Where does Quebec stand in terms of local consumption?

When it comes to the local consumption of food products of all kinds, Quebec does rather well. It is not quite the same story when it comes to marine products.

In 2020, frozen shrimp and canned tuna won the gold and silver medals for Quebec’s consumption of seafood products. Frozen haddock, canned anchovies and canned sardines also made a strong climb in sales between 2015 and 2020. Alas, these are all imported products…

Fortunately, fresh, local lobster comes third in the list of Quebec’s seafood consumption.

Source of products consumed in Quebec (2019)

Diagramme en barre. Produits alimentaires : 52 % Québec, 26 % Canada, 22 % International. Poissons et fruits de mer frais : 10 % Québec, 80 % Canada, 10 % International. Poissons et fruits de mer transformés : 15 % Québec, 8 % Canada, 77 % International.

In 2019, more than half of all products consumed, whether in grocery stores or restaurants, came from Quebec. It is a different story, however, when it comes to seafood products…
Source: MAPAQ, 2023.

Me, the consumer

To create a market, you need supply and demand. Commercial products depend on both.

As buyers, we have a relative say in what is available in our grocery stores. Obviously, availability is important. However, purchasing volumes and consumer trends are determined primarily by consumers. Seafood marketing is no exception to this rule.

Sometimes, you have to take the first step.

At the grocery store or fish market

Ask if a marine species fished, hunted or harvested responsibly in Quebec is currently available.

At the restaurant

Try a new local species if there are any on the menu.

Take advantage of your local experts and their know-how to find out about local, sometimes new, seafood products and where they can be found. Ask for advice on how to prepare them, their flavours and the best taste combinations.

And if they do not have the product you are looking for, this will create demand. It is a win-win situation: (almost) as simple as asking.

Who are you as a consumer?

In 2022, ÉPAQ conducted a study to identify the values associated with halieutic resources among the population of the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Rocher-Percé.

To achieve this, researchers conducted focus groups and submitted questionnaires to citizens, fishing students, plant workers, fishermen’s aides and captains.

Objective

Develop a marine species management model that reflects community values.

Results

A value compass.

A comic strip explaining the researchers’ approach, the study process and the potential uses of the results (in French).

Recommendations for managers, industry players and political decision-makers.

The results showed a strong tendency to value the ecosystem rather than the individual.

Moreover, respondents attributed a moral rather than an economic value to the resource. This is a good sign for the future.

What else did they learn? Conversations can change people’s minds.

Getting to know each other’s realities allows us to agree on common values.

Graphique en nuage de points, Écocentrisme à gauche, Individualisme à droite, Valeur économique en haut, Valeur morale en bas. La majorité des points se trouvent dans la portion en bas à gauche.

In the RCM of Rocher-Percé, ecocentrism and moral values are predominant.
Source: ÉPAQ, 2022

What kind of consumer are you?

Do you attribute an economic rather than a moral value to the sea’s resources? Do you value the individual or all living things?

Like the participants in the École des pêches et de l’aquaculture au Québec (ÉPAQ) research project on the values associated with halieutic resources, take part in their survey to find out where you and your peers stand.

So, who are we as consumers after all?

Start the survey

When it comes to consuming local seafood products, Quebec could do better. Fortunately, awareness is growing, and the foundations are in place. Let’s continue our efforts. As consumers, we have the power to be agents of change.

Here you are at the end of the St. Lawrence seafood economic chain. Let’s move on to the kitchen!

The power of demand