Salmon farming in British Columbia, Canada, now contributes more than CAD 1.5 billion (USD 1.2 billion, EUR 1 billion) to the B.C. economy, according to a new study.
The news comes shortly after the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program upgraded B.C. farm-raised Atlantic salmon a “good alternative.”
“B.C. is the only such region in the world to have this distinction for its entire Atlantic salmon production,” the BC Salmon Farmers Association said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the independent economic analysis conducted for the BCSFA found that the value of the industry has surged 37 percent over the past three years.
“The full value chain in the salmon aquaculture sector has turned record high prices over much of the past three years into an unprecedented investment in the sector, including farming infrastructure, process plants, land-based hatcheries, and marine vessels leading. The net result is an increase in business performance, as well as an increase in environmental and biological performance,” said BCSFA Executive Director Jeremy Dunn.
In related news, Skuna Bay Salmon in Gold River, B.C., was named the British Columbia American Marketing Association’s 2017 Marketer of the Year.
“2016 was a pivotal year for Skuna Bay in the marketing of their product,” said Kim Mech, chair of BCAMA’s judging committee. “They really dug deep with research to understand their market and competitive landscape and cleverly undertook the creation of a new category to umbrella the positioning of their product.”
Skuna Bay salmon is now available at more than 3,500 locations, according to BCAMA.