VICTORIA - Minister of International Trade Teresa Wat will lead a five-day B.C. trade and investment mission to Boston and New York from Saturday, March 15, 2014, to Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Seafood Expo North America, one of the world's premier trade shows for seafood producers and buyers, is the anchor event.

Wat will arrive in Boston tomorrow and then join Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, and the Canadian Consul General in Boston, Patrick Binns, at the official opening of the B.C. Pavilion at Seafood Expo North America on Sunday morning.

The B.C. Pavilion will provide a venue for B.C. seafood companies and organizations attending the Boston trade event as they showcase their products and meet with international buyers. Wat will meet with the B.C. seafood delegation and international partners and purchasers on Sunday at the trade show, which is expected to draw 20,000 buyers, suppliers, and other seafood professionals from 100 countries.

On Monday, Wat will advance the B.C. Technology Strategy in a series of meetings with tech investors, research organizations and entrepreneurs in Boston and Cambridge. British Columbia is a hub location for life sciences, wireless, and information and communications technology companies. Massachusetts has the largest concentration of biotech firms in the world and the second largest concentration of medical device companies in the United States.

After touring the Canadian Technology Accelerator in Boston, Wat will announce a new initiative to support B.C. technology start-ups during a roundtable event hosted by the Canadian Consulate General and Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, an organization that mentors Canadian and B.C. technology companies.

Wat's trade and investment mission moves to New York on Tuesday to attract direct investment in key B.C. Jobs Plan sectors, including transportation and infrastructure related to liquefied natural gas and the resource sector. She will hold meetings with New York and New Jersey site selectors and Asian companies headquartered in New Jersey that have business interests in B.C.

The East Coast mission, supported by British Columbia's trade and investment representatives in the United States, will conclude Wednesday with Wat's return to B.C. from New York.

A list of B.C. companies attending Seafood Expo North America is included in the attached Backgrounder.

Quick Facts:

• The B.C. Pavilion at Seafood Expo North America will host cooking demonstrations by Chef Nathan Fong as he showcases B.C. products and provide delicious fresh samples prepared throughout the day. Minister Wat will join Fong for a seafood cooking demo on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (EST).
• Led by cultured salmon, crab, hake, and geoducks, B.C. seafood exports were worth $870 million in 2012. Shipments to the United States represent more than half of that total, and seafood exports to China totalled $121 million in 2012, up 10.5% over the previous year.

Learn More:

Seafood Expo North America: http://www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america/

The B.C. Business Network is a dynamic directory of leading British Columbia suppliers and exporters interested in new business opportunities. Find out more at: http://www.britishcolumbia.ca/buy/bcbusinessnetwork/Pages/home.aspx

Quotes:

Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism -

"We are working to open and expand markets for British Columbia's services and goods, including our sustainable and high-quality seafood. This trade and investment mission to the U.S. East Coast will allow us to promote our competitive advantages and attract new investment dollars to spur economic activity and job creation here in B.C."

Pat Pimm, Minister of Agriculture -

"We are committed to expanding our export market for sustainable B.C. seafood and bringing new dollars to our coastal communities. Seafood Expo North America connects B.C. with seafood purchasers from around the world, offers increased sales, and supports our goal of growing the agrifoods sector to $14 billion by 2017."

Media Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade and
Ministry Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism
778 977-0298

BACKGROUNDER

B.C. Companies and Organizations Attending Seafood Expo North America

• Aqualine Seafood/Select Seafood (B.C. Pavilion)
• B.C. Seafood Alliance (B.C. Pavilion)
• Best Honour Seafood (B.C. Pavilion)
• Canfisco (B.C. Pavilion)
• Fanny Bay Oysters (B.C. Pavilion)
• Fisher Bay Seafood (B.C. Pavilion)
• Flying Fresh (B.C. Pavilion)
• Hub City Fisheries (B.C. Pavilion)
• Mariner Seafoods (B.C. Pavilion)
• North Delta Seafoods (B.C. Pavilion)
• Tri-Star Seafood Supply Ltd. (B.C. Pavilion)
• West Coast Fishculture (Lois Lake) Ltd. (B.C. Pavilion)
• Cermaq
• B.C. Shellfish Grower's Association
• B.C. Salmon Farmer's Association
• Calkins and Burke
• Creative Salmon Co. Ltd.
• Gold River Seafoods Ltd.
• Grand Hale Marine Products Co., Ltd.
• Grieg
• Kings Seafood
• Marine Harvest Canada
• Organic Ocean Seafoods
• Sea Agra

Media Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade and
Ministry Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism
778 977-0298