Atlantic Herring: export from Canada to Southeast Asia
Herring is bought on size grade and fat content, and fat content varies substantially through the season, which makes timing a commercial variable. High-fat fish suits smoking, marinating and direct consumption; lower-fat fish suits other processing routes.
The product moves whole frozen in size grades, and also as fillets and flaps for specific markets.
Freshness at freezing matters more for pelagics than for groundfish because they deteriorate faster, so the interval between catch and freezing is worth asking about.
Canadian supply comes from a quota-managed Atlantic fishery with defined seasons. Roe-bearing fish are a separate and higher-value proposition (see herring roe) so state whether roe content matters to you, since it changes both the timing and the price base entirely.
Whole frozen pelagics, fillets and prepared or preserved forms each sit in different lines. Send the presentation and destination together, and note that roe-bearing product may be treated separately again.
Canadian export requirements
- HS classification
- 0303.51 (Fish, frozen) herrings (Clupea harengus, Clupea pallasii); frozen herring fillets fall in 0304.86
- CFIA certificates
- Certificate of Origin and Hygiene (CFIA/ACIA 5003)
Six-market position
| Market | MFN duty | Preferential | Registration category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | On request | On request | On request |
| Thailand | On request | On request | On request |
| Philippines | On request | On request | On request |
| Indonesia | On request | On request | On request |
| Malaysia | On request | On request | On request |
| Singapore | On request | On request | On request |
MFN duty is the destination's applied general rate for this tariff line. Preferential is the rate under an agreement in force between Canada and that market.
Both are customs duty only: destination excise, value-added tax and local levies are additional and are not shown here.
Available on request: send your specification and destination and we'll confirm within five working days.
Commercial terms
- Producing provinces
- Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island
- Seasonality
- Managed fishery with defined seasons
- Pack formats
- Frozen cartons, Frozen blocks
- Container configuration
- On request
- Indicative MOQ
- On request
Related products
Common questions
- What is the HS code for atlantic herring?
- 0303.51 (Fish, frozen) herrings (Clupea harengus, Clupea pallasii); frozen herring fillets fall in 0304.86. This was read from Canada Border Services Agency on 2026-09-18. The first six digits are the same in every country that uses the Harmonised System; digits beyond that are set by the destination.
Sources
- Customs Tariff (T2026), Chapter 3 · Canada Border Services Agency, retrieved September 18, 2026
- Vietnam: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
- Thailand: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
- the Philippines: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
- Indonesia: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
- Malaysia: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
- Singapore: export requirements for fish and seafood · Canadian Food Inspection Agency, retrieved September 19, 2026
Last reviewed: September 1, 2026