A $1.3 Billion Seafood Relationship Is About to Get Bigger
Canada's fisheries minister just returned from five days in China with a clear message for one of the world's biggest seafood markets: buy more Canadian seafood.
Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, wrapped up a visit to Qingdao and Beijing, where she promoted Canadian fish and seafood at the 28th China Fisheries and Seafood Expo — one of the world's largest seafood trade shows, and Asia's biggest — held October 26 to 30.
The numbers behind the trip are big. China is Canada's second-largest customer for seafood. Between 2022 and 2025, Canada exported an average of around $1.3 billion worth of fish and seafood to China every year, led by lobster, shrimp and crab. In 2025, the shipments also included redfish, clams and specialty products like geoduck and sea cucumber.
At the start of the expo, Thompson met Ma Youxiang, a former vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, for talks on market access for Canadian fish and seafood. She pushed to expand the range of Canadian products available in China, and toured a Meituan supermarket in Beijing to see how live Nova Scotia lobster reaches Chinese shoppers.
Canada leaned on its sustainability story, too. Thompson pointed to Northern cod — back in the healthy zone for the first time since the 1992 moratorium and now in full assessment for MSC certification — as proof Canada manages its fisheries responsibly.
The Twikup Take
Ottawa has set a goal of increasing Canadian exports to China by 50% by 2030, and seafood is one of the clearest paths there: the buyers already know the product, and the trade is already worth $1.3 billion a year. For harvesters and processors on both coasts, the prize is more shelf space in China — if the market-access talks turn into actual new listings.
Image: AI-generated illustration.