This will be driven by both rising demand for high quality - and healthy -  protein and a general increase in global food prices. The circumstances behind this prediction are outlined in the recent publication "Seafood (frozen, canned and fresh) - A Global Strategic Buisness Report". The report says that the growth factors include increasing world population, increased wealth post-recession together with technological advances in the processing, storage, packaging and distribution of seafood worldwide. The most impressive growth is being seen in the markets of Asia-Pacific and Latin America and these are expected to make a significant contribution to the forecast global growth in the next few years.

The report concedes that the worldwide recession has had a downward effect on the market. The drop in disposable income has reduced spending on food in general, with luxury foods (including shrimps, oysters etc) taking a particularly bad hit.

This constraint has influenced the customer in both the frequency of meals taken outside the home and the choice of food when in restaurants. Consumers are choosing to order less fresh tuna, sushi and shrimp, and when cooking at home, the customer is substituting sea food for less expensive ingredients.

The market will return to growth in the next few years due to a number of factors, which will include the global recession receding and consumer confidence returning to the healthy eating sector. The Asia-Pacific region has the highest consumption of seafood, with sales growing in this region the fastest. This increase is driven by increased disposable income, a fast growing population and technological improvements in the supply chain for seafood. These include new freezing units, harbours and airports together with the expansion of road and railway networks.

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