December 17, 2013 โ Few countries have as solid a national brand recognition in China as that enjoyed by Canada, yet the country may not be able to capitalize on demand in the country.
Cyr Couturier, director at the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance told SeafoodSource that while his members are โgetting a lot of interestโ from Chinese buyers โa big problem is we canโt produce enoughโ to meet the demand. Canadaโs aquaculture industry has โplateauedโ at CAD 900 million (USD 848 million, EUR 616 million) per year. He blames an โantiquated regulatory regimeโ and said โthis has meant we canโt grow the industry.โ
Crucially, it remains difficult to get new sites for aquaculture. In British Colombia, opposition from the wild salmon lobby and anti-farming groups have stalled aquaculture growth. โThe big challenge with salmon is we have to grow itโฆdemand is there, salmon has gone from a top ten to a top three most consumed seafood product in a remarkably short space of time.โ
As Couturier explains it, the Canadian seafood industry was valued at CAD 1 billion (USD 942 million, EUR 684 million) in 2001 and 2002 โbut now we lost 40 percent of the salmon market because production has remained the same.โ Rising Chinese demand for seafood is timely given the seafood market in North America has dipped in the past years, said Couturier, explaining that 2012 numbers were down a few years in a row. โOverall seafood consumption is down.โ Marketing efforts by Canadian authorities in China means the Maple Leaf brand logo is instantly recognizable in China. But while China is proving a big customer but supplying the quantities required can be a challenge. โYou can never supply what they wantโฆitโs a volume challenge, particularly as we have existing customers also to supply.โ