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November 14, 1997
(Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal)

Three aquaculture facilities announced

New aquaculture facilities will be constructed at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) in Logy Bay and at the Fisheries and Marine Institute, both branches of Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as at Bay d'Espoir, Newfoundland. Support for the three facilities was announced today by Fred Mifflin, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for ACOA, and Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, during a news conference held at the Fisheries and Marine Institute. Valued at $4,520,000, the three facilities are being constructed through funding from the aquaculture component of the Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal.

The OSC will receive $2.6 million for an Aquaculture Research Facility to facilitate research and development efforts and subsequent commercialization of finfish species that would contribute to the expansion of the Newfoundland aquaculture sector.

An investment of $520,000 in an Aquaculture Teaching Facility at the Marine Institute assures completion of Phase II of an aquaculture facility which will produce fish husbandry systems to support education and training with capabilities for industrial assistance and research.

At Bay d'Espoir, the Newfoundland Salmonid Growers Association will receive $1.4 million for an Aquaculture Resource Centre to be built in St. Alban's. The resource centre will house laboratories and research facilities to address fish health needs and developmental research for steelhead trout and salmon aquaculture being undertaken at Bay d'Espoir, the centre of salmonid aquaculture in the province.

Mr. Mifflin said: "We are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to diversify the economic base of Newfoundland and Labrador; ways to bring together government, educational institutions and the private sector to initiate growth and to make strategic investments in our economy. These three facilities demonstrate partnership at work. Each one will contribute to making aquaculture a significant part of the Newfoundland and Labrador economy well into the next millennium."

Premier Tobin emphasized that the facilities will go a long way in helping to deal with the educational, biological, and technical constraints that have hampered growth of the province's aquaculture sector. The Bay d'Espoir Aquaculture Resource Centre will significantly enhance developmental research for the benefit of steelhead trout and salmon growers. The OSC facility will conduct research and will perform pilot-scale testing on promising species indigenous to Newfoundland such as Atlantic halibut, cod, and wolffish, as well as yellowtail and witch flounder. The aquaculture training facility at the Marine Institute is of paramount importance in that it will help to provide the well-trained work force that can drive the aquaculture industry to new levels of achievement."

Memorial University has been at the centre of aquaculture research and development since the 1970s. One of its greatest challenges has been to conduct aquaculture research in facilities not suited to the purpose. Dr. Arthur May, President of Memorial University of Newfoundland, indicated that both the OSC and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of the University will benefit greatly from the establishment of the aquaculture facilities. "This infrastructure is needed in order to meet our teaching mandate for aquaculture as well as our research and development efforts in the aquaculture field. Memorial is already home to expert teams of aquaculture specialists as well as post-doctoral researchers, graduate and honours students, technicians and assistants working at our current facilities. The new facilities will allow Memorial to deliver cost-effective, industrially-relevant research and development for our emerging aquaculture industry."

Marc Kielley, Executive Director of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association said: "These long-awaited facilities will benefit the aquaculture industry, the university, and the economy of our province. They will contribute to the establishment of a pool of skilled human resources and a body of applied scientific knowledge that is an ideal match for the private sector needs of the growing aquaculture industry."

The Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal is a $100 million, five-year, federal-provincial program designed to generate long-term economic benefits for the province primarily in the growth areas of aquaculture, advanced technology, and tourism.

Contact:

Heidi Bonnell, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3960

Ellen Alcock, Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal, (709) 772-5116

Josephine Cheeseman, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, (709) 729-3733

Sonia Glover, Memorial University of Newfoundland, (709) 737-8661

Lily Abbass, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, (709) 772-4328

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Backgrounder
Aquaculture Facilities

Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

• In 1995, the Marine Institute committed approximately $616,000 toward construction of a new freshwater aquaculture facility. Funding in the amount of $520,000 from the Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal has been allocated to the Marine Institute to complete fish culture systems for use in education, training, and technology transfer activities in support of the Newfoundland aquaculture industry.

• Work undertaken at the aquaculture facility involves the installation of state-of-the-art water recirculating systems including filtration, temperature control units, and culture tanks, and the equipping of a number of analytical laboratories.

• The Marine Institute has offered aquaculture education and training since 1987. Graduates of various programs have been instrumental in the expansion of the Newfoundland aquaculture industry.

Ocean Sciences Centre of Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Designed to accommodate research and pilot-scale testing, the facility will be devoted specifically to marine species.

• Research undertaken will address some of the biological and physical factors which are current impediments to the commercialization of several species including: cod, halibut, and wolffish, as well as yellowtail and witch flounder.

• The main objective of the Aquaculture Research Facility is to aid in the development and future commercialization of species indigenous to Newfoundland and thus facilitate expansion of the aquaculture sector.

• At the OSC, a team of aquaculture specialists includes two core groups consisting of 24 marine biologists and aquaculturists as well as numerous post-doctoral researchers, honours and graduate students, technicians, and assistants.

• A critical component of the state-of-the-art facility will be a seawater system designed to provide high quality and temperature-controlled recirculating water.

• In addition to providing several full-time and part-time positions, the facility will help establish the capability to provide the Newfoundland aquaculture industry with highly-trained expertise in the culture of marine finfish.

• The facility will aid in the establishment of permanent infrastructure to train and educate the future aquaculturists to a high level of technical competency thus enabling Newfoundland and Labrador to be globally competitive in terms of human resources.

   

Aquaculture Resource Centre - St Alban's - Bay d'Espoir

• The Newfoundland Salmonid Growers Association has been allocated $1.4 million for the construction and implementation of an Aquaculture Resource Centre at St. Alban's, Newfoundland.

• This facility is devoted to developmental research on salmonid strains for commercial aquaculture production. The facility will also house a Fish Health Laboratory dedicated to the prevention, detection, and treatment of diseases of salmonids in commercial aquaculture.

• Work conducted at the Aquaculture Resource Centre will be directed toward selection of salmonid strains best-suited to commercial production in the unique environmental conditions of the Bay d'Espoir estuary, and subsequent development of broodstocks of these strains. In addition, it will have a water analysis capability for marine species, particularly shellfish.

• The salmonid aquaculture industry in Bay d'Espoir is highly valuable to that area of the province. It has increased commercial value from $3.1 million in 1995, to $5.7 million in 1996. Production has increased from 161 metric tonnes (combined Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon) in 1991, to 1,318 metric tonnes combined production in 1996. Industry's goal is to reach a production level of 10,000 metric tonnes for the Bay d'Espoir estuary.

• As of 1997, there are six fish farming companies active in the Bay d'Espoir area, with several more companies poised to enter the industry. Employment in this industry provides full-time, seasonal, and part-time jobs numbering in the hundreds with employment figures increasing proportional to industry growth.

• Work at the centre will focus on strategies to resolve issues in areas such as genetics, nutrition, disease/survival, and husbandry/grow-out.

About the aquaculture component of the Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal:

The investment of $20 million in aquaculture allows a range of projects to be undertaken in the following five strategic directions:

• Financial and Marketing ($1 million): to facilitate development of the industry based on the identification of sound, sustainable competitive advantages e.g. benchmarking, inter-firm comparisons, market demand analysis, investment prospecting, and generic promotion.

• Coastal Zone Aquaculture Planning ($1 million): to assist in maximizing sustainable development opportunities by reducing the potential for conflict, harmonizing policies and procedures, and providing data analysis tools. This component will be achieved through development of a GIS data base to facilitate government and industry planning; review of government policies and procedures; and collection, analysis and distribution of relevant data.

• Communications, Advocacy and Education ($1 million): to improve skills, knowledge and awareness within the industry; to support the industry association in meeting its mandate particularly in the production and delivery of educational materials and training programs.

• Applied Research and Development ($9 million): to establish research programs to provide a basis for achieving sustainable development of the industry. This will be accomplished through the establishment of research facilities aimed at ensuring the sustainability of finfish and shellfish aquaculture in the Newfoundland environment.

• Extension Services ($8 million): to provide for expansion of the industry through creation of supporting infrastructure and industry services. Programs include provision of extension and fish health services, collection of regional site suitability information, and establishment and operation of demonstration facilities.