A growing literature in international trade focuses on the importance on patents, as a proxy for innovation, in promoting exports. However, this is an issue that has received limited attention in relation to seafood trade despite the large quantities of aquaculture production being traded. Utilizing a novel database on firm-level patents related to several important dimensions in the aquaculture supply chain, this paper investigates the effects of patents on export of aquaculture products from European countries. A rapid increase in the number of patents over time reflects the aquaculture industry’s shift toward technological innovation. The data shows that firms in the aquaculture industry applies for patents that can be classified into categories such as production systems, feed, fish_health, management and breeding techniques.
To investigate how the number of, and type of, patents affect aquaculture exports, we combine the patent data with UN COMTRADE-data covering exports from important European producers and processors of salmon and rainbow trout. Our results suggest significant effects from both the number of patents as well as from diversification in types of patents on export values of both salmon and rainbow trout from major European aquaculture producers and processors. The effects varies between the different categories of patents between exporting countries that are mainly producers, and countries that are mainly involved in processing activities. Our results adds to the understanding of the importance of innovation in fostering export growth in European aquaculture.