We don’t publish price sheets. Prices move, and a number on a website is stale the day after it’s typed. What doesn’t move nearly as fast are the drivers: the reasons China pays what it pays for Canadian product. Understand these and you can read the market yourself.
Live beats fresh beats frozen
In China’s banquet, gifting and live-tank retail culture, “alive” is the ultimate freshness proof: diners pick the animal from the tank. That’s why live Atlantic lobster and live geoduck command the steep premiums, and why how you ship is a pricing decision, not just a logistics one.
Size and grade are price tiers, not details
The market prices in tiers: lobster by weight class, crab sections by count, geoduck by size band. A uniform lot at spec beats a bigger mixed lot. Grading discipline is revenue.
Whole is often worth more
Whole and head-on presentation signals authenticity and suits whole-fish banquet service. First-time exporters who fillet by default frequently process value away.
The calendar is a price driver
Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival concentrate premium demand, especially for live product and gift-grade seafood. Landing ahead of a festival peak versus after it can matter more than any negotiation. More: why festivals move prices.
Provenance and policy
Canadian origin carries a quality reputation in the China trade, and the policy backdrop moves the math: the 25% tariff of 2025 suppressed Canadian competitiveness, and its suspension through end-2026 restored it. Same fish, different year, different price.
What this means for a supplier
Your leverage is condition, grading and timing: the things you control at the wharf and the plant. Ours is the buyer relationship and the execution. Put them together and the premium is capturable. Tell us what you land and we’ll give you a straight read on where your product sits.