Aquaculture’s mix of innovation, Indigenous partnerships and value-added potential is gaining relevance across the country’s food and beverage sector as companies look to strengthen “grown in Canada” sourcing.
By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews
The domestic food and beverage industry is increasingly looking to aquaculture as a made-in-Canada supply solution that can strengthen food security, drive product innovation, and reduce the country’s growing dependence on imported seafood.
Karen Guinan, a partner and business advisor with MNP, says the sector offers a nationwide ingredient base that supports supply resilience, wellness-focused product development, and stronger “grown in Canada” sourcing across the value chain.
“Aquaculture may not be the loudest conversation in the food and beverage industry; however, it continues to grow in importance as leaders look for sustainable, reliable, and innovative ways to strengthen their offerings,” said Guinan, who is also president of the Islands Agriculture Show, Vancouver Island’s premier agricultural event.
Writing in MNP Insights, Guinan said Canada’s aquaculture sector is evolving in ways that reach far beyond coastal communities.
“Aquaculture lives in a world most Canadians never see, even though it has shaped coastal communities for decades…but shifts in innovation, export markets, value-added processing, and wellness-driven demand are opening new possibilities across the food and beverage landscape.”
That diversity is becoming increasingly relevant to food and beverage leaders looking for local ingredients, high-protein products, and Canadian origin stories that consumers can trust.
According to Guinan, aquaculture is opening new opportunities for Canada’s food and beverage industry well beyond the seafood counter, including:
- Local, traceable ingredients that align with consumer expectations
- High-protein products that fit naturally into wellness trends
- Menu and retail differentiation driven by Canadian origin stories
- Opportunities for collaboration with producers seeking domestic partnerships
- Value-added product development across snacks, supplements, beauty, and pet food
- Stronger supply resilience in time of unpredictable global trade
“The trend toward traceability and local sourcing has never been stronger,” Guinan said. “Consumers want to know where their food comes from, how it was raised, and whether it aligns with their values.”
Guinan said one of the biggest untapped opportunities is the gap between what Canada produces and what Canadians actually consume.
Canada exports more than two-thirds of its aquaculture products internationally, including farmed salmon, mussels, oysters and seaweed.
“Many Canadians never encounter the oysters, mussels, salmon, prawns, and seaweed grown in their own waters,” Guinan said.
For the food and beverage industry, that gap signals room for new domestic partnerships, new distribution channels, and new consumer-facing products that keep more Canadian seafood in Canada.
Guinan said innovation is reshaping aquaculture in ways that matter to food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants. It is also showing up across feed efficiency, packaging technologies that extend shelf life, and advanced monitoring tools that improve fish health and water quality oversight.
Guinan echoed aquaculture industry leaders who say one of the most important opportunities for Canada’s food economy is keeping more of the value chain at home.
In many cases, seafood is still exported for processing and returns as finished products, limiting domestic economic benefit and leaving food companies dependent on international processing pipelines.
Guinan said value-added processing could allow Canada to capture more economic upside while giving food and beverage brands access to made-in-Canada products and ingredients.
Guinan’s comments come as the nation’s seafood farmers warn that federal aquaculture policy is weakening Canada’s ability to supply its own market, particularly for salmon, even as Ottawa urges consumers and global buyers to “Buy Canadian”.
A newly released economic report from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) says British Columbia’s farm-raised salmon output has fallen by more than 40 per cent since 2015, while Canada’s salmon imports have more than doubled over the same period, reaching roughly $700 million annually.
CAIA said the decline is occurring while demand for salmon remains strong nationally and internationally, widening the gap between what Canada consumes and what it produces.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) said salmon remains a staple product in Canadian diets, and the market is signaling clearly that demand is not the issue.
“Salmon remains Canada’s most consumed seafood,” said Brian Kingzett, Executive Director of the BCSFA. “The data clearly shows demand is strong. With long-term regulatory certainty, Canada has a real opportunity to produce more of this food at home.”
Industry groups say Canada is increasingly turning to suppliers in Chile and Norway to fill the gap, despite the ability to grow more seafood domestically.
They also argue that rising imports run counter to Canada’s climate goals, since imported salmon often travels longer distances by ship or air, producing higher emissions than locally grown seafood.
CAIA’s 2024 Aquaculture Industry Data Snapshot describes seafood farming as a major national economic contributor. In 2024, CAIA said the industry generated an economic footprint of $6 billion and supported 18,074 full-time jobs, driven by $1.36 billion in primary revenues.
The Snapshot estimates 13,242 full-time equivalent jobs in salmon farming and processing in 2024, and total labour income of $1.1 billion across the industry.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association said farm-raised salmon remains central to B.C.’s coastal economy, generating about $1.2 billion in annual economic output and supporting 4,051 well-paid full-time jobs, including more than 500 Indigenous positions.
The association said all salmon farming in British Columbia now operates through formal partnerships with First Nations, built around consent, stewardship, scientific oversight and self-determination.
With renewed regulatory certainty, Kingzett said the sector could generate up to $2.5 billion in annual economic output and about 9,000 jobs by 2030, rising to as much as $4.2 billion in annual output and more than 16,000 jobs by 2040.
Main image shows Karen Guinan, a partner and business advisor with MNP