Promoting Cape Breton fish in China

Victoria Co-operative Fisheries Ltd. and Louisbourg Seafoods Ltd. will be among a dozen Nova Scotia enterprises participating in the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo in Qingdao on Nov. 7.

The companies will be the only Cape Breton participants on a Nova Scotia delegation to Qingdao and Shanghai as part of the Atlantic Growth Strategy trade mission to China.

Victoria Co-operative Fisheries, based in Neils Harbour, will be one of eight Nova Scotia companies showcased at the Food and Hotel China event in Shanghai on Nov. 13.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell left for China Saturday as part of a mission to promote business relationships in the fisheries, aquaculture, agri-food and beverage industries.

“It remains critical to connect with key buyers from food service, wholesale, retail and ecommerce sectors to continue advancing economic opportunities for Nova Scotia’s export businesses,” Colwell said in a release Friday.

The minister is attending the seventh annual World Conference on Aquaculture and Fisheries: A New Era of Aquaculture Science and Technology in Weihai, which runs until Wednesday.

Total provincial seafood exports to China in 2017 were valued at $389 million.

In the first eight months of 2018, seafood exports to China were $344 million. According to the province, it’s a 22 per cent increase from the $281 million in seafood exports over the same period from last year.