Fish farming has grown into an important industry for B.C.'s coastal communities and 2011 will see continued strong productivity, according to Mary Ellen Walling, executive director of the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association.
Farmed salmon represents more than half of the total fresh seafood sales in California, a market in which British Columbia is slowly establishing dominance, said Walling. B.C. exports more than $350 million worth of farmed salmon, mainly to the United States.
"Our volumes haven't increased, but our export value will be higher," said Walling. "We are establishing B.C. farmed salmon as a premium product and our main competitor Chile is exporting less fish to the United States. So not only are we getting more money for our fish, we are expanding our share of the market."
The industry has coalesced into four major companies and a collection of niche players.
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