Book 2, A5 - Fish and Seafood Processing in 2023

Fish and Seafood Processing in Canada

In 2023, there are 551 Seafood Preparation and Processing facilities in Canada​. Processing primarily occurs in coastal regions, with 55% in the Atlantic (NL and Maritimes), 15% in Québec, 19% in BC.​

• Territories: 6
• BC: 105
• Prairies: 10
• ON: 43
• QC: 83
• Maritimes: 213
• NL: 91

Large (500+) employers located in NL (4), Maritimes (3) and Quebec (1)​

Non-employers: contracted workers, family members and business owners​

Employment Size (2023):

• Micro (1-4): 63
• Small (5-99): 222
• Medium (100-499): 78
• Large (500+): 8
• Non-Employees/ Indeterminate: 180

Fish & Seafood Processing

Canadian Seafood Exports:

$7.61B (2023). Key destinations: USA ($4.90B), China ($1.44B), and the EU ($420M). Top Exports: Lobster ($2.63B), Crab ($1.52B), Salmon ($1.01B)

• USA
  • Lobster: $1.58B​
  • Crab: $1.10B​
  • Salmon: $972M​
• China​
  • Lobster: $569M​
  • Crab: $300M​
  • Shrimp: $262M​
• EU
  • Lobster: $201M​
  • Shrimp: $67M​
  • Scallop: $57M

Seafood product preparation and packaging employment by province (2023)​

20,000 total workers employed in Canadian fish processing, 30% of overall fisheries employment. Seasonal peaks of 28,000 (2022)

Age demographic in fish and seafood processing (2023)

Gender breakdown for the fish and seafood processing workforce (2022)

Annual income of fish and seafood processors (2022) in thousands of dollars

Demographics: Majority male, age 45+, incomes of $25-50k annually

Continuing labour shortage for 2022-2031, due to aging workforce and seasonal nature of the industry (ESDC, 2022)

Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) permit holders in fish and seafood processing, by province and year, for the period 2018-2023

Approximately 25% of total workforce provided by Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs).