Catching the seafood wave Canada in focus at Boston show AARON BESWICK TRURO BUREAU [email protected] There is a buzz in Boston.At least at the Seafood Expo North America show, a three-day conference wrapping up today. “The market outlook is good for most of the major Canadian spe¬cies, said John Sackton, owner of the industry publication Seafood¬ . “This is probably the biggest seafood trade event in North America, and with the U.S. market strong and the strong American dollar, there’s some optimism. Sackton has been attending the trade show since 1983. And it has been a while since there has been so much light on the horizon for this province’s seafood industry. A free trade deal with South Korea will see all tariffs on the import of seafood imported into that country dropped. The tariffs averaged 16 1 ⁄ 2 per cent . On Monday, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea predicted that the deal will see Canadian exports to South Korea grow by 32 per cent over the coming years. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement being nego¬tiated between Canada and the European Union proposes to end 95 per cent of tariffs on seafood imported into Europe over the coming decade. Then there is the slowly recov¬ering American economy that has seen the loonie go from par last year to 90 cents. “These negotiated trade agree¬ments, with the EU in particular, pose a big opportunity for our industry, Shea said Monday during a telephone interview. She led a Canadian delegation of fisheries ministers and business people to the Boston show to promote our country’s seafood industry, which was worth $4.42 billion last year. According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada statistics, Nova Scotia’s seafood industry, worth $1.1 billion, was the largest among the provinces last year. With the lion’s share of the seafood’s value being exported, about 85 per cent, and most of that to the United States, the show is a big deal. Economic and Rural Develop¬ment and Tourism Minister Michel Samson hosted a Nova Scotia reception there Sunday night . “What we’re seeing here is new products being made available for export and companies looking at innovative ways to get their product to market, Samson said Monday. “We’re looking at a lot more value-added processing. Because it is not enough to just have the doors open to new mar¬kets, you have to offer people in those countries something they want to eat at a price they are willing to pay. Jeff Duffin, vice-president of global marketing for Clearwater Seafoods, said Monday his com¬pany has been putting more time and money into researching con¬sumer markets in countries such as South Korea. That research is resulting in new value-added product lines such as scallops already immersed in sauces. “We’re finding South Korea to be a quickly growing market, said Duffin . “What we’re doing now is ex¬ploring ways to add value and make those products resonate with customers in that market. As for what all the buzz will mean for prices that fishermen get at the wharf this coming summer, no one was making predictions.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:13:50 +0000
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