March 27, 2007
B.C. Seafood Products

Two weeks ago I attended the Fifth Anniversary Celebration and Seafood Gala presented by the Western Canada Seafood Merchants and Processors Association. More than 500 guests, including the consuls general from People's Republic of China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Lithuania, came to celebrate this special occasion and tasted a variety of B.C. seafood.

British Columbia's beautiful freshwater and marine environments produce over 80 high-quality species of finfish, shellfish and plants. This industry generates $1 billion in wholesale value and employs over 15,000 people. Seafood is B.C.'s number one export in the food product category, and you can find B.C. seafood in more than 50 countries.

Last year more than $500 million of seafood products were exported. About half of these products went to Asia-Pacific countries. Japan, the leading importer, consumed $165 million of B.C. seafood in 2006. Many of our seafood are of such superb quality that they are the preferred delicacy in Asian banquets. Dungeness crab, prawns, scallops and fish are common dishes in a formal Chinese dinner. Asian gastronomists highly value our red sea urchin, geoduck, oysters and spawn-on-kelp and of course the traditional salmon, Pacific halibut, sablefish, tuna, clams and mussels.

It's interesting to know that geoduck, also known as king clam or elephant trunk clam, is one of the longest-living animals in the world. Recently the Underwater Harvesters Association researchers found a 168-year-old geoduck from Tasu Sound on the Queen Charlotte Islands. As the annual allowable harvest of geoduck is only 1 percent, with proper sustainability management, we can expect our children and grandchildren to continue to enjoy the best of British Columbia for many years to come.

Please join me in thanking the B.C. seafood processors and seafood merchants for their efforts.