Fisheries and Aquaculture
March 29, 2011

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture:

Fisheries Youth Initiatives Funded by Provincial Government

I rise in this Honourable House today to inform the public and members present of a series of important initiatives that have been undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Marine sciences and coastal and oceans management are extremely important to the future of the province’s fishing and aquaculture industries. As such, my department has developed a number of initiatives to attract the interest and support of youth in these important areas.

In 2010, our government announced a commitment of $14 million toward fisheries science research, including the establishment of a Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER) at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University and to charter the research vessel the Celtic Explorer. This investment allows for our province to conduct its own fisheries research for the first time in our history. It also supports up to 20 graduate students on an annual basis who will be contributing to the centre’s research activities.

Educating our youth on healthy oceans and sustainable fisheries is a key component of marine conservation. My department has supported youth initiatives including the Ocean Net Youth Conference and Friends of Beaches Network, Envirothon Newfoundland and Labrador, the Ocean’s Day Stream and Shoreline Cleanup Challenge in the Bay of Islands area and a World Ocean’s Day art contest and family day. We also provided funding for students to participate in the Students on Ice Arctic youth expedition in 2010. The total funding for these projects in 2010 was $40,000.

I am also pleased to report that my department funds two scholarships. We have actually established our own scholarship program of $1,000 a year to encourage high school students to learn about our province’s fishing and aquaculture industries. We also fund the Dr. Wilfred Templeman scholarship which provides funding of $5,000 to students pursuing a degree program related to groundfish research. We also contributed to two private scholarships in memory of Dr. Jon Lien and Mr. Sid Hann, on a one-time basis.

The fishing industry is changing rapidly and the aquaculture industry is an important component of the future of coastal and rural areas of the province. We look forward to continuing to engage the youth of our province on these very important issues.

2011 03 29                                                         1:55 p.m.