Fish Facts

5 reasons to pay close attention to local aquaculture

1. BC’s biggest food export is farmed Atlantic salmon. By far. In 2016, $524 million was exported to the US, Japan, China and Taiwan – doubling since 2014. Other big ones include blueberries ($200 million), mushrooms ($156 million), crab ($141 million) and hake ($71 million) or Pacific whiting, one of the fastest-grown food exports in the province.

2. BC has 683 aquaculture operations (2016)

3. The aquaculture labour force in Powell River Regional District (PRRD) is made up of 145 workers or 1.79% of the total labour force.

4. The aquaculture sector is expected to experience strong growth. Analysts forecast the Global Aquaculture market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.83% and 3.10% in terms of revenue and volume, respectively, during the period 2014-2019 (TechNavio 2015).

5. Global demand for fish and seafood will reach 150-160 million tonnes by 2030. Yet capture fisheries can only provide 80- 100 million tonnes per year on a sustainable basis (CAIA 2015). –

All info from the 2016 BC Agrifood and Seafood Exports highlights report, and the Powell River Economic Development Strategy