In 2023, Canadian aquaculture product and service sales decreased by 4.7% compared to 2022, totaling 1.3 billion dollars, while expenditures on products dropped by 3.0%. Aquaculture sales in British Columbia fell by 35.9%, while those in the Atlantic provinces rose by 68.8%.
Nationally, farmed fish production decreased by 15.7% compared to 2022, totaling 107,144 metric tons in 2023. Despite a 9.7% increase in the average price of farmed fish, which reached 10.52 dollars per kilogram, the total value of farmed fish decreased by 7.5% to 1.1 billion dollars.
Canadian farmed shellfish production also declined in 2023, down 4.5% to 38,699 metric tons. However, the value of farmed shellfish slightly increased by 1.0% to 126.5 million dollars, driven by a 5.7% rise in the average price, which reached 3.27 dollars per kilogram.
Fish Production Declines in British Columbia, While Atlantic Industry Recovers
In 2023, fish farming production in British Columbia decreased by 41.4% compared to the previous year, as many aquaculture farms along key wild salmon migration routes ceased operations. As a result, British Columbia accounted for less than half (47.9%) of national fish production for the first time since these data began being reported in 1991. The average price of farmed fish in British Columbia was 10.18 dollars per kilogram in 2023, an increase of 0.7% compared to 2022.
In contrast, fish farming production in the Atlantic provinces increased by 52.4% year-over-year, with New Brunswick (+137.5%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+90.1%) making the largest contributions. This growth was attributed to the recovery of fish production following environmental and biological disruptions. The value of farmed fish in the Atlantic provinces reached an all-time high in 2023, with the average price rising by 25.8%.
The quantity of Atlantic farmed salmon exports, including fillets, decreased by 18.0% compared to 2022, totaling 64,469 metric tons in 2023. During the same period, export prices increased by 1.5% to 12.57 dollars per kilogram, leading to a 16.8% decline in sales, which totaled 810.6 million dollars. In 2023, the United States accounted for 98.6% of Canada’s total Atlantic farmed salmon exports by quantity.
Shellfish Sales Increase Despite Lower Production Volumes
In 2023, shellfish production in Prince Edward Island—the largest producer of farmed shellfish in Canada, accounting for more than half (52.5%) of the national total—declined by 4.8% compared to 2022, reaching 20,684 metric tons. Shellfish sales represented 9.7% of total Canadian aquaculture product and service sales in 2023.
Mussel production in Prince Edward Island, Canada’s leading mussel producer, decreased by 10.9% year-over-year, totaling 15,543 metric tons in 2023. British Columbia, the largest producer of oysters, produced 7,371 metric tons of oysters in 2023, a decrease of 11.8% from 2022.
Exported mussel quantities decreased by 10.3% compared to 2022, totaling 11,296 metric tons in 2023. Despite this decline, the price of exported mussels rose by 11.8%, leading to a 0.3% increase in the total export value, which reached 49.3 million dollars.
Source: statcan
