West Coast Fishermen Welcome Next Stage in Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement

VANCOUVER, June 12, 2014 /CNW/ - "The release of the text of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement today is an encouraging milestone to accessing this potentially important market for West Coast seafood," according to Christina Burridge, executive director of the BC Seafood Alliance. "It means that we could see significant tariff reductions as soon as 2015."

Seafood is BC's top agrifood export with wild seafood accounting for about 2/3 of almost $1billion in seafood exports. Korean tariffs on BC seafood products range from 10-30% with most at the high end of the range.

"Fishermen hope Korea will move in tandem with Canada to approve the agreement in short order so that BC exporters can catch up to their Alaskan competitors who already have access to this seafood-loving market," she said. "Elimination of tariffs will mean new business opportunities up and down the Coast."

The BC Seafood Alliance is an umbrella association whose members represent about 95% of the value of wild seafood in BC worth some $850 million annually.

SOURCE: BC Seafood Alliance

Christina Burridge, BC Seafood Alliance, 604.377.9213; [email protected]