Canada has launched an “aggressive” campaign to sell seal meats and products in China in hopes that it will be enough to save the Canadian sealing industry, following recent sanctions put in place by the European Union.

“China is a huge market,” Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said Tuesday during a teleconference call from Beijing. “The EU was a small market for Canada and of course, we’re disappointed in their actions (but) there are many other markets out there.”

Shea has spent the last week in China holding meetings with seal marketing groups, seafood importers, and top Chinese government officials. She also attended the 30th annual China Fur and Leather Fair, where she touted the controversial industry.

Currently, China imports seal pelts and oil capsules equalling “millions of dollars” for the Canadian economy. But the opportunity is there to expand other seal products – specifically, meats and organs – to the Asian superpower, Shea said.

In July, the majority of the EU’s 27 member states gave final approval to a ban on importing seal products. The proposed law, which comes into effect by the next sealing season in the spring, essentially eliminates all trade of seal product imports such as pelts, oil and meat. It’s estimated the prohibition will result in a $2.4-million loss for the Canadian industry.

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