Aquaculture industry should double in size

A REPORT on the Canadian aquaculture industry has called for a doubling of the sector in the next decade.

‘We are confident the aquaculture industry can grow steadily within the next 10 years and do so sustainably – environmentally, eco- nomically and socially,’ said the September 19 report from the Senate’s standing committee on fisheries and oceans.

Senators Fabian Manning and Elizabeth Hubley, who compiled the report, said the industry has been plagued by misinfor- mation, mistrust and a mishmash of federal and provincial laws and regulations, all of which prevented it from growing and sometimes darkened its name.

The committee has made recommendations to improve all of those problems and the report strongly supports growing the industry as a safe, effective way to feed the growing demand for seafood products, as well as to produce employment and economic spin-offs.

Aquaculture generated more than $1 billion in gross domestic product in Canada in 2010, with $354 million in direct GDP and $710 in indirect impacts, the report said. The industry created 5,828 full time jobs, with income of $193 million.

The committee recommended changes, primarily to federal legislation. Most provinces with an aquaculture industry – notably British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island – are governed by a plethora of different laws and by multiple regulators, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as well as various provincial departments.

Some of these laws operate in opposition to one another, making it more difficult to set up fish and aquaculture farms and operate them, senators found.

The committee recommends a new Aquaculture Act could bring the legal framework under one umbrella, ensuring the industry is operating under the same standards in each province.

Senators said many Canadians have an unfair mistrust of the industry and government should take measures to address the issue. It says the government should create a public database within the next two years containing information about the licence and compliance of aquaculture operators.