Industry Statistics and Trends
Market size and recent performance (2016-2031)
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 5.0 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $4.3bn in 2026.
Trends and Insights
Seafood price swings keep shoppers cautious and revenue unpredictable
- According to Canada’s Food Price Report in 2025, retail fish and seafood prices rose faster than overall food prices through 2021 and 2022, helping lift industry revenues even when landings and volumes were flat. These price hikes were motivated by high fuel, freight and labour costs as well as supply-chain disruptions that made importing and distributing products more expensive. Dalhousie’s Agri‑Food Analytics Lab notes that higher prices, rather than higher per‑capita consumption, have been the main driver of seafood dollar growth over this period.
- Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Source: IBISWorld
Industry outlook (2026-2031)
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Trends and Insights
Climate volatility is reshaping where and what Canada can fish
- Climate change is already altering Canada’s oceans, with sustained warming, acidification and falling oxygen levels changing the abundance, size, distribution and life cycles of marine species across Atlantic and Pacific ecosystems, as reported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2024. Canada’s oceans have been warming, becoming more acidic and less oxygenated for at least three decades, and the DFO now frames climate impacts on fish stocks and coastal communities as an immediate management issue.
Biggest companies in the Fishing in Canada
| Company | Market Share (%)
2026 | Revenue ($m)
2026 | Profit ($m)
2026 | Profit Margin (%)
2026 |
|---|
There are no companies that hold a market share exceeding 5% in the Fishing in Canada industry.
Products & Services Segmentation
Source: IBISWorld
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Freshwater finfish, Pacific shellfish and Atlantic shellfish. Freshwater finfish is the largest segment of the Fishing in Canada.
Trends and Insights
Atlantic shellfish anchor national seafood value through premium exports
- Atlantic shellfish includes wild-caught lobster, snow crab, scallops, shrimp, clams, oysters and related invertebrates landed from Atlantic, Gulf, Maritimes and Quebec marine regions. These fisheries form the backbone of many coastal economies in Atlantic Canada, with strong linkages to processing, logistics and export sectors. The segment is dominated by high‑value species such as lobster and snow crab that supply North American, European and Asian markets.
- More insights available in the full report
Table of Contents
About this industry
Industry definition
The Canadian fishing industry consists of operators that harvest wild fish and shellfish, such as finfish, molluscs and crustaceans, from marine and inland capture fisheries. It includes activities like catching, handling and landing wild‑caught species for sale to processors, wholesalers and exporters, but not aquaculture or farm‑raised production.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in the Fishing industry in Canada include Freshwater finfish fishing, Pacific shellfish fishing, Atlantic shellfish fishing, Pelagics and others and Groundfish fishing.Companies
Companies covered in the Fishing industry in Canada include .Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.
Related Terms
Related terms covered in the Fishing industry in Canada include aquaculture, shellfish and finfish.Industry Code
NAICS 114113 - Fishing in Canada
Performance
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Analyst insights
Seafood price swings have made revenue unpredictable, despite stable landings. While retail fish prices initially lifted revenues, recent normalization has squeezed industry ...
In this chapter (4)
- Current Performance
- Outlook
- Volatility
- Life Cycle
Key metrics
- Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
- Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
- Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
- Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business
Charts
- Revenue, including historical (2016-2025) and forecast (2026-2031)
- Employees, including historical (2016-2025) and forecast (2026-2031)
- Businesses, including historical (2016-2025) and forecast (2026-2031)
- Profit, including historical (2016-2026)
- Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
- Industry Life Cycle
Detailed analysis
- Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
- Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
- Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
- How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.
Products and Markets
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Analyst insight
Atlantic shellfish form the base of Canada's seafood exports, leading the market in value. High-demand species like lobster and snow crab drive economic activity but face cli...
In this chapter
- Products & Services
- Major Markets
- International Trade
Key metrics
- Largest market segment and value in 2026
- Product innovation level
- Total imports, level and trend
- Total exports, level and trend
- Trade Balance
Charts
- Products & services segmentation in 2026
- Major market segmentation in 2026
- International trade, including imports by country and exports by country
Detailed analysis
- Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
- Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
- Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
- Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
- Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends
Geographic Breakdown
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Analyst insights
The maritime provinces host a large share of Canada's fishing businesses due to rich fishing grounds. These regions benefit from proximity to fishing resources and establishe...
In this chapter (1)
- Business Locations
Charts
- Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each province
- Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2026
Tables
- Number and share of establishments in each province in 2026
- Number and share of revenue each province accounts for in 2026
- Number and share of wages each province accounts for in 2026
- Number and share of employees in each province in 2026
Detailed analysis
- Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
- Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage
Competitive Forces
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Analyst insights
Industry concentration remains low due to owner-operator rules, preserving small enterprises. This fragmentation limits large-scale control over licenses and fosters communit...
In this chapter (4)
- Concentration
- Barriers to Entry
- Substitutes
- Buyer & Supplier Analysis
Key metrics
- Industry concentration level
- Industry competition level and trend
- Barriers to entry level and trend
- Substitutes level and trend
- Buyer power level and trend
- Supplier power level and trend
Charts
- Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2021-2026
- Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart
Detailed analysis
- Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
- Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
- Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
- Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
- Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
- Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
- Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
- Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
- Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.
Companies
There are no companies that hold a market share exceeding 5% in the Fishing in Canada industry.
Analyst insights
The Canadian fishing industry lacks major companies due to regulatory constraints favouring small, independent operators. Policies like owner-operator rules prevent large-sca...
External Environment
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Analyst insights
The Fisheries Act plays a crucial role in managing Canada's fishing industry by setting comprehensive conservation guidelines. It governs licenses, catch limits and habitat p...
In this chapter
- External Drivers
- Regulation & Policy
- Assistance
Key metrics
- Regulation & policy level and trend
- Assistance level and trend
Charts
- Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2016-2031)
- Assistance historical data and forecast (2016-2031)
Detailed analysis
- Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
- Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
- Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.
Financial Benchmarks
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Analyst insights
Labour shortages and an aging workforce are driving up wage costs in the fishing industry. Competition for skilled crew members leads to increased wages, impacting overall op...
In this chapter
- Cost Structure
- Financial Ratios
- Key Ratios
Key metrics
- Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
- Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
- Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
- Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio
Charts
- Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2026
- Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2026
- Investment vs. share of economy
Data tables
- Liquidity Ratios (2019-2024)
- Coverage Ratios (2019-2024)
- Leverage Ratios (2019-2024)
- Operating Ratios (2019-2024)
- Assets (2019-2024)
- Liabilities (2019-2024)
- Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2016-2031)
- Revenue per Employee (2016-2031)
- Revenue per Enterprise (2016-2031)
- Employees per Establishment (2016-2031)
- Employees per Enterprise (2016-2031)
- Average Wage (2016-2031)
- Wages/Revenue (2016-2031)
- Establishments per Enterprise (2016-2031)
- IVA/Revenue (2016-2031)
- Imports/Demand (2016-2031)
- Exports/Revenue (2016-2031)
Detailed analysis
- Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability
Key Statistics
Industry Data
Data Tables
Including values and annual change:
- Revenue (2016-2031)
- IVA (2016-2031)
- Establishments (2016-2031)
- Enterprises (2016-2031)
- Employment (2016-2031)
- Exports (2016-2031)
- Imports (2016-2031)
- Wages (2016-2031)
Top Questions Answered
Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.
What is the market size of the Fishing industry in Canada in 2026?
The market size of the Fishing industry in Canada is $4.3bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Fishing industry in Canada in 2026?
There are 18,586 businesses in the Fishing industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.4 % between 2021 and 2026.
How may import tariffs affect the Fishing industry in Canada?
The Fishing industry in Canada is likely to be impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a moderate share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Fishing industry in Canada?
The Fishing industry in Canada is likely to be significantly impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a high share of industry revenue.
Has the Fishing industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Fishing industry in Canada has been declining at a CAGR of 5.0 % between 2021 and 2026.
What is the forecast growth of the Fishing industry in Canada over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Fishing industry in Canada is expected to grow.
What does the Fishing industry in Canada include?
Freshwater finfish fishing and Pacific shellfish fishing are part of the Fishing industry in Canada.
How competitive is the Fishing industry in Canada?
The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Fishing industry in Canada.
Methodology
How are IBISWorld reports created?
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in Canada include:
- Statistics Canada
- Industry Canada
- Canadian Business Patterns
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
- Industry and trade associations
- Industry federations or regulators
- Major industry players annual or quarterly filings
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
How does IBISWorld forecast its data?
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
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