Farmers market fish stand

Home cooks, families who want better quality than the supermarket, and neighbors who order for weekend meals.

You earn the margin between your wholesale buying price and your retail price per pound. Extras like cleaning, filleting, marinades and weekly seafood boxes add to each sale.

• Knowing fish and shellfish and how to handle them safely
• Filleting and basic knife skills
• Friendly selling and explaining how to cook what you sell

• Health department permit and any state seafood dealer license, check what applies to selling at markets in your county and state
• Keeping fish cold the whole time, as spoilage and food safety problems can hurt customers and your business
• Only buying from licensed suppliers, and keeping shellfish tags and records if your state requires them
• General liability and product liability insurance, and whether the market asks to see it
• Waste: unsold fresh fish loses value fast, so start with small, careful orders

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your refrigeration or ice set-up, stand equipment and opening stock. These are estimates, so start with small, careful orders to limit waste.

Monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many markets and pickups you do, what you sell and your prices. Unsold fresh fish loses value fast, which can affect what you keep.

Check the health department permit and any state seafood dealer license that applies in your county and state. Also check that you buy only from licensed suppliers, keep shellfish tags and records if required, keep fish cold, and carry liability insurance.