Provinces showcase aquaculture industry in Canada�s capital

Provincial fisheries and aquaculture ministers from Eastern Canada have joined together in Ottawa for a unique initiative involving MPs and Senators to highlight the importance of the aquaculture industry to rural and coastal Canadians.

The four Atlantic Provinces met with the provinces� MPs and are co-hosting a reception with the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Association for MPs, Senators and senior officials showcasing aquaculture products from across the country.

Participating ministers, starting in the east and moving west, 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.

The Government of Quebec is supportive of the promotion initiative, although Laurent Lessard, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for Quebec, was unable to attend.

The ministers called on their federal representatives to get to know the Canadian aquaculture industry and to help dispel the myths that threaten its continued growth. The ministers stressed the importance of MPs and Senators supporting the provincial governments in pushing for the development of national policy and programs similar to what exists for the agriculture industry.

�This visit is meant to generate interest and support among our federal representatives in this growing and important industry,� said Newfoundland and Labrador Minister Trevor Taylor. �Rural and coastal areas across the country are facing the same issues as it relates to the loss of traditional resource industries. Aquaculture is an industry that can only exist in rural and coastal communities.�

The sessions were designed to educate the caucuses and senators on the opportunities and potential in the Canadian aquaculture industry and the importance of federal support in the continued development of the industry. The ministers agreed that the province�s federal representatives have a role to play in helping facilitate a cooperative approach with the federal and provincial governments. The sessions followed the meeting of Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers with federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Geoff Regan in Ottawa on November 14.

�There is tremendous opportunity for aquaculture in Nova Scotia, however, it is a challenge to realize that potential when our political leaders are not working together to support the industry,� said Nova Scotia Minister Chris d�Entremont. �We are taking this opportunity to reinforce that this industry is sustainable and produces healthy, high-quality food products.�

Added David Alward, Minister for New Brunswick: �We are meeting with the federal MPs, senators and senior federal officials to inform them of the very real potential for economic development in Atlantic Canada with aquaculture. As far as New Brunswick is concerned, we certainly want to build on the fact that the province is the second-largest aquaculture producer in Canada, generating in excess of 4,000 direct and indirect jobs, mostly in coastal areas.�

The ministers wanted to present a united front in pushing the Canadian aquaculture industry on the national stage and highlight the importance of aquaculture to rural communities from coast to coast. The Canadian aquaculture industry is currently contributing $1 billion to the Canadian economy and employs 8,500 direct and 3,800 indirect employees.

�Prince Edward Island welcomes the opportunity to discuss the potential of the industry and to join in a collaborative effort to pursue its continued growth and development,� said Kevin MacAdam, Minister for Prince Edward Island. �While maintaining the high quality of our products, our other objectives include value-added processing and developing new uses for our aquaculture resources.�

During the Canadian Council of Resource Ministers meetings in Saskatoon in October, provincial and territorial fisheries and aquaculture ministers agreed that an Aquaculture Framework Agreement is the most important step that governments can take to move this critically-important seafood sector forward. They directed their officials to develop an Aquaculture Framework Agreement to assist Canadian aquaculture companies to be world suppliers of high-quality farmed seafood products.

�Aquaculture shows a strong potential for Quebec, especially for economic development in coastal regions. The Government of Quebec has introduced important tools, namely the Act on Commercial Aquaculture that came into effect in 2004, in order to support durable and orderly development. It is important that we pursue our efforts in this direction,� said Laurent Lessard, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for Quebec. �We are supportive of an initiative that highlights the importance of the aquaculture industry.�

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

BACKGROUNDER

• The Canadian aquaculture industry has grown significantly over the last three decades. The industry is currently worth $1 billion to the Canadian economy and supports 12,400 direct and indirect jobs.
   

• The Eastern Canadian aquaculture industry provides an economic alternative for rural and coastal communities, helping minimize out-migration and allowing educated young people to remain in their communities.
   

• The East Coast aquaculture industry generates in excess of 5,000 direct and indirect jobs with a wage bill of over $100 million.
   

• The Canadian aquaculture industry produces high-quality, safe, nutritious and tasty products year-round to markets around the world.
   

• Farmed salmon is the most efficient converter of feed to protein, necessitating 1.2 kilograms of feed to produce one kilogram of protein, as opposed to eight for beef and four for pork.
   

• The top seafood processing plant in Newfoundland and Labrador produces fresh, farmed salmon year-round. Cod is the next major farm species worldwide and Newfoundland and Labrador has developed the technology, the expertise and has the right biophysical conditions to take advantage of this opportunity.
   

• Nova Scotia has over 7,400 kilometres of coastline with countless bays and inlets. The province�s aquaculture research network is recognized as one of the best in North America with significant strengths in biotechnology, nutrition, fish health and aquaculture.
   

• Salmon aquaculture is the largest crop in the agri-food sector in New Brunswick with a value of $179 million.
   

• Prince Edward Island has earned an international reputation for the quality of its aquaculture products. Its Malpeque oysters are world famous, and the province also produces more than 80 per cent of mussels in Canada.
   

• Aquaculture has an important impact on regions of Quebec. The industry dates back 150 years and generates 335 direct jobs and other indirect jobs related to recreational fishing, which is sustained by fish farming.
   

• The aquaculture industry has a major impact across many sectors, including processing, packaging, transportation, veterinary services, feed and equipment manufacturing, engineering and design, diving, research and many more.
   

• New technologies and new species of fish and shellfish offer great hope for the future.
   

• Aquaculture imports are driving U.S. seafood markets.
   

• The aquaculture industry and government are working together to provide for sustainable aquaculture development, including codes of practice, quality management, environmental impact assessments, environmental monitoring and a national aquatic animal health program.
   

• Aquaculture products provide effective, non-medicinal ways to reduce risk factors and prevent disease such as:

  • heart disease

  • inflammation and joint pain

  • Alzheimer�s disease

  • depression

  • brain and vision development in infants

  • diabetes and hypertension

  • osteoporosis

2005 11 15                           2:25 p.m.