NOTE TO EDITORS:

Provincial fisheries and aquaculture ministers from Eastern Canada will be available to speak to the media in Ottawa today (Tuesday, November 15) at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) about their joint aquaculture initiative to educate their federal representatives about the importance of the growing aquaculture industry to rural and coastal Canadians. The ministers have been in Ottawa for two days to showcase Canada�s aquaculture industry to MPs and Senators in an attempt to secure cooperative approach between the federal and provincial governments on the continued development of the industry. The media availability will be in the Charles Lynch Room, Main Building, Parliament Hill.

The participating ministers are Trevor Taylor, First Alternate Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Newfoundland and Labrador; Chris d�Entremont, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries for Nova Scotia; David Alward, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture for New Brunswick, and Kevin MacAdam, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture for Prince Edward Island. Laurent Lessard, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for Quebec, is unable to attend.

Media contact
(Ottawa):

Tracy Barron, Communications, (709) 729-1758

(Provinces):

Lori Lee Oates, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, (709) 729-3733, 690-8403

Natalie Webster, Agriculture and Fisheries, Government of Nova Scotia, (902) 424-0192

Alain Bryrar, Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Government of New Brunswick, (506) 444-4218

Wayne MacKinnon, Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Government of Prince Edward Island, (902) 368-4888

Diane Tremblay, Minist�re de l'Agriculture, des P�cheries et de l'Alimentation, Government of Quebec, (418) 368-7605

2005 11 15                              9:50 a.m.