Haddock: export from Canada to ASEAN

Haddock sits alongside cod as a premium white-flesh groundfish, with a slightly finer flake and a distinct market preference in some destinations. It is not a cheaper substitute for cod and buyers who treat it as one usually find the end user notices.

The specification points mirror cod: fillet grade, skin on or off, pin-bone status, size band, single-frozen or twice-frozen, and glaze percentage as an explicit term.

Haddock is more prone to gaping (separation between muscle blocks) than cod, and gaping is a visual defect that grade alone does not capture. Worth specifying if the fillet is presented whole rather than portioned or coated.

Canadian supply comes from a quota-managed Atlantic fishery, so volume varies year to year and a continuous programme should be contracted early in a season rather than assumed.

As with cod, presentation drives the classification: fillet, portion and whole fish sit in different lines. Confirm the position for the exact form, and confirm any establishment or consignment requirements the destination applies to fishery products.