Pacific wild fisheries processing, exports, supply and distribution

2023 Economic Profile of BC Wild Seafood and Fish Processing Sector

A sequential graphic showing the fishery value chain

• Fishing: Including catching fish.
• Handling: including handling fish (e.g., packer to dock, offload fish at dock, and transport to plant).
• Processing: including processing fish at plat (e.g., fresh, frozen, or canned products, roe products, by-products , or others (i.e., smoked)).
• Wholesaling: including distribution to wholesale.
• Retailing: including distribution to customers (e.g., restaurants, retail stores).
• Exports: including distribution to international markets.

Chart of Processed Value of BC Wild Fisheries (in 2023$)

Wild Salmon

• 2013 – $171K
• 2014 – $213K
• 2015 – $154K
• 2016 – $169K
• 2017 – $185K
• 2018 – $202K
• 2019 – $163K
• 2020 – $203K
• 2021 – $187K
• 2022 – $251K
• 2023 – $220K

Wild Herring

• 2013 – $36K
• 2014 – $34K
• 2015 – $42K
• 2016 – $38K
• 2017 – $69K
• 2018 – $48K
• 2019 – $29K
• 2020 – $38K
• 2021 – $40K
• 2022 – $48K
• 2023 – $21K

Wild Groundfish

• 2013 – $229K
• 2014 – $194K
• 2015 – $175K
• 2016 – $204K
• 2017 – $85K
• 2018 – $154K
• 2019 – $176K
• 2020 – $143K
• 2021 – $143K
• 2022 – $134K
• 2023 – $61K

Wild Invertebrates

• 2013 – $103K
• 2014 – $87K
• 2015 – $86K
• 2016 – $124K
• 2017 – $113K
• 2018 – $128K
• 2019 – $201K
• 2020 – $97K
• 2021 – $117K
• 2022 – $178K
• 2023 – $194K

Wild Tuna

• 2013 – N/A
• 2014 – N/A
• 2015 – N/A
• 2016 – N/A
• 2017 – $45K
• 2018 – $38K
• 2019 – $31K
• 2020 – $31K
• 2021 – $36K
• 2022 – $35K
• 2023 – $28K

The processing and wholesaling component of B.C.’s wild fisheries significantly contributes to the province’s economy, generating $244M in GDP, 2,600 employment (FTEs), and $158M in household income in 2023. On average, it accounts for 79% of total value added from processing in B.C. annually, with farmed fish accounting for the remaining.

This sector processes of variety of species with wild Sockeye salmon and wild crab being of the highest value/quantity on average over the past decade. It is estimated that not all the wild or farmed fish being processed in B.C. is from B.C. fisheries but is imported internationally (mainly the United States), processed here before being re-exported.

In 2023, there were 175 companies across B.C. that process and wholesale wild fish. The highest concentration by both number of facilities (108) and revenue ($892M) in the lower mainland (Richmond and Delta in particular).

The economic impact is widespread, supporting coastal communities through jobs in processing facilities and ancillary services.

Footnotes:

• Each fishery group contains: Wild Salmon (Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, and other), Wild Herring (food, bait & other, spawn-on-kelp, roe, special use), Wild Groundfish (arrowtooth flounders, hake, halibut, lingcod, pacific cod, pollock, rockfish, sablefish, skates, soles, other), Wild Invertebrates (crabs, geoducks, prawns, sea cucumbers, green sea urchins, red sea urchins, shrimp, clams, other), Wild Tuna.
• Source: British Columbia Annual Fisheries Production Survey (AFPS), 2023. Table 2f.

2023 Economic Profile of BC Wild Exports

Over the last six years (2018-2024), BC wild exports have been decreasing both by quantity (-48%) and value (-15%)

Chart: B.C. Wild and Farmed Export Quantity and Value

Wild Export Quantity (in KGs)

• 2018 – 131M KG
• 2019 – 124M KG
• 2020 – 118 M KG
• 2021 – 105M KG
• 2022 – 91M KG
• 2023 – 83M KG
• 2024 – 74M KG

Wild Export Value (in 2023$)

• 2018 – $957M
• 2019 – $941M
• 2020 – $816M
• 2021 – $869M
• 2022 – $845M
• 2023 – $866M
• 2024 – $818M

Within the same timeframe, top wild export destinations and species by value have consistently been:

Top wild export species, by value¹

• Crab – 26%
• Salmon – 17%
• Hake – 9%
• Shrimp & Prawn – 8%
• Geoduck – 7%
• Halibut – 6%

Top wild product export destinations, by value¹

• United States – 39%
• China – 35%
• Japan – 8%
• Hong Kong – 5%

Chart: B.C. Wild Export Value by Destination

United States

• 2018 – $308M
• 2019 – $318M
• 2020 – $307M
• 2021 – $410M
• 2022 – $383M
• 2023 – $305M
• 2024* – $358M

China

• 2018 – $323M
• 2019 – $336M
• 2020 – $268M
• 2021 – $237M
• 2022 – $275M
• 2023 – $389M
• 2024* – $281M

Japan

• 2018 – $114M
• 2019 – $86M
• 2020 – $62M
• 2021 – $63M
• 2022 – $56M
• 2023 – $46M
• 2024* – $53M

Hong Kong

• 2018 – $37M
• 2019 – $36M
• 2020 – $37M
• 2021 – $37M
• 2022 – $27M
• 2023 – $37M
• 2024* – $37M

Other

• 2018 – $174M
• 2019 – $163M
• 2020 – $139M
• 2021 – $121M
• 2022 – $102M
• 2023 – $87M
• 2024* – $86M

Footnotes:

• Source: Statistics Canada EXIM Data. Accessed February 2025
• ¹ Percentages are average from 2018-2024
• All values are in 2023 dollars unless otherwise specified
• *Data is preliminary and subject to change

2023 Economic Profile of Supply and Distribution of BC Fisheries

Supply and Distribution of BC Seafood

In 2020, over two-thirds (67%) of BC fish and seafood supply was produced domestically. More than half (57%) of supply was exported, with the majority (48%) exported internationally. The remaining 43% of was consumed domestically by households and other domestic industries.

Domestic Supply: Key metrics from 2020

• 67% was from domestic production (wild harvest, aquaculture, and value added processing)
• 3% was from Imports (both interprovincial and international
• Total 2020 supply was valued at $2.5 Billion

Distribution of Supply: Key Metrics from 2020

• 57% of domestic supply went to exports (9% to Interprovincial exports and 48% to international exports (of which 45% was from domestic industries and 3% from re-exports))
• 43% of domestic supply was consumed in BC
• 22% of domestic supply went to household food expenditures
• 21% of domestic supply went to other domestic industries (restaurants, inputs in capture fisheries, aquaculture and processing, etc.)

Footnotes:

• All values are in nominal dollars unless otherwise specified.
• Domestic Supply and Distribution of Supply Source (the bar charts and introductory paragraph) are from Statistics Canada, Supply Use Tables, 2020 (the latest year available at the time of reporting). The remaining stats are also from Statistics Canada, Merchandise Trade Database for which there was 2022 data available at the time of reporting.