The need for planted salmon in China is growing at a rate never before seen. Imports of fresh and chilled Atlantic salmon increased by 46 % year over year in 2023, up 63 %.
The world seafood trade is being transformed by this amazing growth. Manufacturers from Scotland, Norway, Chile, Australia, Faroe Islands, Canada and Iceland are racing to offer the wants of this large and rapidly evolving industry.
China’s efforts to produce its own Atlantic salmon have also encountered major difficulties, which indicate that competitors like rainbow fish are required to meet the nation’s growing appetite for seafood specialties.
When the Taiwanese government approved labeling and selling rainbow trout as mackerel, a significant change took place in 2018. This choice made a more affordable option for customers who are concerned about costs by blurring the difference between directly farmed rainbow trout and imported Atlantic salmon.
Trout has strong, oily meat that has an orange-pink color and is comparable in look and size to salmon. Physiologically also, the varieties are alike, as are the way in which they can be cooked and prepared.
In our recent study, which included style tests, we discovered that some Chinese consumers were unable to tell the difference between private rainbow fish and imported Atlantic salmon in deaf testing. However, when asked about the origin, the testers ‘ preferences for imported Atlantic salmon significantly changed, highlighting the influence of history on customer preferences.
Although person’s willingness to pay did not initially differ in our deaf tests, it quickly changed into a crucial element once the origin of the fish was known.
However, we realized that the only thing missing was source. Our testers needed to like the look, smell, and taste of the product more in order to be willing to pay higher prices, or they had to be persuaded by its ecolabel ( indicating environmental standards ).
Economic costs
Transporting Atlantic salmon from Scottish glens, Norway fjords, or Chilean waters involves complicated logistics and substantial environmental costs. The carbon footprint of this industry, combined with the resource-intensive character of mackerel aquaculture, raises important concerns about conservation.
These difficulties are especially acute in China, where customers have a strong desire for beauty. Despite its negative effects on the environment, buyers are increasingly turning to online retailers to purchase their shrimp because of this.
E-commerce has transformed shrimp store in China, allowing fast delivery and products that meet consumer demands for quality and freshness. In this industry, Salmon is renowned for its perceived high price, superior quality, and affordable price. Salmon retains its appeal when frozen or cooled, unlike other costly seafood that frequently needs to be sold exist to maintain its worth.
Salmon is ideally suited for contemporary retail environments, where complex cold-chain logistics guarantee its freshness without the challenges of live transportation. But, these advances come at a cost.
Transported salmon has a significant impact on the environment due to its labor-intensive storage and quick transportation. Addressing the conservation issues relating to the Chinese seafood market will be crucial in achieving a balance between climate responsibility and consumer demand as the market grows. In China, the latest global certification programs that aim to improve the sector’s sustainability have had a minimal impact.
China has made significant efforts to establish a local Atlantic salmon business, but these attempts have mostly failed because of technical difficulties and economic boundaries. This has created a space that internally raised rainbow trout is ready to pack.
In 2022, China produced 37, 000 lots of rainbow trout. Although this is a small amount in comparison to global output levels, it is still noteworthy given that rainbow trout is a fairly new planted species in China, in contrast to other traditional species like carp.
However, rainbow trout farming in China is geographically constrained, as the species thrives in cooler freshwater temperatures found in higher-lying lakes and pools, as well as in “raceways” ( programs supplied continuously with fresh water diverted from river ).
Advances in fishing techniques offer a possible pathway to develop China’s production. The use of fish gardening reduces the carbon footprint associated with goods and provides healthier alternatives for Chinese customers. It is a more sustainable, locally manufactured alternative to Atlantic herring. Growing a strong domestic salmon industry would improve food security, lessen import dependence, and foster economic growth in rural areas.
The expanding seafood market in China offers important teachings for the worldwide market. The extremely advanced Chinese consumer may find it important to emphasize quality, beauty, and sustainability.
At the same time, expense in eco-friendly aquaculture practices, both domestically and internationally, may be necessary to stabilize the growing demand for premium shellfish with economic responsibility. These might include reducing feed waste and using recirculating aquaculture systems ( which reuse and filter water ) to reduce water usage. The key is also recycling leftover nutrition from food generation.
The connection between consumer interests, environmental issues, and economic opportunities could have an impact on the global salmon industry as rainbow trout gains popularity in China’s seafood industry.
Salmon manufacturers in Europe, Canada, and various distributing regions does face significant challenges if local fish are able to occupy a larger share of the Chinese business. In the end, this could push them to reevaluate their strategies in order to change business relationships.
Although China’s attempt to establish a local Atlantic salmon business has proved difficult, trout farming offers a sensible and sustainable solution for its premium seafood market.
Mausam Budhathoki is a doctorate researcher at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Stirling, while Dave Little is a professor of underwater solutions development at the University of Stirling.
This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post.