Over 900 companies and organizations exhibit at the show and attendees include buyers from leading restaurants, hotels, resorts, institutions, seafood markets and supermarkets, as well as distributors/wholesalers, processors, importers, exporters, brokers and traders. The average sales contract resulting from the show is $2.7 million.
“Canada’s New Government continues to work with its partners to get things done for Atlantic Canadians,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). “The International Boston Seafood Show is one of the world’s largest seafood shows and provides tremendous opportunities for Atlantic Canadian firms to realize new export markets and heighten their profile in the global marketplace.”
The ACOA-led delegation will include representatives from fisheries, seafood and aquaculture companies and organizations from across Atlantic Canada. They will be exhibiting and promoting the many high-quality Atlantic Canadian seafood products available to global markets, and will also take part in industry forums and explore new export opportunities. The Atlantic delegates will have numerous opportunities to make valuable U.S. and international contacts, which are expected to result in immediate and long-term sales.
The seafood industry is a key component of Atlantic Canada’s economy, representing $1.6 billion of the region’s gross domestic product and employing more than 36,000 people.
The Atlantic Canadian economy relies heavily on exports for its growth and more than half of its U.S. exports are sold to the New England states. The seafood and aquaculture industry alone exports close to $3 billion worth of products annually, making it the region’s third largest export sector.