Fisheries and aquaculture ministers and officials from Canada’s five eastern provinces and Manitoba met with a number of federal ministers in Ottawa last week to seek support for a comprehensive aquaculture renewal initiative. The provincial ministers, led by Prince Edward Island Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Allan Campbell, provided information to make federal ministers more aware of the potential of the Canadian aquaculture industry. They met with Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn, International Trade Minister David Emerson and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Also taking part in the discussions were regional ministers Peter MacKay and Greg Thompson.
“While the world demand for seafood products continues to rise, the sustainable fishery of wild stocks has reached its limit for many species and has been exceeded in many areas of the world,” said Mr. Campbell. “There is significant potential for the further development of the aquaculture industry and for the creation of year-round employment in rural and coastal areas of the country.”
Mr. Campbell said the provinces that participated in the awareness event are committed to developing a harmonized, streamlined and effective governance structure for aquaculture in Canada. He said it is hoped that a revitalized and effective regulatory structure will improve access to sites and provide industry with a climate to attract new investment to expand their businesses. The ministers also stressed the importance of supportive federal programming in the areas of research, development, commercialization, infrastructure and stewardship.
Mr. Campbell also said that he and Mr. Hearn have agreed to work together with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the aquaculture industry to explore as quickly as possible a multi-year comprehensive development fund to assist the industry to address the problem of invasive species.
Ministers also discussed their commitment with the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance and co-hosted a reception featuring aquaculture products from across the country for key decision makers in the federal government.
Mr. Campbell co-chaired the Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers meeting on Friday. Ministers discussed some of the challenges facing the Atlantic fisheries, including a strong Canadian dollar, rising fuel costs and global competition. They noted the importance of taking a more integrated approach to managing the fishery that includes all the players in the seafood value chain, particularly harvesters and processors. They agreed to pursue this integrated approach through what is being referred to as the oceans-to-plate approach.
“The Prince Edward Island fisheries and aquaculture industry makes a significant contribution to our provincial economy and our goal is to increase that in the years ahead,” said Mr. Campbell. “We must work together with our federal and provincial colleagues to advance the issues and opportunities in the fishery. We must also ensure that our communication lines are fully open with fishers, aquaculturalists and processors.”