Canadian aquaculture lays into Trudeau despite tariff reprieve

The Alliance has accused Trudeau of significantly weakening the sector and says the situation is getting worse.

In the face of US tariff threats, the industry body says, it is now more important than ever that the government is stopped from inflicting more damage. Canadians go to the polls later this year.

The CAIA has released its own analysis of the 2023 Statistics Canada aquaculture production and trade data. It claims the loss in overall production – which deepened in 2024 – is the result of non-science based and unnecessary federal government actions to reduce salmon production in the province of British Columbia.

It said: “These actions have weakened Canadian domestic food production and threaten workers at a time when the aquaculture industry, facing tariff threats from the United States, needs to be strong and robust for coastal communities across Canada.”

The key 2023 production highlights include:

• Volume down: Canadian farmed seafood production was 145,985 tonnes in 2023 which was the lowest level in a decade and 27% less than peak production levels in 2016 (200,804 tonnes).
• Value down: In 2023, the total value of farmed seafood produced in Canada was $1.26bn (£705m) , and has fallen 25.3% in real terms since its peak value of $1.69bn (£945m) in 2018.
• Exports fell: Exports of Canadian farmed seafood fell to $882.8 million (£493m) in 2023, the lowest value in real terms since 2015, and has dropped 24.5% since the peak export value of $1.17bn (£654m) in 2019.