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Dhaliwal announces West Vancouver Lab as a Research Centre for Aquaculture Excellence

June 1, 2001

Vancouver, BC – Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and MP for Vancouver-South Burnaby, today announced his commitment to establish the West Vancouver Laboratory as a Research Centre for Aquaculture Excellence. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is willing to invest $2 million in capital upgrades, making the Centre a prime location for universities, government agencies and private aquaculture interest groups to collaborate with the federal government in furthering the development of the aquaculture industry.

"The sustainable development of the Canadian aquaculture industry is a priority for the Government of Canada," said Minister Dhaliwal. "I’m happy to announce that the Government of Canada is willing to provide $2 million towards modernizing this lab. But in order for this to happen, the aquaculture sector must also become an active partner by helping to fund research."

West Vancouver Laboratory, one of Fisheries and Oceans’ major research facilities in Canada, is ideally located in close proximity to both the Fraser River estuary and Burrard Inlet. This lab enjoys a unique natural water supply as both saltwater and freshwater are readily available. For over six years, the department has conducted innovative aquaculture research at this lab in the areas of salmon nutrition and cultured/wild salmon interaction. Other important research, including assessing the effects of sewage and agricultural and pulp mill effluent on aquatic ecosystems, has also been done at this site.

"The creation of the Research Centre is exciting news," said William Driedzic, Scientific Director of Aquanet, the National Research Council’s Network of Centres of Excellence for Aquaculture in Canada. "There is a need for a major facility such as this in British Columbia to move aquaculture research and development forward, and the West Vancouver Lab has great potential for this initiative."

The announcement was also positively received by the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association. Its President, Odd Grydeland said, "Minister Dhaliwal has demonstrated leadership in securing capital funding for the West Vancouver Lab. This investment will pay off in new technologies and knowledge that will help move Canada to the forefront of sustainable aquaculture."

"From the perspective of the BC shellfish industry, this is very welcome news," said Keith Reid, President of the BC Shellfish Growers Association. "The shellfish sector has several research needs that these specialized facilities will meet. New research will help our industry to grow in an environmentally sustainable manner."

In commending the Government for this decision, Ron Kilmury, Managing Director of Moore-Clark Canada said, "The West Vancouver Laboratory has been doing important research for the aquaculture feed industry, including research into the development of alternate marine sources of oils and meals. We welcome this opportunity to continue working with all partners to further the development of the Canadian aquaculture sector."

"Over the past year, the Science Council’s work with a variety of public and private sector groups has highlighted the need for greater emphasis on aquaculture R&D," said Monty Little, Chair of the Science Council of British Columbia. "Today’s announcement will position BC and Canada as a centre for world-class research providing solid, science-based information for developing a sustainable and safe aquaculture industry."

Earlier this month, Minister Dhaliwal announced a $20 million five-year Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP) fund. This fund is part of the $75 million program for Sustainable Aquaculture created in August 2000 to increase collaborative research and development activity between the aquaculture industry and the department. Under the ACRDP, aquaculture producers may submit research proposals leading to new information and technology, and contributing to the increase in Canada’s research knowledge and market share of the industry.

Latest figures show that the Canadian aquaculture industry produced more than 113,000 tonnes of product in 1999, representing nearly a quarter of the total value of Canadian fish and seafood production. Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food-producing industries in the world. The potential for the Canadian aquaculture industry, and the benefits to the Canadian economy are enormous.