Explore Boston Sword & Tuna

Boston Sword & Tuna is a hands-on company built by people who learned the fish business from the dock up. It was founded in 1972 by Paul P. Scola, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who joined his father lumping boats on the old Boston Fish Pier at age 15. Over the decades, the business expanded until in 2003 it became Boston Sword & Tuna (BST), considered “America's One-Stop-Shop for Seafood."  

BST built its team by bringing on people with similar backgrounds and experience. Their buyers include tuna fisherman who spent decades on the Grand Banks, lobstermen whose families have run pots for generations, and others who grew up on the Fish Pier. They have long-standing relationships with captains and deep knowledge about which boats to buy from, enabling BST to consistently source the best quality seafood on the market. In its 50,000 square foot state of the art facility on Boston Bay, BST is one of the largest and most reliable seafood distributors in the U.S.   

In 2023, Fortune Fish & Gourmet acquired BST, strengthening our presence in the Northeast, bringing additional processing capabilities, skin pack expertise, and a 50,000-gallon ocean water lobster tank to our portfolio. BST remains deeply entrenched in the seafood business. Today, the business runs under the leadership of Larry Dore who joined BST in 2012 after 29 years with another major Boston area seafood processor. Over the years, additional generations of the Scola and Dore families have joined BST and continue to contribute to its growth and expansion. 

Let's Talk Lobster  

Boston Sword & Tuna is a world-class purveyor of hardshell North American lobsters. We buy them directly from the source in Maine and Canada and store them in our lobster holding tanks. Because our facility is just twenty yards from the Atlantic Ocean on Boston’s Waterfront, we draw fresh ocean water to fill the tanks.  The water is filtered for purity but still contains the natural nutrients lobsters need. During the winter months, it’s run as an open system, and in summer, it is closed so the water is chilled to an ideal temperature for lobsters.   

Paul DiMare – our Lobster Division Manager – is both a long-standing seafood professional and a New England lobster guru. His knowledge of when to buy, how to buy, and how much to buy makes BST one of the best places in the world to buy lobster.  

The BST Lobster Division didn’t grow from nothing to well over a million pounds a year by luck; we climbed our way up through knowledge and expertise for the trade. 

While we love our live lobster program, there’s more in the lobster division. We also process and package lobster tails, claws, and meat.  Plus, we have a 106-gallon lobster kettle that can cook up to 300 pounds of lobster at a time. Every day we clean, pick, and cook lobster meat for our prepared product lines, and that sweet, juicy meat everyone wants for lobster rolls.  

Tuna Graded In House 

We procure wild yellowfin, bigeye, and albacore tuna through direct relationships forged over decades. We work with small vessels crewed by generational fishers who know tuna in their bones and blood. These captains and their crews just seem to care more and pay close attention to every detail. We focus our buying on longline-caught tuna, particularly from the Marshall Islands, Tahiti, and Hawaii, as well as local partners in the Gulf and East Coast of the U.S.  

Delivering the best tuna begins with the skills, workmanship, and handling on board each vessel. Proper bleeding, immediate icing, and rapid return to port are all critical steps in preserving peak freshness, color, shape, and other elements that contribute to top grade. This carefully handled tuna is flown directly to our markets weekly, where we process it by hand. 

Grading tuna comes down to a few very simple elements; it’s both a science and an art. The graders on our team have the know-how that comes only with years of experience.  

Our grading standards are based on the care and expertise that begins the moment the fish is pulled out of the water. On the outside of the fish, we look for evidence of precise gaffing, skilled dressing, and speedy workmanship in the presentation of the tuna upon receipt. Whole tuna should have tight scales and a very round form. Inside the fish, we look at the head cavity, and of course, the core sample from the sashibo to discern color and fat.    

While tuna grading has many subjective elements, we take tremendous pride in our ability to deliver the grade of tuna each customer seeks.  

Processing and Packing  

From salmon and groundfish to scallops, shrimp, and beyond, we process a lot of fish every day. Our line of fish cutters is the best in the business, with skilled hands and sharp eyes. 

We also do laser-precision portioning for consistent results and then individually tray pack by hand.  Our oxygen-permeable film helps protect the color, freshness, and quality of the fish sealed within. We offer our fresh seafood in airtight tray packs, retail-ready, so customers do not need to handle the product at all. These portioned fish packs go from the box to the refrigerator shelf with ease.  

There’s so much more to share about the capabilities and offerings at Boston Sword & Tuna. We’ll catch you later with more!