Spillover effects from agglomeration in seafood exports

Abstract

Agglomeration externality is a feature that has received limited attention in food production supply chains. Using highly disaggregated trade data, this paper investigates the presence of regional agglomeration effects in Norwegian seafood exports. Results indicate strong agglomeration effects in the exports of both farmed and harvested seafood at the region–product–destination level. Regional agglomeration of exporters affects the firms through different margins. In both industries, increased agglomeration results in larger volumes, while aquaculture exporters experience a small, negative, price effect. The largest firms, both in the number of employees and size of product portfolio, export most. We also document that agglomeration is important in explaining the creation of new regional product-destination-specific trade relationships, indicating the presence of regional spillover effects.