French frozen foods retailer Picard Surgeles is looking to help the the country's embattled fishermen mitigate a sharp drop in income during the coronavirus health crisis, and at the same time shore up its supply of product.

Company President Philippe Pauze is inviting producers to show how they could collectively freeze catches to be sold in the country's nationwide chain of freezer stores.

The move would help fishermen still venturing out offset at least some of their normal lost demand due to the collapse in orders from the foodservice sector. Bars and restaurants across France are closed under the country's coronavirus lockdown.

The move would also help bolster supplies for Picard Surgeles at a time when there is higher demand for products with longer shelf life such as frozen fish.

Picard's move comes after leading French supermarket chain Carrefour said it will offer price and volume guarantees to the country's fishermen in response to the coronavirus health crisis.

The closure of restaurants has deprived French fishermen of half their sales, causing a sharp drop in prices and leading the majority of vessels to stay tied up in port. Vessel workers are calling on the government to grant them at least partial unemployment benefits.

Under normal circumstances, this could go against EU state aid rules, but given the unprecedented nature of the current crisis, the French government may get a sympathetic hearing from officials in Brussels, particularly given its most recent statement.

There is a small, timid recovery for the industry in recent days, with large-scale retailers and traditional fishmongers continuing to buy fish, Hubert Carre, general manager at the Comite National Des Peches Maritimes trade body told BFM TV.

"The few deep-sea boats that have made tides of three or four days have sold very, very well since Friday, but we know that if everyone leaves at the same time, we will saturate the market and have unsold products," he said.

Picard Surgeles has more than 920 freezer type stores across France in normal times, selling close to 25 species of fish and seafood among 1,100 food products.

Increased demand has meant a greater workload for Picard's store employees, delivery and supply chain workers, leading the company to announce last week it would reward them with a net €1,000 ($1,092) bonus.

Markets

French retailer Picard Surgeles tosses a lifeline to fishermen, bolstering supply in the process