ABOUT...
ACROSS CANADA
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RESOURCES
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FACT SHEET - Fast Facts About Freshwater Aquaculture in Canada
- Freshwater fish are raised in dug-outs or ponds for smaller-scale operations,
or net-cages suspended in lakes for larger-scale, commercial operations. Freshwater
species are also grown in land-based (flow through or recirculation) tank systems.
- Canada’s freshwater aquaculture sector consists of more than 700 operations
that produce more than 10 000 tonnes of product annually with a farm-gate value
of about $70 million.
- More than 1,260 full-time jobs have been created by this sector. There are
about 900 direct positions and 360 indirect jobs in the aquaculture supplies
and services sector.
- The majority of freshwater aquaculture operations are land-based facilities
where fish are reared in ponds, tanks and/or raceways. There are also approximately
one dozen cage culture operations located in lakes and reservoirs. While outnumbered
by their land-based counterparts, net-cage culture operations account for more
than 45% of total freshwater aquaculture output in Canada.
- There are freshwater aquaculture operations – commercial and recreational
"U-fish" businesses - in almost every province in Canada, including the Yukon
Territory. Ontario and Quebec are the dominant producers of freshwater fish
in Canada, followed by Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick.
- The two main species of freshwater fish currently being raised for commercial
and recreational purposes across Canada are Rainbow trout and Brook trout.
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