Nova Scotia lifts seafood buyer, processor ban to boost industry

Nova Scotia has lifted a ban on seafood buyers and processors to boost the industry.

Nova Scotia has ended its seven-year moratorium on seafood buyer and processor licenses to help expand seafood exports and grow the vital seafood industry.

“Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to reimagine the economic potential for our traditional and natural resources,” said Kent Smith, the minister of fisheries and aquaculture in Nova Scotia.

“Accepting applications for new entrants, or established businesses that want to diversify or expand their products, will help drive the economy and grow out seafood sector.”

The moratorium was put in place in 2018, while the province undertook a policy review to ensure regulations supported and maintained fair competition across the sector for all businesses and to avoid licensing speculation.

But the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has since determined the moratorium has become a barrier to business growth and has led to frustration in the sector.

Nova Scotia is Canada’s top seafood exporter and accounted for $2.4 billion in exports in 2024 and supports more than 20,000 jobs, which are mostly located in rural communities.

The moratorium for most seafood species will be lifted in August, while the province plans to begin accepting applications for lobster and snow crab buyer licenses in January 2026.

The province also announced it’s lifting the ground-fish buying and processing licenses which have been in place since 1994.

Some in the industry and the province agree that the moratorium was standing in the way of growing the sector and reaching new international markets while and expanding custom products and offerings.

“There’s many different species of wild fish and seafood that we land here and each one can be turned into a myriad of different products, so it really leads to what is the market actually demanding?” said Kris Vascotto, the executive director at the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.

A big concern is the global economic situation with Chinese tariffs on seafood exports from Nova Scotian and the threat of possible tariffs with the United States, leading to some uncertainty and focus on growing new market opportunities elsewhere.

“We are in a severely unstable place with two of our major trading partners right now,” said Vascotto. “With China we are facing a very significant tariff on any of our product moving in and that represents around $600 million in our exports overall.”

Vascotto says lifting the moratorium could help the Nova Scotia seafood market establish a footprint in the European market and in countries along the Pacific rim.

Premier Tim Houston and Minister Smith, along with a Nova Scotia delegation, were in Boston last month and in Spain last week for an international seafood expo, trying to reel in more international buyers. The province says it’s making headway but it was too early to tell of any major deals.

Vascotto says that’s a modest approach and the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance has heard positive feedback from its members.

“There’s buyers now looking to Canada as a supplier is high-quality premium seafood,” said Vascotto. “We have suppliers well placed to service that market its just as case of getting our product there and on the shelves.”

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