WEALTH February 23, 2026 0 Comments

How Cork’s Paulona Seafoods Is Disrupting Ireland’s Seafood Market with a Game-Changing Online Auction You Didn’t See Coming

Who would have thought that the humble fish market would go digital? Yet here we are, with Cork-based Paulona Seafoods pioneering Ireland’s very first online seafood auction. Imagine buyers bidding in real time for the freshest catch, all from the comfort of their screens — it’s not just a game changer; it’s a whole new tide rolling in for the Irish fishing industry. This move doesn’t just streamline sales; it tears down walls of opacity in pricing, opening the market wide for local fishermen. And here’s the kicker: by linking up with French seafood auction house CCI Finistere, Paulona isn’t merely casting a net locally, but hooking into a robust European demand for top-notch fish. Joe Walsh, the second-generation seafood entrepreneur behind this vision, is setting the course for an audacious future—aiming for 95% of his sales to flow through this online conduit by 2028. So, is the digital auction just a clever gimmick or the fresh catch that will reel in real profits for Irish fishers? Strap in; this story’s making waves you won’t want to miss. LEARN MORE

Cork-based Paulona Seafoods has launched an online seafood auction where buyers can bid for freshly caught fish in real time.

It is the first time an online auction has been used in Ireland to sell seafood, and it is intended to help streamline the sale of fresh fish, create greater pricing transparency and open up the market for the local fishing fleet.

Paulona has partnered with the French-based seafood auction house CCI Finistere and is aligned with the Guilvinic auction.

It currently takes place twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, and has access to 260 buyers, creating greater income security by directly opening up the French market where demand for fresh, high quality whole fish is strong.

The auction marks a new business direction for Joe Walsh, a second generation seafood entrepreneur, who set up Paulona Seafoods in 2001, supplying fresh Irish seafood to local and European markets.

By 2028, Walsh aims to diversify sales channels for his business so that 95% of sales will come from the online auction.

“It’s a change of mindset for fishermen and a change of direction for the Irish market – if every other European country is doing it, why are we not?” said Walsh

“We are in a very different place – even 10 years ago, logistics were much more difficult, and we didn’t have an online capacity. We are two full months [in business].

“Two months in and 100% it works. If I’d thought of it earlier I would have gone with it two or three years ago when we had an awful lot more fish. But we were happy plodding along. We were all getting half decent prices.

“From a company perspective, we are solely 100% Irish fish. Without Irish fish we’re nothing. At the end of the day I’m no different to any other competitor, I have to think outside the box.”

Paulona Seafoods received investment of €179,425 under the Seafood Processing Capital scheme for the purchase of software for the online auction and an in-house prawn freezing facility to improve quality control and profitability.

The funding was supported by the government and the EU under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.

“In a challenging market place, Paulona Seafoods, with Joe Walsh at the helm, is demonstrating the very best of entrepreneurial spirit,” said Richard Donnelly, interim CEO of Bord Iascaigh Mhara.

“The ability to identify a new revenue stream for Irish landed fish, while simultaneously increasing visibility and driving stronger market prices, is a remarkable achievement.

“This kind of innovation, and way of thinking, is strengthening the position and reputation of Irish seafood in the global marketplace and setting a powerful example for how we can grow tomorrow.”

Paulona Seafoods has over 25 fishing vessels landing catch specifically for the business and has ambitions to add more boats. Walsh explained how, in the days before each auction, landed fish is graded for quality and prepared for the auction.

“The buyers have been more than impressed with the quality [of Paulona Seafoods’ fish],” he said.

“We have two grades here – A and B. A is good quality and B is poorer quality and there’s E, that would be exceptional or excellent and is primarily for day catch fish – fair enough, some of our boats have day catch fish, but the problem is it takes another 36 hours after they’re caught to get to France.”

Photo: Joe Walsh. (Pic: Supplied)