made by the owner
  • a worker at a desk in a warehouse office reviewing printed cut sheets and entering a phone order for fresh tuna loins

    Order Intake Specialist

    Convert customer requests into confirmed sales orders with accurate pricing, availability and traceability requirements.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Email Buckets · Workflows: Sales order processing

    Automates

    • Parses incoming orders from multiple channels
    • Checks stock and pending receipts
    • Applies correct pricing tiers
    • Creates pick tickets with lot numbers
    • Drafts confirmations with handling instructions

    Stops for a person

    • The sales manager approves pricing exceptions and large orders
    • A person handles customer negotiations and payment terms
  • a worker in insulated gloves packing whole fish on ice into waxed cardboard boxes on a stainless steel table inside a cold room

    Fulfillment Coordinator

    Turn confirmed orders into sequenced pick lists, inspected packs and staged loads ready for temperature-controlled delivery.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Sheets, Process Optimizer · Workflows: Order fulfillment and packing

    Automates

    • Generates pick lists by cooler zone
    • Creates packing instructions with ice and label requirements
    • Builds load manifests with temperature logger assignments
    • Sequences staging by route

    Stops for a person

    • A person performs final quality and weight checks before sealing
    • The owner signs off on any substitutions
  • a worker loading stacked seafood boxes into the rear of a refrigerated truck parked at a loading dock early in the morning

    Route and Delivery Dispatcher

    Plan daily delivery routes for refrigerated and live-haul trucks while maintaining temperature and traceability documentation.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs · Workflows: Delivery dispatch and routing

    Automates

    • Groups orders by area and time window
    • Assigns vehicles and sets temperature points
    • Creates route sequences and manifests
    • Attaches required traceability paperwork to each load

    Stops for a person

    • Drivers confirm vehicle pre-trip temperature and equipment checks
    • The owner approves route changes due to traffic or customer needs
  • a worker at a desk attaching printed temperature logger reports and origin certificates to a stack of shipment folders

    Traceability and Compliance Clerk

    Assemble and maintain lot-specific traceability records, temperature logs and permit tracking for every inbound and outbound movement.

    Works in: Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Traceability and compliance records

    Automates

    • Attaches certificates and origin documents to lots
    • Compiles temperature logs from receipt to delivery
    • Generates customer traceability reports
    • Tracks renewal dates for licenses and permits

    Stops for a person

    • The owner confirms which requirements apply to each species and customer
    • People perform and sign off on all physical inspections and corrective actions

Workflows

Purchase intake and receiving

Starts when: Daily supplier lists, boat arrivals or processor offers arrive by email, text or portal

  1. Capture species, size grade, quantity, price, harvest or pack date and origin
  2. Compare offered price and quality against current market and on-hand inventory
  3. Draft purchase order with temperature and documentation requirements
  4. Create receiving task with inspection checklist
  5. Record lot numbers and attach harvest or processor certificates

Watch for: Product must be inspected for temperature, odor, appearance and packaging integrity on arrival; Live product needs immediate transfer to holding tanks with verified water quality

Inventory tracking and rotation

Starts when: After every receipt, sale or daily at cutoff

  1. Update quantities by species, size, pack date and location in cooler or freezer
  2. Flag items approaching shelf-life limits for priority sale
  3. Maintain separate tallies for live, fresh, frozen and value-added stock
  4. Generate daily inventory report by location and temperature zone
  5. Track packaging materials and ice supplies

Watch for: FIFO rotation is mandatory for fresh and frozen items; Live inventory must be monitored for mortality and water parameters

Sales order processing

Starts when: Customer orders arrive by phone, email, text, portal or standing agreement

  1. Capture customer, species, size, quantity, cut or pack type and delivery date
  2. Check against current inventory and pending receipts
  3. Apply agreed pricing or current market rate and confirm availability
  4. Create pick ticket with lot numbers and traceability data
  5. Draft order confirmation including temperature and handling instructions

Watch for: Many restaurant customers order daily with tight morning cutoffs; Allergen and species substitution alerts must be captured exactly

Order fulfillment and packing

Starts when: Morning of each delivery or pickup day

  1. Generate consolidated pick list by cooler zone and product type
  2. Pull and inspect each lot for quality and temperature
  3. Pack with sufficient ice or gel packs and label with species, pack date, origin, net weight and handling instructions
  4. Create pallet or load manifest with temperature logger instructions
  5. Stage orders by route and delivery window

Watch for: Fresh and frozen items must be segregated during packing; Live product requires separate oxygenated containers and paperwork

Delivery dispatch and routing

Starts when: Once orders are packed and loaded

  1. Group deliveries by geographic area and time window
  2. Assign to refrigerated or live-haul vehicles with temperature set points
  3. Draft route sequence and estimated arrival windows
  4. Load temperature loggers and generate manifests with traceability data
  5. Record delivery confirmations and any temperature or quality notes

Watch for: Refrigerated trucks must maintain continuous temperature logs; Live product routes must avoid delays that compromise water quality

Traceability and compliance records

Starts when: With every receipt and shipment and on renewal dates

  1. Attach harvest certificates, processor docs and country-of-origin to each lot
  2. Generate batch traceability reports for customers or regulators
  3. Log all temperature readings from receipt through delivery
  4. Track license, permit and vessel registration renewal dates
  5. Maintain species identification and labeling verification checklist

Watch for: Traceability must follow each lot from boat or farm to final customer; The owner confirms which federal, state and local requirements apply to each species and market

Market pricing and replenishment planning

Starts when: Daily before market opens and weekly

  1. Collect current dock, processor and import prices by species and size
  2. Compare against on-hand inventory and upcoming sales orders
  3. Suggest purchase quantities and target prices for the day or week
  4. Forecast seasonal availability and price swings
  5. Draft supplier order list for approval

Watch for: Prices can change multiple times per day based on catch volume; Owner makes final purchase commitments

Bot templates for this industry

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Size Standards, Table of Small Business Size Standards Matched to North American Industry Classification System Codes, version March 2023 (effective 2023-03-17, NAICS 2022). Size standards are shown for reference only.