Funding announced for P.E.I. oyster farming technology
Island shellfish growers are getting a funding boost to help them explore new technology.
The provincial and federal governments announced Thursday that they are jointly chipping in $500,000 to help boost technological investment in the oyster aquaculture industry. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is contributing $300,000 of the funding while the provincial government is giving $200,000. The funding will be managed by West Prince Ventures Ltd., which is a community-managed economic development company, through its Quality Oyster Aquaculture Program.
The program helps growers adopt technology to increase yields, improve handling and storage safety and increase efficiency.
“We are very pleased to be delivering the Quality Oyster Aquaculture Program as it will be a great support for our oyster growers and operators looking to expand and modernize their operations to meet growing demand,” said Maxine Rennie, executive director of West Prince Ventures Ltd.
The program will pay for up to 50 per cent of the cost of an eligible piece of equipment. The minimum contribution for a successful applicant is $5,000, while the maximum is $20,000.
Examples of equipment that is eligible includes seed collection and nursery equipment, holding equipment and oyster grading machinery. Items that are not eligible include real estate, buildings, vehicles, used equipment and salaries and wages.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 8.
Grant applicants are vetted and those who qualify are then chosen at random for funding. Proposals are chosen until the pot of money is spent.
Shawn Cooke, president of the Island Oyster Growers Group, said Island oyster growers are happy to hear about this funding. ACOA has not contributed to the program for a number of years, he said, and that had severely limited its scope. But now that both levels of government are back on board, he expects a lot of companies can benefit from it, which is good for the industry.
“It spreads (the funding) a lot further. It puts a little more money in the pot and you’ve got the ability to fill a lot more (applications),” said Cooke.