Canada’s Aquaculture Opportunity
- Mike von Massow
- 32 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Why “Blue Foods” Should Be at the Center of Our Food Strategy
I was asked to speak recently at an aquaculture and seafood event. As I was doing research on the topic, two things struck me:
There are significant parallels between traditional agricultural production and aquaculture and wild harvest seafood. The challenges and opportunities largely mirror each other.
We are not talking about the aquaculture opportunity enough. We have huge unexploited potential and just need to focus on it like we are doing in the broader food system. We need to develop Canada's aquaculture opportunity.
Canada is having the right conversation. Across the country, policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers are asking whether Canada can become a true agri-food powerhouse—a reliable supplier of food to a world that is becoming more volatile, more uncertain, and more hungry. But there is a gap in that conversation. We are still thinking about food as something that grows on land. And largely ignoring what grows in water. We have an opportunity to be a world leader in aquaculture specifically and seafood production generally.
"If our growing population wants to keep eating fish (and I certainly want to) the future includes farming,” – Chef Ned Bell
Our Food System Is a Strategic Asset—But We Underestimate It
Canada’s food system is not a side story in our economy. It is a foundation. It supports more than 2.3 million jobs and contributes roughly $150 billion to GDP when the full value chain is considered. We produce far more food than we consume and are among the world’s leading exporters. That matters more now than ever. Food is no longer just an economic sector, it is a strategic one.
Climate volatility, geopolitical disruption, and supply chain fragility are making food systems central to conversations about food sovereignty, food security, and economic resilience.
And yet, even as we elevate agriculture, we largely treat seafood as an afterthought.
We Are in a Period of Generational Disruption
The global food system is being reshaped by forces that are not temporary:
Climate shocks are becoming the norm, not the exception
Supply chains are increasingly fragile
Trade relationships are shifting
Food price volatility is here to stay
The result is a world where food security and economic security are increasingly the same conversation. Which raises a simple question: If Canada is going to position itself as a food superpower, why are we only thinking about land?
The Global Protein Opportunity Is Shifting
Demand for protein is growing globally, driven by rising incomes and changing diets. Estimates often point to an approximately 70% increase in protein demand by 2050. At the same time:
Beef prices are high and herd rebuilding will take years
Consumers are more health-conscious
Environmental efficiency matters more than ever
Seafood sits at the intersection of all three trends. It is:
Nutrient dense (rich in omega-3s and essential micronutrients)
Efficient to produce (aquaculture is far more feed-efficient than beef and other land based proteins)
Increasingly aligned with consumer preferences
If global protein demand is shifting, seafood is not a niche. It is a core part of the future.
The Paradox: Canada Is a Seafood Exporter… That Imports Seafood
Canada exports the majority of its seafood production. More than 75% of fish and seafood is exported. At the same time, Canadian consumers largely buy imported seafood. This is not inherently wrong—trade matters in both directions. But it does raise a question: Are we fully leveraging what we can and do produce?
The Missed Scale Opportunity
Canada is not resource-constrained. We have three coastlines, vast freshwater systems, and strong global demand for our products. Yet we are not scaling production the way others are. Norway produces about 1.5 million tonnes of farmed salmon annually, approximately half of global aquaculture salmon production. This creates an estimated 57,800 jobs, largely in coastal communities where options are limited, and more than $7 billion Canadian dollars in economic activity. Canada’s production is a fraction of that and has struggled to grow. Other countries like the US are prioritizing growth in aquaculture.
This is not about geography or biology. It is about governance, regulatory clarity, and investment signals. We need to do things right but there is a lot we can do.
Food Sovereignty Includes Water
Food sovereignty is often framed in agricultural terms. But seafood is just food. And in Canada, it has deep roots—especially in Indigenous communities where fish has been central to diet, culture, and economy for generations. There is real momentum in Indigenous-led fisheries and aquaculture, but also real barriers such as access to capital, regulatory complexity, and tenure and licensing. Supporting Indigenous seafood systems is not only about reconciliation. It is also about building a more resilient and inclusive food economy.
Food sovereignty is also about providing Canadians with the food they want. Increasingly that includes fish and seafood.
Food Security: Nutrition and Affordability
Seafood is often overlooked in food security discussions, but it shouldn’t be.
It is one of the most nutrient-dense animal proteins available, providing omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, iodine, and B12—nutrients many Canadians lack. It is also, in many cases, more affordable per gram of protein than beef. The challenge is not just supply. It is familiarity. Consumers are creatures of habit. They tend to buy and prepare the same things week after week. Change is difficult. Cooking knowledge has declined and cooking fish is often a new skill. Seafood still feels “hard” for many households but that is a solvable problem.
Economic Security: The Case Is Already There
The economic argument for growing Canada’s seafood sector is straightforward. Canada runs a seafood trade surplus, exporting billions annually but we still import significant volumes of lower-cost product. Value-added processing remains underdeveloped, a theme we hear across all food categories. Domestic supply is insufficient to meet growing demand for Canadian-labelled products. In other words we are leaving value on the table. There is vast potential for jobs, often in coastal communities without other alternatives. There is also a vast opportunity for economic activity contributing to the strength and resilience of Canada's economy.
A Real Issue: We Often Treat Agriculture and Seafood as Separate Worlds
This is the core problem.Every major issue in Canadian agriculture has a parallel in seafood:
Climate risk
Trade dependence
Processing capacity
Rural economic development
Indigenous rights
Public understanding of food production
And yet, these conversations rarely intersect. Agriculture has spent decades building policy frameworks, identity, and public support. Seafood has not. The result? Seafood is treated as a fisheries issue, technical, regulatory, environmental, rather than what it is - a food production and economic security issue. That is not to say that we should ignore sustainability and other concerns. We have to do it right but we have to do it.
A Call to Action: Treat Water Like Land
Canada does not lack resources. It lacks alignment. If we are serious about becoming an agri-food powerhouse, then seafood cannot remain an afterthought. There are four places to start:
Build domestic demand. Consumers, retailers, and foodservice operators need to prioritize Canadian seafood. Demand signals matter. Education and promotion can help create the pull for domestic product.
Support Indigenous Leadership. We need to invest in Indigenous-owned fisheries and aquaculture, not just as policy, but as economic strategy.
Improve labelling. Canadian consumers should know where their seafood comes from. Currently, labelling is inconsistent and often unclear.
Integrate Seafood into Food Policy. We should stop thinking about seafood separately.
It belongs in the same conversation as grains, livestock, and crops—as part of a single national food strategy.
The Bottom Line: Canada's Aquaculture Opportunity
Canada does not have a seafood problem. It has a recognition problem. We already have the water. We already have the demand. We already have the knowledge and the communities.
What we do not yet have is a national vision that treats blue food with the same seriousness as food grown on land. If that changes, the opportunity is enormous. And increasingly, it is unavoidable.
Recommended citation format: von Massow, M, "The cottage cheese "shortage" isn't really a shortage" Food Focus Guelph (143)
, Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, June 5, 2026.