Lobster exports in Canada sees record sales, topping $3.7B last year

Geoff Irvine, the Lobster Council of Canada’s executive director, attributes the sharp rise in exports to Americans who purchased a ‘dramatic’ amount of lobster in 2021.

CITYnews halifax \ Chris Stoodley

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Canada’s lobster industry has had its best year yet, where exports of the red crustacean topped $3.7 billion last year.

That’s according to new trade data, which indicates last year’s exports were $700 million higher than pre-pandemic levels.

“The pandemic was very good for the protein industry, in general,” Geoff Irvine, the Lobster Council of Canada’s executive director, said. “Canadian lobster benefitted quite nicely.”

To compare, Statistics Canada shows lobster exports in 2020 reached nearly $2.1 billion. In 2019, that number was $2.5 billion.

Irvine told The Todd Veinotte Show the United States was the best market for Canadian lobster last year, where Americans purchased a “dramatic” amount of processed lobster. He attributed that frenzy to consumers who desired a “healthy and nutritious” treat at home.

Both processed and frozen lobster sold in the United States accounted for most of the sharp rise in sales seen last year.

Compared to 2019, sales of processed and frozen lobster to the United States were up $300 million and $240 million, respectively.

However, live exports of lobster remained relatively the same last year.

Live exports to the United States were $522 million in 2021, compared to $517 million in 2019.

Canada also exported a similar number of live lobsters to China, which is the country’s second-largest market. In 2021, there were $454 million in exports, dropping from $457 million in 2019.

Irvine said one factor that likely pushed the demand for lobster was the rise of restaurants reopening across the world after shuttering due to COVID-19. That return to business helped push the retail and food service demand for lobster, coming together for a “really positive year,” according to Irvine.

He said those in the lobster industry hope the upward trend continues.

“We never like to get out there in front of it, so we just hope it’s strong,” Irvine said. “We hope that the demand will be maintained; we’ve done a lot of work in marketing and promotion around the world, as have governments and individual companies.

“All of that comes together to help drive demand and keep lobster top-of-mind for chefs and for food service buyers and for consumers.”

Still, the state of the world is a factor that leads to some uneasiness within the industry.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty as we come out of the pandemic, and certainly with the crisis in Ukraine,” Irivne said. “But we’re hoping that we will weather the storm. We’re very positive with the pandemic coming to an end, we hope.”