From an international perspective, the U.K. is the eighth largest importer of fish and seafood, importing more than CAD1 $3.9 billion in 2009, a decline of 9.84%. In comparison, China has a population twenty-two times larger than the U.K. and it imported $4.1 billion in 2009. However, the U.K.'s fish and seafood imports are lower than France, which has a similar population. The country mainly imports its fish and seafood from Iceland with 14.7% of total imports, followed by Denmark (6.4%), China (6.2%) and Thailand (5.7%).
The U.K.'s main fish and seafood imports from all countries in 2009 included frozen fish fillet ($830.7 million), prepared/preserved tunas/skipjack/bonito, ($479.8 million), prepared/preserved shrimp and prawns ($351.2 million), frozen shrimp and prawns in shell ($336.3 million), fresh or chilled fish fillet and other meat, excluding steak ($293.0 million) and prepared/ preserved fish, whole or pieces ($192.6 million).
In 2009, the U.K. exported just under $2.1 billion in fish and seafood commodities globally, an increase of 5.34% from 2008. Predominantly, the U.K.'s main exports were represented by frozen or chilled Pacific and Atlantic salmon with bones ($347.3 million), frozen mackerel, excluding fillets ($190.5 million), and frozen and cooked crustaceans ($135.5 million). Top destinations included France (25.2%), Spain (12.6%) and the U.S. (9.0%).
