Funding announced for Canadian aquaculture exports
It is interesting that while the funding was announced by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the funding actually comes from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (DAAFC), which is in charge of marketing initiatives for food, including seafood.
DAAFC issued this statement from Stanley Bridge in Prince Edward Island today:
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Regional Minister for Prince Edward Island and Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today an investment of nearly $2.5 million over two years to the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) to help the aquaculture industry increase the domestic and international market share for Canadian aquaculture products.
This investment will enable the CAIA to do market research, attend international trade shows and lead missions to raise awareness of Canadian farmed seafood products and target marketing activities for farmed salmon, mussels, sablefish, sturgeon and oysters. The primary international target markets are the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe.
Quick facts
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Canada's aquaculture sector is primarily an export sector, with over 85 percent of its production sold abroad. The export value of aquaculture products is approximately $576 million (~€424 million).
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In 2013, Atlantic salmon dominated farmed exports, with a total value of $502.5 million (€370 million). Oyster and mussel exports come next, with export sale values of $41.3 million and $21 million respectively.
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Canada ranks 26th in world aquaculture in terms of production and 20th in terms of the value of the production. Canada is the fourth-largest salmon-producing country after Norway, Chile, and the United Kingdom.
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Canadian fish and seafood products' exports, which include aquaculture products, continued to grow once again in 2014 with total sales of fish and seafood totaling $4.9 billion (~€3.6 billion). This represented an overall increase of $517 million or 11.9% from the previous year.
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Aquaculture now accounts for nearly 50 per cent of seafood consumed worldwide.
- This investment is being made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriMarketing Program, which is a five-year, up to $341 million initiative under the Growing Forward 2 policy framework.
Terry Ennis, President of CAIA & President of Atlantic Aqua Farms in Prince Edward Island, said: “This is welcome news for the Canadian farmed seafood industry and will create much-needed employment and economic benefits for rural and coastal communities across the country. Canada has some of the freshest and highest-quality seafood in the world, and today's announcement will help our industry seek out new global market opportunities for it".
