Japan first port of call for UK seafood drive

Japan, a large global buyer of salmon, will be the first destination for a series of webinars for UK businesses looking to open and grow markets to export seafood.

They will form part of a wider campaign by Seafish, to help the sector to prepare for new trade opportunities.

Japan is the first destination for a series of webinars for UK businesses looking to open and grow markets to export seafood. They will form part of a wider campaign by Seafish, the public body that supports the UK seafood industry, to help the sector to prepare for new trade opportunities.

Taking place on Monday October 26th, \’The Seafood Market in Japan\’ is aimed at new and existing exporters of seafood. It will be facilitated by Seafish in collaboration with the Department of International Trade (DIT), Scottish Development International (SDI) and Seafood Scotland.

Japan is a key export destination for seafood from the UK. In 2019, the UK exported 2,006 tonnes of seafood to Japan, with value of £16.6m. Salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, crabs and lobster are among the most exported species. Caviar and roes are also popular.

The webinar will introduce the market and the potential opportunities and feature trade specialists and guest speakers from the Japanese seafood industry. The agenda will include:

An overview of the seafood market in Japan, delving into the Japan Export guide available on the Seafish website (delivered by DIT Japanese in-market specialists). A panel discussion on the impacts of Covid-19 on the seafood industry in Japan.

A presentation on the UK / Japan Free Trade Agreement and the opportunities it presents for UK seafood companies (delivered by the DIT Trade Policy team in Japan).

Question and answer session

The webinar is free to access and open to all UK seafood businesses. It will be the first in a series of seafood trade webinars being planned by Seafish and the Department for International Trade. A further webinar focussing on the seafood market in UAE is planned for November 18th.

Dr Lynn Gilmore, Head of International Trade, said:

\’We’re focussed on supporting the UK seafood sector to develop global trade and helping it showcase our fantastic seafood overseas. We want to ensure businesses of all sizes are armed with everything they need to take advantage of new market opportunities. The Covid-19 pandemic has of course influenced how we go about this. We’re heading online while major international trade shows are not taking place and international travel is more difficult.\’