Economic Impact
Commercial Fisheries have long been a cornerstone of Nova Scotia, contributing both to our way of life and acting as a vital economic driver to the long term prosperity of the rural fabric of the Province.
Over our history, Nova Scotia has seen the industry shift from a focus on groundfish to other species. Now, the value of landings is dominated by shellfish including lobster, snow crab, scallops and northern shrimp. Together, these species comprise over 80% of the landed value of seafood.
In 2013, Nova Scotia landed over $ 840 million dollars of seafood and marine products at our wharves. This translated to over $ 1 billion dollars in exports to markets across the world.
The seafood and marine products industry directly generated over 7800 jobs in the harvesting and processing sectors. This does not include the many spin-off industries that contribute to the sustainability of our coastal communities through providing serviced ranging from building vessels to transporting products to far away markets.
With over 4,000 registered fishing vessels and more than 5,700 commercial fishing licence holders, commercial fisheries will continue to be a vital component of the economy of Nova Scotia in the future.