Government of British Columbia : Building B.C. seafood exports to China, in China

VICTORIA - Go big. Provincial seafood industry representatives supported by B.C. government trade and agriculture staff have done just that to promote B.C.'s high-quality and respected seafood by attending China's largest seafood trade event.

It was a big success with on-site sales of $6.2 million in B.C. seafood. Additional sales of more than $21.3 million are anticipated.

Held in Qingdao each November, the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo is legendary with 1,400 exhibitors, 25,000 buyers and suppliers from 46 countries - all together in one place to talk fresh, frozen, packaged and value-added seafood products. China is British Columbia's second-largest export market for seafood, with $179 million in 2014, up 13.6% from 2013.

Vancouver-born, award-winning chef Nathan Fong prepared a variety of tasty samples over the three-day expo that showcased B.C. as a leading source of high-quality, environmentally sustainable seafood products including salmon, Dungeness crab, geoduck clams, tuna and halibut.

The British Columbia booth was popular. Potential buyers sampled Albacore tuna sashimi with uni (sea urchin); Asian poached spring salmon with uni; halibut in Asian broth; geoduck sashimi, flash-fried with ginger and scallions; sablefish stirfry and hake with a sweet chili sauce.

More than 3,400 British Columbians work directly in the primary seafood sector providing economic development opportunities for our coastal communities. There are approximately 100 species of fish, shellfish and marine plants produced in B.C.

Eighteen B.C. seafood companies and associations attended the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo. In 2014, the overall B.C. agrifood and seafood sector grew to more than $12.3 billion in annual revenues, the highest ever. The BC Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan has identified the next steps in the ministry's goal to grow the sector to a $15-billion-a-year industry by 2020.

Quotes:

Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick -

'British Columbia has a worldwide reputation for producing innovative, safe and great-tasting seafood and we exported $3 billion worth of agricultural and seafood products in 2014 to more than 150 countries. We will continue to support industry and together generate new jobs, investment and growth for British Columbians.'

Underwater Harvesters Association president James Austin -

'The Underwater Harvesters Association has been an exhibitor at the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo for 20 years. We recognize the fundamental importance of participating in this key Asian trade show to maintain a competitive presence in this market as we continue to build the Geoduck from Canada brand.'

'Participating in the B.C. Seafood booth with the support of the B.C. government was certainly instrumental for our association in generating trade leads that have resulted in new business and the opportunity for meetings and tours in China in the coming year. We were quite simply thrilled with the experience and results.'

Quick Facts:

• British Columbia exported $981 million worth of seafood products to 74 different markets in 2014, an increase of 10% from 2013.
• 90% of B.C.'s total seafood export value was generated by the top five markets: United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
• The top B.C. seafood products exported to China in 2014 included: crab, geoduck clams, hake, shrimp and prawns, herring, flounder, pink salmon, sea cucumbers, tuna, pollock and sockeye salmon.
• In 2014, B.C. seafood industry representatives supported by B.C. government staff attended four seafood trade shows in China.

Learn More:

The B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/agriculture-and-seafood/strategic-growth-plan.pdf

Raising Our Game in Asia: The BC Jobs Plan Trade Strategy: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/government/ministries-organizations/ministries/international-trade/raising_our_game_in_asia.pdf

BC Jobs Plan: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/