British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, set a new record for exports of farm-raised Atlantic salmon last year and is on track to best the performance in 2016.
New data released by Statistics Canada finds there is an emerging appetite for farm-raised salmon in the Chinese market, with exports from B.C. more than doubling over the previous high in 2012. China is now B.C.’s second most important market next to the United States, which is historically the sector’s primary export market.
Trade with Asia overall is up 38 percent over the previous record in 2013 with B.C. exporting fresh farm-raised salmon for the first time to South Korea, a market that shows great potential as Canada and South Korea implement the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
In total, B.C. exported a record 54,400 metric tons (MT) of farm-raised salmon to 11 countries last year with a total value of CAD 431.6 million (USD 335.1 million, EUR 293.4 million).
“Demand for salmon raised in B.C. has never been higher,” said Jeremy Dunn, executive director, BC Salmon Farmers Association. “The United States remains our most important trading partner, and will be so for some time, however we are encouraged at the market diversification and the prospects for growing demand in the future – particularly in Asia.”
According to Statistics Canada, China imported 1,250 MT of B.C. salmon last year, which was 140 percent more than the previous record set in 2012. This trade had a value of CAD 9.2 million (USD 7.1 million, EUR 6.3 million).
At the same time, the United States imported 52,150 MT of B.C. salmon, valued at CAD 404.9 million (USD 314.4 million, EUR 275.2 million), and Asia imported 2,839 MT of product with a value of CAD 20.5 million (USD 15.9 million, EUR 13.9 million).
Salmon farming is worth CAD 1.1 billion (USD 854.2 million, EUR 747.8 million) to the B.C. economy and accounts for more than 5,000 jobs.
