November 14, 1997
(Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal)
Three aquaculture facilities
announced
New aquaculture facilities will
be constructed at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) in Logy Bay and at the
Fisheries and Marine Institute, both branches of Memorial University of
Newfoundland, as well as at Bay d'Espoir, Newfoundland. Support for the
three facilities was announced today by Fred Mifflin, Minister of Veterans
Affairs and Secretary of State for ACOA, and Brian Tobin, Premier of
Newfoundland and Labrador, during a news conference held at the Fisheries
and Marine Institute. Valued at $4,520,000, the three facilities are being
constructed through funding from the aquaculture component of the
Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal.
The OSC will receive $2.6
million for an Aquaculture Research Facility to facilitate research and
development efforts and subsequent commercialization of finfish species that
would contribute to the expansion of the Newfoundland aquaculture sector.
An investment of $520,000 in an
Aquaculture Teaching Facility at the Marine Institute assures completion of
Phase II of an aquaculture facility which will produce fish husbandry
systems to support education and training with capabilities for industrial
assistance and research.
At Bay d'Espoir, the
Newfoundland Salmonid Growers Association will receive $1.4 million for an
Aquaculture Resource Centre to be built in St. Alban's. The resource centre
will house laboratories and research facilities to address fish health needs
and developmental research for steelhead trout and salmon aquaculture being
undertaken at Bay d'Espoir, the centre of salmonid aquaculture in the
province.
Mr. Mifflin said: "We are
constantly seeking new and innovative ways to diversify the economic base of
Newfoundland and Labrador; ways to bring together government, educational
institutions and the private sector to initiate growth and to make strategic
investments in our economy. These three facilities demonstrate partnership
at work. Each one will contribute to making aquaculture a significant part
of the Newfoundland and Labrador economy well into the next
millennium."
Premier Tobin emphasized that
the facilities will go a long way in helping to deal with the educational,
biological, and technical constraints that have hampered growth of the
province's aquaculture sector. The Bay d'Espoir Aquaculture Resource Centre
will significantly enhance developmental research for the benefit of
steelhead trout and salmon growers. The OSC facility will conduct research
and will perform pilot-scale testing on promising species indigenous to
Newfoundland such as Atlantic halibut, cod, and wolffish, as well as
yellowtail and witch flounder. The aquaculture training facility at the
Marine Institute is of paramount importance in that it will help to provide
the well-trained work force that can drive the aquaculture industry to new
levels of achievement."
Memorial University has been at
the centre of aquaculture research and development since the 1970s. One of
its greatest challenges has been to conduct aquaculture research in
facilities not suited to the purpose. Dr. Arthur May, President of Memorial
University of Newfoundland, indicated that both the OSC and the Fisheries
and Marine Institute of the University will benefit greatly from the
establishment of the aquaculture facilities. "This infrastructure is
needed in order to meet our teaching mandate for aquaculture as well as our
research and development efforts in the aquaculture field. Memorial is
already home to expert teams of aquaculture specialists as well as
post-doctoral researchers, graduate and honours students, technicians and
assistants working at our current facilities. The new facilities will allow
Memorial to deliver cost-effective, industrially-relevant research and
development for our emerging aquaculture industry."
Marc Kielley, Executive Director
of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association said: "These
long-awaited facilities will benefit the aquaculture industry, the
university, and the economy of our province. They will contribute to the
establishment of a pool of skilled human resources and a body of applied
scientific knowledge that is an ideal match for the private sector needs of
the growing aquaculture industry."
The Canada/Newfoundland
Agreement on Economic Renewal is a $100 million, five-year,
federal-provincial program designed to generate long-term economic benefits
for the province primarily in the growth areas of aquaculture, advanced
technology, and tourism.
Contact:
Heidi Bonnell, Office of the
Premier, (709) 729-3960
Ellen Alcock,
Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal, (709) 772-5116
Josephine Cheeseman,
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, (709) 729-3733
Sonia Glover, Memorial
University of Newfoundland, (709) 737-8661
Lily Abbass, Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, (709) 772-4328
________________
Backgrounder
Aquaculture Facilities
Fisheries and Marine Institute
of Memorial University of Newfoundland
-
In 1995, the Marine
Institute committed approximately $616,000 toward construction of a
new freshwater aquaculture facility. Funding in the amount of $520,000
from the Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal has been
allocated to the Marine Institute to complete fish culture systems for
use in education, training, and technology transfer activities in
support of the Newfoundland aquaculture industry.
-
Work undertaken at the
aquaculture facility involves the installation of state-of-the-art
water recirculating systems including filtration, temperature control
units, and culture tanks, and the equipping of a number of analytical
laboratories.
-
The Marine Institute has
offered aquaculture education and training since 1987. Graduates of
various programs have been instrumental in the expansion of the
Newfoundland aquaculture industry.
Ocean Sciences Centre of
Memorial University of Newfoundland
-
Designed to accommodate
research and pilot-scale testing, the facility will be devoted
specifically to marine species.
-
Research undertaken will
address some of the biological and physical factors which are current
impediments to the commercialization of several species including:
cod, halibut, and wolffish, as well as yellowtail and witch flounder.
-
The main objective of the
Aquaculture Research Facility is to aid in the development and future
commercialization of species indigenous to Newfoundland and thus
facilitate expansion of the aquaculture sector.
-
At the OSC, a team of
aquaculture specialists includes two core groups consisting of 24
marine biologists and aquaculturists as well as numerous post-doctoral
researchers, honours and graduate students, technicians, and
assistants.
-
A critical component of
the state-of-the-art facility will be a seawater system designed to
provide high quality and temperature-controlled recirculating water.
-
In addition to providing
several full-time and part-time positions, the facility will help
establish the capability to provide the Newfoundland aquaculture
industry with highly-trained expertise in the culture of marine
finfish.
-
The facility will aid in
the establishment of permanent infrastructure to train and educate the
future aquaculturists to a high level of technical competency thus
enabling Newfoundland and Labrador to be globally competitive in terms
of human resources.
Aquaculture Resource Centre - St
Alban's - Bay d'Espoir
-
The Newfoundland Salmonid
Growers Association has been allocated $1.4 million for the
construction and implementation of an Aquaculture Resource Centre at
St. Alban's, Newfoundland.
-
This facility is devoted
to developmental research on salmonid strains for commercial
aquaculture production. The facility will also house a Fish Health
Laboratory dedicated to the prevention, detection, and treatment of
diseases of salmonids in commercial aquaculture.
-
Work conducted at the
Aquaculture Resource Centre will be directed toward selection of
salmonid strains best-suited to commercial production in the unique
environmental conditions of the Bay d'Espoir estuary, and subsequent
development of broodstocks of these strains. In addition, it will have
a water analysis capability for marine species, particularly
shellfish.
-
The salmonid aquaculture
industry in Bay d'Espoir is highly valuable to that area of the
province. It has increased commercial value from $3.1 million in 1995,
to $5.7 million in 1996. Production has increased from 161 metric
tonnes (combined Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon) in 1991, to 1,318
metric tonnes combined production in 1996. Industry's goal is to reach
a production level of 10,000 metric tonnes for the Bay d'Espoir
estuary.
-
As of 1997, there are six
fish farming companies active in the Bay d'Espoir area, with several
more companies poised to enter the industry. Employment in this
industry provides full-time, seasonal, and part-time jobs numbering in
the hundreds with employment figures increasing proportional to
industry growth.
-
Work at the centre will
focus on strategies to resolve issues in areas such as genetics,
nutrition, disease/survival, and husbandry/grow-out.
About the aquaculture component
of the Canada/Newfoundland Agreement on Economic Renewal:
The investment of $20 million in
aquaculture allows a range of projects to be undertaken in the following
five strategic directions:
-
Financial and Marketing
($1 million): to facilitate development of the industry based on the
identification of sound, sustainable competitive advantages e.g.
benchmarking, inter-firm comparisons, market demand analysis,
investment prospecting, and generic promotion.
-
Coastal Zone Aquaculture
Planning ($1 million): to assist in maximizing sustainable development
opportunities by reducing the potential for conflict, harmonizing
policies and procedures, and providing data analysis tools. This
component will be achieved through development of a GIS data base to
facilitate government and industry planning; review of government
policies and procedures; and collection, analysis and distribution of
relevant data.
-
Communications, Advocacy
and Education ($1 million): to improve skills, knowledge and awareness
within the industry; to support the industry association in meeting
its mandate particularly in the production and delivery of educational
materials and training programs.
-
Applied Research and
Development ($9 million): to establish research programs to provide a
basis for achieving sustainable development of the industry. This will
be accomplished through the establishment of research facilities aimed
at ensuring the sustainability of finfish and shellfish aquaculture in
the Newfoundland environment.
-
Extension Services ($8
million): to provide for expansion of the industry through creation of
supporting infrastructure and industry services. Programs include
provision of extension and fish health services, collection of
regional site suitability information, and establishment and operation
of demonstration facilities.
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