Canadian aquaculture reports solid growth
CANADA’S seafood farmers produced a solid year of sustainable growth and many new jobs in 2016 according to a new report from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA).
The report, Sustainable, Diverse and Growing – the State of Farmed Seafood in Canada 2017, shows revenues reached $1.35 billion last year.
This contributed to an economic impact of $5.1 billion, with the number of people employed totalling 25,040, including indigenous participation across the country.
Releasing the report, Timothy Kennedy, executive director of CAIA, said: ‘Canada’s seafood farmers have much to be proud of in 2017.
‘They are producing the highest quality farmed seafood, they are creating year-round jobs, and they are opening new opportunities for local indige- nous communities.
‘Farmed seafood in Canada is sustainable, diverse and growing. We are playing a leadership role on environmental stewardship and creating high value middle class jobs. We are excited by the future opportunities.’
The report proclaims: ‘In 2016, Canadian farmed seafood production and processing generated a total of over $5.1 billion in economic activity, $2 billion in GDP, and $1.16 billion in wages for 25,000 Canadian workers.
‘And much of these economic benefits occur at the local, community level in Canada.’
Revenues in 2016 totalled $1.347 billion, up from $918 million in 2015, while farmed seafood production was 200,565 tonnes – up from 190,111 in 2015. Exports last year totalled $1 billion.
Kennedy added: ‘This report reconfirms that farmed seafood in Canada is an increasingly important food source, and that is why we support the government of Canada’s leadership for a new federal Aquaculture Act.
‘A new Act will enable a vibrant, responsible and sustainable farmed seafood sector in Canada for generations to come. It will hold us to account as we grow sustainably to meet future demand.’