NLIS 3
November 30, 2005
(Innovation, Trade and Rural Development)
 

The following statement was issued today by Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise before the House today to draw the honourable members� attention to a new ocean-related initiative of our government. Through the Ireland Business Partnerships, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, in partnership with the Government of Ireland, has issued a request for proposals to develop a plan for providing seabed mapping services to international markets.

This initiative will provide a market study and business plan for a consortium of Irish and Newfoundland and Labrador organizations and companies to combine their knowledge and expertise in marine and geoscience services to develop a niche market in seabed mapping.

There is increasing interest by countries throughout the world in accurately mapping their offshore territories. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is aimed at regulating all activities in the world�s oceans and it is predicted that, ultimately, competing pressures for resources will result in the ocean�s floor being divided into zones of national and international jurisdiction.

Good ocean mapping offers a number of economic benefits. Knowing the shape of the ocean floor can reduce losses of fishing nets and encourage environmentally-friendly fishing practices. Oil and gas exploration, now a major industry in this province, is enhanced by improved seabed mapping, and marine safety can be improved with better charts, as many of our nautical charts are based on hydrographic surveys done decades, and sometimes centuries, ago.

Ireland is one of the world�s foremost experts in seabed mapping having recently completed mapping its own territorial seabed, an area 10 times Ireland�s land size. And we have, in our province, a unique marine technology cluster, consisting of companies, institutions and agencies with impressive knowledge and expertise.

The marine technology industry is growing worldwide. Through the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development�s Marine Technology Development Strategy we are building this sector to take advantage of exciting new opportunities. With our expertise and through our partnerships, we are poised to become a national, indeed a global, leader in this field.

2005 11 30                                     2:20 p.m.


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