Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us

December 10, 1997
(COOPERATION Agreement)

Eel farm in western Newfoundland to create new export industry

The Bay St. George Area Development Association in partnership with North Atlantic Aquaponics Limited will establish a new facility for the culturing of wild juvenile eels in the Town of Robinsons.

Gerry Byrne, MP for Humber/St. Barbe/Baie Verte on behalf of Fred Mifflin, Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal, have announced that the federal and provincial governments would provide $196,088 in support of the project.

"There are a number of potential benefits this project can offer," said Mr. Byrne. "The culturing of fresh eels to market size would be first for this province and represents an important diversification effort within the fishery and aquaculture sector. As well, the transfer of technology required may offer benefits in the culturing of other underutilized species."

There is currently a high demand for eels in both the European and New England markets. This high-end market fetches as much as $300 per pound for cultured eel.

"It takes a keen entrepreneurial mind to see opportunities for new products and jobs associated with a species of fish not generally consumed in Newfoundland," said Mr. Tulk. "To then increase the value of eels by culturing them to market-ready size in a controlled environment is an innovative step that speaks well of the way the aquaculture industry is progressing in this province. This exciting project has the potential to create the equivalent of 24 full-time positions and involve 15 fisherpersons in the supply of juvenile wild eels in this facility alone, and its success could lead to the start-up of similar operations in the province."

In addition to the partnership created by the Bay St. George South Area Development Association, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture will offer monitoring and technical assistance to the initiative. There is a potential to realize $1.2 million in sales annually from the facility as presently configured.

The Strategic Regional Diversification Agreement is a 70:30 cost-shared agreement between the federal and provincial governments. The agreement is administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Contact:

Paul Murphy, COOPERATION Communications, (709) 772-0219

or,

Clifford Grinling, Department of Development and Rural Renewal, (709) 729-7066.