The Provincial Government continues to explore international opportunities for the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing and aquaculture industries and gain extensive knowledge regarding best practices within the global marketplace.

To enhance these efforts, the Honourable Tom Rideout, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, recently attended the Third Annual North Atlantic Seafood Conference in Oslo, Norway.

"As the global seafood industry continues to evolve, our province must continue to be front and center at international seafood events throughout the world," said Minister Rideout. "The North Atlantic Seafood Conference is critical to help the province fully appreciate the opportunities and imperatives for the future growth and diversification of the industry and to develop strategies to achieve these objectives. It provided very valuable information as to the outlook for seafood markets throughout Europe, and discussed numerous best practices that will be beneficial to our province as we move forward with the development of our fishing and aquaculture industries."

Some of the major themes of this year�s conference included global seafood supply and demand, strategic directions for sustainable fishing and aquaculture industries, best practices for economic efficiency and sustainability, tariff and trade considerations and fisheries certification, traceability and eco-labeling.

"These are the types of concepts that must be understood and applied if we are to be able to fully avail of opportunities in the global seafood marketplace," continued Minister Rideout.

The minister added that the conference was extremely important as it relates to the continued expansion of the aquaculture sector. He said that Newfoundland and Labrador is being viewed globally as a viable region for aquaculture development, especially for cod and salmon aquaculture.

"Indeed, companies expressed significant interest in exploring aquaculture investment opportunities in our province, and we look forward to following up with them," said Minister Rideout. "An overriding theme during the aquaculture sessions was the problem Chile is experiencing in the aquaculture industry, which will result in significant short-term reductions in output and will necessitate new management practices. In Newfoundland and Labrador we have dramatically improved our management practices and enhanced our fish health protocols. It is important that we fully understand the challenges that other aquaculture regions have faced and that we benefit from their experiences."

The minister also noted that the conference was certainly timely as the Provincial Government continues to implement the elements of its Fishing Industry Renewal Strategy.

"We are very pleased with the conference, and we are confident that we made some very important contacts," said Minister Rideout.

The North Atlantic Seafood Conference brings together fisheries and aquaculture ministers and the CEOs of leading seafood producers and importers. This year�s event hosted 65 presentations, over 500 delegates, seven national ministers responsible for fisheries and aquaculture and 250 companies from 25 countries.

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Media contact:
Lori Lee Oates
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 690-8403
oatesll@gov.nl.ca