Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods
September 19, 2016
Celebrating Our Diverse Seafood Industry
Provincial Government Recognizes Aquaculture Week
The Provincial Government is joining with the aquaculture industry to mark September 18 - 24 as Aquaculture Week in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods, kicked off the celebrations at the opening ceremonies of the Aquaculture Canada and Cold Harvest Conference this morning in St. John's.
"Aquaculture is a critical component of our government's commitment to diversifying and strengthening our economy, particularly in rural and coastal communities. It plays a strong role in our seafood industry and our government is committed to ensuring its continued sustainable growth through the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Sustainability Strategy."
- The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods
The Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Sustainability Strategy serves as a guide for policy and investment decisions aimed at ensuring the environmental, financial and social sustainability of the aquaculture industry. It includes initiatives to address sustainable management, and support capacity building, research and development.
"Seafood consumption is growing worldwide and exceeds the capacity of our wild stocks to supply. Newfoundland and Labrador and all of Canada must increase our production and participation so we can meet this demand and grow and strengthen our economy."
- Minister Crocker
In 2015, the production value of Newfoundland and Labrador's aquaculture industry exceeded $161 million.
The province is home to 87 commercial salmonid sites, which produced a combined total of 19,684 tonnes of Atlantic salmon, steelhead trout and Arctic char last year. Blue mussels accounted for 3,130 tonnes of production in 2015, at 51 commercial shellfish sites. The first commercial oyster sites were licensed in the province in 2015, and are expected to begin commercial production in the next two to three years.
QUICK FACTS
- The Provincial Government is marking September 18-24, 2016 as Aquaculture Week in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Aquaculture is a critical component of the Provincial Government's commitment to diversifying and strengthening the economy.
- In 2015, the production values of the province's aquaculture industry exceeded $161 million.
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Media contact:
| Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods 709-729-3733, 682-6593 VanessaColmanSadd@gov.nl.ca |
2016 09 19 10:00 a.m.