Canada Just Opened Five New Seafood Markets. Here's Who Should Care.
Five new and renewed market access gains across Vietnam, Oman, Brazil, Armenia and Costa Rica, and what each opening actually is.
The headline
5
Five new markets, one announcement.
Vietnam, Oman, Brazil, Armenia, Costa Rica
The 30-second version
On June 8, 2026, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced new and expanded market access for Canadian fish, seafood and aquatic products in five countries: Vietnam, Oman, Brazil, Armenia and Costa Rica. One of those, Vietnam, is access regained after being restricted since 2022. The other four are new.
Each gain came from a partner country accepting a Canadian health certificate, meaning the opening rests on standards being met rather than on tariffs or subsidies. That is what makes this kind of win durable, and it is why the effects reach past the docks into freight, packaging, aquaculture supply and certification.
The openings
The five gains at a glance
Vietnam
Finfish fillets and steaks.
Access regained (restricted since 2022)Oman
The full range of live and non-live seafood.
New accessBrazil
Farm-raised finfish, a first for Canadian aquaculture there.
New accessArmenia
A brand new market for Canadian seafood.
New accessCosta Rica
Ornamental fish feed.
New accessSource: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, June 8, 2026.
Market by market
What each opening actually is
The five gains are not equivalent. Two involve markets where Canada already sells, two involve markets sized by what the destination country buys from the world, and one is a new product category altogether. Read each on its own terms.
Vietnam Access regained
Canada has regained access for finfish fillets and steaks, a market that had been restricted since 2022. This is the largest of the five in terms of Canada's existing trade: Canadian exports of fish, seafood and aquatic products to Vietnam were approximately $93 million in 2025. Restoring a product line into a market where Canadian exporters already have relationships and logistics in place is a different proposition from opening a market cold.
Oman New access
Oman has opened to the full range of Canadian live and non-live seafood, which is the broadest product scope of the five gains. Oman imported $74 million of fish, seafood and aquatic products from all sources in 2025. That figure is the size of the opportunity, not a measure of Canadian sales, and Canadian exporters are entering as one supplier among many.
Brazil New access
Brazil has granted access for farm-raised finfish, a first for Canadian aquaculture in that market. Canada's existing seafood exports to Brazil are small and moved down, from $3.8 million in 2024 to $2.2 million in 2025. The new aquaculture access is a distinct product line rather than a continuation of that trade, but the recent direction of travel is worth naming plainly.
Armenia New access
Armenia is a brand new market for Canadian fish, seafood and aquatic products. Armenia imported $44 million of these products from all sources in 2025. As with Oman, that is total import demand across every supplying country, not a Canadian sales figure.
Costa Rica New access
Costa Rica has opened to Canadian ornamental fish feed, a category rather than a conventional seafood export. The market is valued at $2.7 million to $8.2 million per year. It is the smallest opening by value and the most specialised, which makes it relevant to a narrow set of producers rather than to the sector broadly.
What the numbers say
Opportunity size by market
These figures are three different kinds of number. They are grouped and scaled separately on purpose, because putting them on one axis would compare Canada's own sales against another country's entire import market as though the two were the same thing.
What Canada already sells into these markets
Value of Canadian exports of fish, seafood and aquatic products. This is Canadian sales.
Vietnam
approx $93M
Canada's exports, 2025
Brazil, year over year
Canada's seafood exports to Brazil, 2024 compared with 2025. Scaled to each other, not to Vietnam.
▼ A decrease from $3.8M in 2024 to $2.2M in 2025.
What these countries buy from the world
Destination country total imports of fish, seafood and aquatic products from all supplying countries. This is opportunity size, not Canadian sales. Bars scaled 0 to $100M within this card only.
Costa Rica, ornamental fish feed
$2.7M to $8.2M per year
A new product category rather than a conventional seafood export, and reported as a range rather than a single annual value.
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, June 8, 2026. Export figures and total-import figures are different measures and are not directly comparable.
Quick facts to keep
Seven things worth remembering
- 01Canada already ships fish, seafood and aquatic products to more than 130 countries a year. These five gains build on that base.
- 02Five countries, one announcement: Vietnam, Oman, Brazil, Armenia and Costa Rica.
- 03Vietnam is a recovery, not a debut. Access for finfish fillets and steaks had been restricted since 2022.
- 04Oman has the widest scope. The full range of live and non-live seafood.
- 05Brazil is a first for Canadian aquaculture in that market, covering farm-raised finfish.
- 06Armenia is entirely new for Canadian fish, seafood and aquatic products.
- 07Costa Rica is a category opening, ornamental fish feed, valued at $2.7 million to $8.2 million per year.
On the numbers: the Vietnam figure (approx $93 million, 2025) and the Brazil figures ($3.8 million in 2024, $2.2 million in 2025) are Canada's own exports. The Oman figure ($74 million, 2025) and the Armenia figure ($44 million, 2025) are those countries' total imports from all sources. The two measures are not interchangeable.
Why this matters beyond the docks
Five industries pulled along
When exporters reach new markets, the work does not stay inside the seafood sector. These are the adjacent industries that move with it.
Cold chain and freight
Seafood moves refrigerated or frozen. New destinations mean new routes, new handling requirements and new capacity to plan for.
Packaging and labelling
Each market carries its own labelling and documentation requirements, which lands on packaging suppliers and compliance teams.
Aquaculture producers and technology
Brazil's opening covers farm-raised finfish, which puts aquaculture operations and the equipment and systems behind them in scope.
Testing and certification
Every one of these gains rests on a Canadian health certificate being accepted, which means inspection, testing and certification services carry the load.
Coastal and rural communities
Harvesting and processing jobs sit in coastal and rural regions, so export demand shows up locally in employment and local supply.
The bottom line
What TWC readers should take from this
Market access is an opportunity, not a guarantee. An open door still has to be walked through, so treat these as considerations rather than assurances.
Know which number applies to you.
Vietnam and Brazil describe what Canada already exports. Oman and Armenia describe what those countries import from everyone. Only the first tells you about existing Canadian traction.
Vietnam is the most immediate of the five.
Access regained in a market already taking approximately $93 million of Canadian seafood in 2025 means existing relationships and logistics can carry a restored product line.
Oman offers the widest product scope.
The full range of live and non-live seafood is the broadest opening in the announcement, against a $74 million total import market in 2025.
Brazil is a new product line, and the base is small and falling.
Farm-raised finfish is a first for Canadian aquaculture there, while Canada's overall seafood exports to Brazil went from $3.8 million in 2024 to $2.2 million in 2025. Plan for a build, not a bump.
These wins came from standards, so the follow-through is documentation.
Each gain rests on a Canadian health certificate being accepted. Certification, testing, labelling and cold-chain capability are the practical work of converting access into sales.
A note on currency: dollar amounts are reproduced exactly as published. The June 8, 2026 release does not specify the currency unit.
Sources & method
How this brief was built
- Primary source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, news release, "Government of Canada secures new and expanded market access for Canadian fish, seafood and aquatic products," June 8, 2026. www.canada.ca
- Every figure in this brief, including the count of destination markets, is drawn directly from the release linked above. Nothing has been estimated, extrapolated or projected.
- On measures: the Vietnam and Brazil dollar values are Canada's own exports. The Oman and Armenia dollar values are those countries' total imports from all sources. The Costa Rica value is the size of the ornamental fish feed market.
- On currency: dollar amounts are reproduced exactly as published. The release does not specify the currency unit.
Figures appear only where the release states them. No trend lines, projections or comparisons beyond what the Canadian Food Inspection Agency published have been added.