In Brief
March 18, 2026 3:01 PM
The recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergencies in Japan could likely have a detrimental effect on the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada, according to CBC news.
John Sackton, a prominent seafood industry analyst and editor of seafood.com told the CBC, “the country [may become] so focused on relief and rebuilding that they’re not really thinking more about the high end goods.”
Japan currently accounts for a huge portion of Atlantic seafood exports. Newfoundland, for example, sends 40 per cent of their crab catches to Japan annually, according to CBC. Perhaps equally important to Nova Scotia fishermen are tuna exports, which are also expected to take a hit in the wake of last week’s disasters.
Fears about industry setbacks emanating from the Japanese natural disasters have also affected international financial markets, with most trade index’s losing fairly significant ground in the aftermath, including the Canadian dollar, which fell two cents on Monday, closing at 101.69 cents U.S
