The first half of this year saw Shandong province's foreign trade revenue from aquatic products reach $3.4 billion, a year-on-year rise of 21 percent, according to statistics released on July 21 by the Department of Oceanic and Fishery of Shandong Province.

The export volume in the first six months reached $2.24 billion, up by 27.4 percent year on year. The import volume generated $1.17 billion, an increase of 10.4 percent.

Industry insiders believe there are two reasons that can be attributed to this rise in foreign aquatic product trade.

On the one hand, countries including Japan, Canada, Australia and Brazil increased their import volume after the severe earthquake hit Japan in March. On the other hand, the soaring export of shellfish such as scallops also accelerated the growth of the province's foreign trade.