Chinese customs authorities have confirmed that the country’s seafood imports are up 13 percent over the first three quarters of 2023, but that imports from important supplier markets are down over the same period, sending mixed signals to exporters on the status of the market overall.
One of those key suppliers is the U.S. state of Alaska, and Alaskan exports to China are down 8 percent by volume in 2023, according to data compiled for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). The drop has come despite a 1,245 percent increase in imports of Alaskan live crab into China.
“My take on these numbers is that they say more about Alaska flatfish harvest than China’s processing capacity or demand,” Sam Friedman, a research analyst at McKinley Research Group, said, specifically pointing to the most recent ASMI groundfish harvest update that shows yellowfin sole harvest is down 31 percent year over year through August.
Other major seafood markets have also been sending lower volumes of seafood to China.
Over the first three quarters of 2023, Norwegian seafood exports to China jumped 13 percent in value year over year but fell 24 percent in volume, mainly due to reduced shipments of mackerel and cod, according to Andreas Thorud, who is the head of the Norwegian Seafood Council’s Chinese office.
The strong value increase year over year came primarily from salmon, “as well as some currency effect given weakening of the Norwegian krone,” Thorud said.
China’s recent October holidays – usually a peak point throughout the year for consumption – appears to have helped demand for salmon.
“Norwegian export of fresh salmon … has shown consistent strong performance,” Thorud said. “Week 38 and 39 [of 2023] saw volumes of fresh [salmon] at 872 metric tons [MT] and 920 MT, respectively, in product weight, which is above this year’s weekly average of approximately 766 MT.”
Cui He, the secretary general of the China Aquatic Producers Promotion and Marketing Association (CAPPMA), is not concerned about the Chinese market, saying that the conflicting import data actually signals stability. He told SeafoodSource that while species like oysters are seeing dips in domestic supply, other species are quickly coming into favor as substitutions, such as yellow croaker, crayfish, and Chinese perch.
“These changes came about during the pandemic, when market access was difficult,” he said. “But overall seafood demand in China remains stable.”
Cui said China’s budding seafood partnership with Russia will add stability to the market, though he doesn’t expect an overwhelming surge of Russian seafood supply, despite recent announcements of new processing facilities being built in China to handle Russian raw materials.
China made another move to lock up supply when it entered into an agreement with Oman that will allow seafood from the nation to enter Chinese customs, further widening supply channels for Asia’s top market. And on 18 October, it signed an agreement allowing fresh Chilean coho to enter the Chinese market.
China has also worked to expand its domestic supply. State-owned mariculture operator Guoxin Development Group has opened its first retail store in Shanghai to sell the golden pomfret produced aboard its mariculture vessel, the Guoxin 1, epitomizing a continued push from the country to further invest in its deepwater mariculture sector.
Photo courtesy of Global Shrimp Forum
